COMM 20 Job Interview - Persuasive Presentation

Before you start Googling your research topic, remember that the information you find on the Web may not be appropriate for use in academic assignments. It's always a good idea to evaluate every web source that you want to cite using the CRAAP method, but here are some general guidelines to keep in mind:

• Do not use Wikipedia as an official source. It is easy for anyone to edit the articles. Wikipedia may be, however, useful for gaining background information on a topic which then may be researched in a more academic setting.
• Governments (federal, state, and local) and educational institutions (universities and colleges) publish many informative websites on a wide variety of subjects. Websites with URLs ending in .gov and .edu (which stand for government and education, respectively) are generally trustworthy sources.
• Websites with URLs ending in .com belong to commercial organizations (i.e., businesses and corporations). The purpose of such sites is usually to sell you a product or service, so they may not always provide objective information. Only use .com sites from reputable organizations such as national media companies (e.g., New York Times or Time Magazine).
• Try searching in Google Scholar, an alternative for finding scholarly information on the Web. Keep in mind that not all of the articles you may find on Google Scholar are free to view. If you come across an article in a journal that requires a subscription, check if the article is available in the library databases. For additional information on using Google Scholar, please refer to the Merritt Library Google Scholar Basics Research Guide.

How do you tell if a website is a credible information source? Evaluate its characteristics using the CRAAP test. 

CRAAP stands for Currency, Relevance, Authority, Accuracy, and Purpose - five criteria that you should consider in order to decide whether or not to use a source.

For details on how to use the CRAAP test, please refer to the Merritt Library Resource Guide titled Evaluating Sources: the CRAAP Test.