Skip to Main Content

NURS1430_2024 Fall

Evaluate Information

It is imperative to evaluate the resources to be used in research, particularly in Nursing and other health related fields focusing on Evidence Based Practice.  Although there are many cute acronyms (CRAPP test, etc.); basically think about the journalistic W's--who, what, when, where, why.  Fun example:  dhmo.org and/or https://news.emory.edu/stories/2019/04/er_peeps_experiment/campus.html

The criteria discussed in class included:

Authority--who is behind the information?  What are their credentials?  Can the authority be proven?

Accuracy--is the information correct?  Can it be verified elsewhere?  Are there references that can be checked?

Objectivity--what is the purpose of the source?  Is it based upon facts or evidence--or upon opinion or conjecture?

Currency--is the information timely?  

Use--is the information relevant to the need?

HINT:  Using published resources via a library database provides many shortcuts to the good stuff!

You will want to go beyond the source in question to SIFT: Stop, Investigate the Source, Find Better Coverage, Trace to Original Context.