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ARH102 Art History: Renaissance Through Contemporary Art (Hall)

Research guide designed for ARH102 students with links to library databases, tips for scholarly research, and detailed instruction in producing an annotated bibliography.

Searching Websites?

When searching for information on the "free web," you need to be critical.  Here are a few reasons:

  • On the "free web," anyone can post information, which can be unreliable and inaccurate.
  • The amount of information online can be overwhelming; there are currently more than 300 million websites in existence.
  • When searching the web, you get A LOT of results, many of which may not be relevant. 
  • Many websites may have an agenda, or may be trying to sell you something.
  • Search results bring varying results, only some of which may be relevant for your research.
  • Scholarly sources are usually not available on the "free web." They are located primarily in library databases. 

Below you will find the CRAAP Test, a way to remember things you need to look for when choosing a website. The CRAAP Test also applies to any information source you find and need to evaluate.

Below the CRAAP Test, you will find information on  how to make Google searches more effective. This is full of many useful tips!

 

 

CRAAP Test: Guidelines for Evaluating Websites

When evaluating websites or any other information sources, use the following CRAAP test to help evaluate the information you find.  This checklist applies to any resource you may use for a school assignment, but keep in mind that some items are specific to websites.  

Currency: The timeliness of the information. 

  • When was the information published or posted?
  • Has the information been revised or updated?
  • Does your topic require current information, or will older sources work as well?
  • 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 citing this source in your research paper?

Authority: The source of the information.

  • Who is the author/publisher/source/sponsor?
  • What are the author's credentials or organizational affiliations?
  • Is the author qualified to write on the topic?
  • Is there contact information, such as a publisher or email address?
  • Does the URL reveal anything about the author or source?   Examples: 
    • .com - commercial site
    • .edu - school or university site
    • .gov - government website
    • .org - for-profit or non-profit organization site
Note: Domains such as .ca (Canada) or .au (Australia) are country-specific domain names. It is not easy to tell what type of organization is behind these domain names so use some of the other criteria to evaluate the website. 
 

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

  • 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 unbiased and free of emotion?
  • Are there spelling, grammar or typographical errors?

 Purpose: The reason the information exists.

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

The CRAAP test is provided by the Meriam Library California State University, Chico

Get More Out of Google

 

Various tips for using Google.

Searching for a Specific Domain Type

When finding your webpage resource, look for sources published by art museums or high-level, academic sites.

You can limit your Google search results to a specific domain by entering the following into a search box:

 

your search terms + art musuem site: org

 

Example:  

Creative Commons Attribution, Non-Commercial, Share-Alike License Tag

All guides are available under the CC-BY-NC-SA license.