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Research Assistance

TRAAP

Searching in Google for credible information requires a little more effort than searching in a database.  Use the TRAAP method described below to determine if a website or webpage is okay to use.  

T - Timeliness - when was the article/page posted? has it been updated recently (look for a last updated date or a date that the page was published)

R - Relevance - how does this information relate to your topic?  who is the intended audience for the information? 

A - Accuracy - is the information backed up with evidence? what kinds of references does the author use? are there working links to other sources? Check the links to see if they are working.  Also check for grammatical errors or misspelled words.  

A - Authority - who wrote the information? what are their credentials? what is the domain of the website (is it a .org; .edu; .gov; .com)

P - Purpose - what is the purpose of the information/site; is there an agenda or is there any biasness from the site/information? Look for an "about us" section on the website that could tell you about the group/organization/institution to determine who they are. 

 

Beeghly Libary. "Evaluating Sources." August 14, 2017. http://libguides.heidelberg.edu/eval/traap

Evaluating Websites

Check out the library's tips for evaluating websites.  If you are unsure about using a particular website or webpage for a source in an assignment, come talk to a librarian.