Verified Document

Research Paper And Website Essay

¶ … Social Policy Websites Using the CRAAP Method: Implications for Human Services Professionals Human services professionals increasingly obtain information from the internet. Given the critical nature of the human services field, ensuring that information is correct, up-to-date, credible, and verifiable is crucial. The CRAAP tool (Currency, Reliability, Authority, Accuracy, and Purpose) is a useful tool human services professionals may use to achieve this. In this paper, three policy-oriented websites were evaluated using the tool. The selected websites were Aclu.og, ProCon-org, and Vaccineresistancemovement.org. Scoring 11 points in total, ProCon.org was found to be the most useful website. Aclu.org scored slightly lower than ProCon.org, achieving a total score of 10 points. Though ProCon.org and Aclu.org have high scores, it would be prudent to confirm their information with other sources as they did not reach the score for an excellent source of information. Vaccineresistancemovement.org scored the least, with 6 points. This means that it would be inappropriate to cite information from the website in a research paper or academic project. Overall, human services professionals must ensure the information they use in the course of their work is accurate, current, and provable.

Evaluating Social Policy Websites Using the CRAAP Method: Implications for Human Services Professionals

In the line of their work, human service professionals rely on information from a variety of sources, including books, journal articles, agency publications, as well as the internet. The internet has particularly become a common source of information for human services professionals. Nonetheless, given the high possibility of information inaccuracy in the online environment, human services professionals must carefully evaluate the credibility of internet information. The CRAAP tool provides an appropriate framework for assessing the credibility of information obtained from websites. CRAAP is an acronym for currency, reliability, authority, accuracy, and purpose (Gettysburg College, 2016). As human services professionals deal with policy information relating to a wide range of issues affecting the public, this tool is important for ensuring that internet information is correct and reliable. The aim of this paper is to describe the CRAAP method and demonstrate its usefulness in analysing selected policy-oriented websites. First, a more detailed description of the CRAAP method is provided, clearly highlighting the scoring strategy used to evaluate the websites. Next, three policy-oriented websites are identified and analysed...

Finally, implications for human services professionals are provided.
CRAAP Method and Scoring Strategy

The CRAAP tool provides five criteria for evaluating website information: Currency, Reliability, Authority, Accuracy, and Purpose (Gettysburg College, 2016). The criterion of currency means how up-to-date the information is. Policy information keeps on changing, hence the need for human service professionals to have current information. Reliability means how dependable, accurate, and error-free the information is. Reliability is also determined by the consistency of the information with other sources as well as the availability of links to sources of data. Determining the authority of the author is also important. This involves establishing whether the author's name is identifiable and what makes them an expert in the subject matter. It is crucial to establish the authority of not only the author, but also the organisation behind the information. In other words, who owns the website, and are they reputable? For human services professionals, reliability and authority are vital for avoiding misinforming the public. Finally, the criterion of purpose entails focusing on the content of the website, specifically assessing its motive, objectivity, conflict of interest, as well as bias. The human services field is concerned with a broad array of social issues, hence the need for locating objective and unbiased information.

Based on these criteria, the usefulness of a website can be determined by ranking the website on each criterion on a predefined scale. In this case, a scale of 0-3 was used, with 0 representing total lack of currency, reliability, authority, and purpose; and 3 representing sufficient or acceptable currency, reliability, authority, and purpose. Scores for the five criteria were then added to determine the overall score for each website. The maximum score a website can score is 15 points and the least is 0 points. The scoring strategy is summarised in the table below.

Criteria/Score

0

1

2

3

Currency

The date the site was created or updated has not been indicated

The date exceeds 3 years

The date is within the last 3 years

The date is less than 2 years

Reliability

Links to sources of the information not provided

Source of information provided in general, but no specific links

Links to sources are provided

Links to sources are…

Sources used in this document:
References

Gettysburg College. (2016). How to evaluate resources. Retrieved from https://www.gettysburg.edu/library/research/tips/webeval/index.dot

Qakseclib.weebly.com (n.d.). The C.R.A.P test. Retrieved from http://qakseclib.weebly.com/uploads/2/6/7/8/26787452/webeval.pdf
Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Research Paper Topic and Annotated Bibliography
Words: 2285 Length: 6 Document Type: Essay

Selection of Research Paper Topic An analysis of the link between hopefulness, quality of life (QOL) and internalized stigma among autistic kids' parents is the objective of the current research. Autism impacts the patient as well as their parents, who require wide-ranging support services. The entire family of autism patients gets distressed during its attempts at raising the patient/child, potentially leading to diverse psychological and social problems among family members. Therefore,

Analyzing and Writing a Research Paper
Words: 2294 Length: 6 Document Type: Research Paper

professional standpoints, and assessment of results. Several approaches have been identified for carrying out researches Research findings can be documented in several ways Researching your Paper Planning ahead: Device a step-by-step method Make use of a calendar or some kind of timeline Ensure your schedule is a feasible one Understand the assignment Choose a topic that most interests you Do online searches and engage in preliminary reading Get the instructor's approval Get your Thoughts to Focus: Formulate the thesis statement Pay attention to

How to Write a Research Paper
Words: 681 Length: 2 Document Type: Essay

How to Write a Research Paper Research papers require one to spend a certain amount of time reading up on a subject, gaining an understanding of it, and then putting that understanding into words. The words have to be organized in a precise way so that information is communicated effectively from the writer to the reader. Moreover, there has to be a point to what is being stated. The writer has

Research Participants &Bull; Legal and Ethical Issues
Words: 1654 Length: 4 Document Type: Research Paper

Research Participants • Legal and ethical issues relevant to nursing research Any kind of breach done with regards to the legal aspects has the likelihood of becoming an issue for litigation. The usual legal concerns associated with nursing research can be split into three: Ownership of Data: This can be a legal issue for nursing research that is the topic of a contract and can also come about as a result of rivaling research

Research Assistant Disclaimer This Research
Words: 2866 Length: 10 Document Type: Term Paper

286). Employers have, since the Immigration Reform and Control Act of1986 (IRCA), been obligated to function under the laws that govern verifying applicant/employee citizenship, and which assigns costly fines to companies that do not comply with the 1986 guidelines of verification (Olds Som and Momblanco, 2006, p. 286). However, these rules were not enforced, and employers were not, for the most part, fined. That has now changed. At present, because

Website for Freelancer
Words: 6848 Length: 25 Document Type: Business Plan

Business Plan for Freelancer Website Business Plan for Freelance Website Freelancer website is a platform where freelance writers, researchers, designers, and other freelancers meet the clients and complete their projects against pre-decided compensation. The business plan constitutes an analysis of the business operations, business environment, financial appraisal, and marketing strategies of a company. The business plan presented in this paper discusses all these elements in the light of research papers, books, and

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now