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Major British Writers LIT 327: Evaluating Sources

Major British authors, ranging from Britain’s early history to contemporary times

Evaluating Sources using the CRAAP test

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  • Is the information current or out-of date for your topic?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. 

Websites

Frankenstein: The Afterlife of Shelley's Circle (Biblion, New York Public Library)
Schuessler, Jennifer. "'Frankenstein' Comes Alive in the App Store." June 7, 2012. The New York Times.
Frankenstein: Making a Modern Monster(Biblion, New York Public Library)
The Frankenstein Project(Bruce Matsunaga, Department of English, Arizona State University)
Frankenstein's Laboratory (The Bakken Museum, Minneapolis, MN)
The Shelley-Godwin Archive (New York Public Library and the Maryland Institute for Technology in the Humanities)

Monstrous Vintage Covers of Mary Shelley’s ‘Frankenstein’

Pforzheimer Collection, New York Public Library

Mary Shelley's papers are part of the Pforzheimer Collection, New York Public Library

The Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley Chronology

Romantic Circles A refereed scholarly Website devoted to the study of Romantic-period literature and culture

The Shelley-Godwin Archive

The Shelley-Godwin Archive will provide the digitized manuscripts of Percy Bysshe Shelley, Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, William Godwin, and Mary Wollstonecraft, bringing together online for the first time ever the widely dispersed handwritten legacy of this uniquely gifted family of writers.

National Library of Medicine 

Since that time, Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus has become one of the Western world’s most enduring myths. The story provides a framework for discussions of medical advances, which challenge our traditional understanding of what it means to be human.

Global Shakespeares - Video and Performance Archive (open source)

Shakespeare Quartos Archive - A digital collection of pre-1642 editions of William Shakespeare's plays.

Henslowe-Alleyn Digitization Project - Experts from King’s College London and the University of Reading are currently making the largest collection of material on professional theatre and dramatic performance in the age of Shakespeare, available online.

Shakespeare Documented is the largest and most authoritative collection of primary-source materials documenting the life of Shakespeare, bringing together all known manuscript and print references to Shakespeare, his works, and additional references to his family, in his lifetime and shortly thereafter.

First Folio Tour

Folger Shakespeare Library

Illustrated Shakespeare Collection

Internet Shakespeare Editions

Luminarium: Anthology of English Literature

OpenSource Shakespeare

Shakespeare Birthplace Trust

Shakespeare's Life & Times

Shakespeare Illustrated

Shakespeare Online

Shakespeare Resource Center

Voice of the Shuttle: William Shakespeare

Jonathan Swift archive

The Jonathan Swift Archive makes available digitized texts of Jonathan Swift’s prose works, transcribed from a great variety of early printed editions. The archive is an electronic supplement to the printed Cambridge Works of Jonathan Swift , 18 vols. (Cambridge University Press, 2008-).

Jonathan Swift
Biographical and contextual information, as well as literary criticism about Swift's work, from The Victorian Web

A Woman's Wit: Jane Austen's Life and Legacy

This exhibition at the Morgan Library & Museum includes a biography of Jane Austen, a short documentary film, digitized versions of the Lady Susan manuscripts and original letters, selected images, and an article discussing Jane Austen's writing materials.

John Murray Archive at the National Library of Scotland

John Murray Archive contains documents spanning two hundred years, documenting the publishing firm's history. In the digitally-accessible Austen materials, you can view correspondence between Austen and her publisher, as well as a sales subscription list for Mansfield Park.

The Jane Austen Society

The Society was founded in 1940 by Dorothy Darnell with the purpose of raising funds to preserve the Cottage in the village of Chawton, Hampshire, where Jane Austen lived with her mother and sister Cassandra from 1809 to 1817.

The Jane Austen Society North America

The Jane Austen Society of North America is dedicated to the appreciation of Jane Austen and her writing. Join us in celebrating her life and works.

Podcasts