Classics: Ancient Rome: Evaluating Sources

CRAAP TEST WORKSHEET 

Use the following worksheet to help you evaluate your sources. Score each of the main categories 1 to 10 (1 = Worst; 10 = Best). Check your scores with the key at the bottom.

Currency: the timeliness of the information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . _____

• When was the information published or posted? 
• Has the information been revised or updated?
• Is the information current or out-of date for your topic?
• Are the links functional?

Relevance: the importance of the information for your needs . . . . . . . . . . . . . _____

• Does the information relate to your topic or answer your question?
• Who is the intended audience?
• Is the information at an appropriate level (i.e. not too elementary or advanced for your needs)?
• Have you looked at a variety of sources before determining this is one you will use?
• Would you be comfortable using this source for a research paper?

Authority: the source of the information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . _____

• Who is the author/publisher/source/sponsor?
• Are the author's credentials or organizational affiliations given?
• What are the author's credentials or organizational affiliations given?
• What are the author's qualifications to write on the topic?
• Is there contact information, such as a publisher or e-mail address?
• Does the URL reveal anything about the author or source? For example:
  • .com (commercial)
  • .edu (educational)
  • .gov (U.S. government)
  • .org (nonprofit organization)
  • .net (network)

Accuracy: the reliability, truthfulness, and correctness of the content, and . . . . _____

• Where does the information come from?
• Is the information supported by evidence?
• Has the information been reviewed or refereed?
• Can you verify any of the information in another source or from personal knowledge?
• Does the language or tone seem biased and free of emotion?
• Are there spelling, grammar, or other typographical errors?

Purpose: the reason the information exists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . _____

• What is the purpose of the information? to inform? teach? sell? entertain? persuade?
• Do the authors/sponsors make their intentions or purpose clear?
• Is the information fact? opinion? propaganda?
• Does the point of view appear objective and impartial?
• Are there political, ideological, cultural, religious, institutional, or personal biases?

45-50 Excellent; 40-44 Good; 35-39 Average; 30-34 Borderline Acceptable; Below 30 Unacceptable

Note: all credit for the CRAAP test goes to the librarians who developed it at Meriam Library at CSU Chico. 

Plagiarism on Campus

• A resource of affordablecollegesonline. Created by Shelley Nicholson PhD canidate UMass Amherst.

Kelsey Museum of Archaeology The Kelsey Museum houses a collection of nearly 100,000 ancient and medieval objects from the civilizations of the Mediterranean and the Near East.

Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYC

Museum of Classical Archaeology The Museum of Classical Archaeology is one of the few surviving collections of plaster casts of Greek & Roman sculpture in the world.

Roma: Musei in Comune

The Louvre Contains Egyptian, Roman, Etruscan, and Greek art.

Toledo Museum of Art The ancient civilizations of Egypt, the Near East, Greece, and Rome are represented in TMA’s collection by masterworks in stone, clay, wood, glass, bronze, and precious metals.

U. of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology & Anthropology

Institute of Nautical Archaeology Site dedicated to the exploration of nautical archaeology. Run by the Institute of Nautical Archaeology, it contains photographs and narratives of various underwater excavations.

 HyperHistory: World History is an expanding scientific project presenting 3,000 years of world history with an interactive combination of synchronistic lifelines, timelines, and maps.

Perseus Digital Library "Digital library of resources for the study of the ancient world. Covers the Archaic and Classical Greek world, with Latin text, Renaissance materials, and Papyri." --Librarian's Index to the Internet

Roman Law Included Latin fragments of the Corpus Iuris (the collection of laws initiated by the Emperor Justinian).

Roman Law Resources This site provides information on Roman law sources and literature, the teaching of Roman law, and the persons who study Roman law.

Rome: Republic to Empire

Society for the Promotion of Roman Studies The Roman Society is the leading organization in the United Kingdom for those interested in the study of Rome and the Roman Empire. Its scope is wide, covering Roman history, archaeology, literature and art down to about A.D. 700.

The Jewish Roman world of Jesus