CRAAP or TAARP? – Created by Sarah Blakeslee to help people decide how to ensure data is from a good source. She developed the standard Currency (or Timeliness), Relevance, Authority, Accuracy, and Purpose (Point of View). Her students told her that the acronym stood for CRAAP, and she embraced it. There are many names they call this standard CRAAP, CRAB, CRAP, TRAP, TARP.
Currency or Timeliness – Is the data current enough to matter, and do they use timely, recent, and useful references? It is too easy to report old material.
Relevance – Is the data on the right topic for the project? Does it have the right audience in mind for your purposes?
Authority – Does the person who wrote the information an authority or expert on the information, either by experience or education? Does their process of collecting the data make what they are saying true? Ensure the people you reference have the authority to make their claims confidently.
Accuracy – Are there mistakes that are blatant or show sloppiness by the author, which might mean there are reasons to be concerned? For example, could the data be biased or not even true or select information to prove the point?
Purpose or Point of View – Was this writing backed by someone or had a purpose? Is it meant to convince someone of something, or is it purely an academic article? Again, make sure your data isn’t trying to sell you.
Don’t Save Volatile Data – If the data becomes outdated quickly, there is no point in saving it. Perhaps keep the site that researches this topic or make a note of the topic. Quickly advancing research will become old fast.
Personal Bias – Does the author have a viewpoint that taints or alters the whole work? It might be ok to use if you get other views too.
Actionable – Does the data provide the right call to action from the listeners or readers? If you are hoping to get action, it should have the ability to urge people.
Correct Data for the Right Format – Some data is suitable for podcasts, others for posters, and others for academic papers. Ensure that you have the right research for your purposes.
Create an Action Plan – Create a plan for the data and how you will use it. Knowing the proper way to use it will help you stay focused.
Challenge
Take a hard look at whether you’re using good sources. And then, in the future, can you think about this CRAAP or TAARP method of analyzing your data and making sure that your data is timely, and accurate? Ensure that it has authority, meaning coming from good sources and that it’s relevant to what you’re trying to study, that there’s a real purpose to this data, that it fits the format you’re trying to do, and that it has the proper purpose. Finally, ensure that you’re using good resources when finding data.
Links
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CRAAP_test
