5 Tips to BE Information Smart:

9th November 2020

Mairéad Mc Keown – Manager, Knowledge & Critical Capability Development, Bord Bia – The Irish Food Board

GIGO (garbage in, garbage out) is a concept that is common to computer science and mathematics. Essentially, it refers to how the quality of the output is determined by the quality of the input. So, for example, if incorrect data is input to a computer program, the output is unlikely to be informative. Based on the philosophy of quality management, GIGO can also be applied to decision making where failure to ensure the quality of information results in bad decision making and poor results. In unison, The Australian Library and Information Association has also stated that, “Good decisions depend on good information”. (ALIA, 2003, p.6). Whilst, it can be very tempting to use any source you come across, it’s critically important to remember that not all information is good information. This is especially true in an online environment, where according to Hubspot the average person conducts between three and four Google searches per day. (Prater, 2020). When tasked with making a decision, you’re going to search for information and find lots of it. But how can you determine if the information you’ve found is good information? The answer is simple, BE information smart. This article will introduce 5 key questions to ask yourself each time you find a source of information. Asking these questions will help you reduce the risk of GIGO, enable better decision making and ultimately BE information smart.

5 top tips to BE Information Smart:

Developed by Librarians at California State University-Chico, the CRAAP test is a set of 5 key questions you can ask yourself when deciding whether or not a source is good enough to feed your decision making.

CRAAP stands for Currency, Relevance, Authority, Accuracy, and Purpose.

Let’s look at letter in a little more detail.

1. C- CURRENCY:

The timeliness of information

When was the information published or posted, has it been revised or updated, is it timely enough for your specific needs – past, present or future, if found online are the links working?

Top tip: always check the date of the source before deciding upon usefulness!

2. R – RELEVANCE:

The importance of information for your specific needs

Does the information relate to your topic or question, is it pitched at the right level, who is the intended audience, have you considered other sources before deciding to use this one?

Top tip: If you deem the source important enough for your needs, consider it relevant

3. A – AUTHORITY:

The source of information

Who is the author/publisher/source/sponsor, what are their credentials/organisational affiliations, are they qualified to write on the topic, if available online does the URL reveal anything about the author/source e.g. .gov, .org, .com, .net?

Top tip: Always check out the About us section of the site and a bio on the author/s

4. A – ACCURACY:

The reliability, truthfulness and correctness of the content

Where does the information come from, is it supported by evidence, has it been reviewed elsewhere, has it been verified elsewhere, does the language or tone seem free of emotion or unbiased, is it free of spelling/grammatical errors?

Top tip: When checking if the information is verified in other sources, make sure to question their accuracy too!

5. P – PURPOSE:

The reason the information exists

What is the purpose of the information, is it to inform, teach/sell/persuade/entertain, is it fact/opinion/propaganda, is it free of biases, does the author/sponsor make the purpose of the information clear?

Top tip: Make sure to check out the About us section of the site and a bio on the author/s

Different criteria will be more or less important depending on the specific context of your information needs.

Each and every time you consider using a potential source for your decision making, ask yourself the 5 key questions from the CRAAP test. Doing so will help you reduce the risk of GIGO, enable better decision making and ultimately BE information smart.

References:

Rouse, M., n.d. What Is Garbage In, Garbage Out (GIGO) ? - Definition From Whatis.Com. [online] SearchSoftwareQuality. Available at: https://searchsoftwarequality.techtarget.com/definition/garbage-in-garbage-out [Accessed 9 November 2020].

Ifla.org. 2003. IFLA -- The Business Of Information Literacy. [online] Available at: https://www.ifla.org/DE/node/5715 [Accessed 9 November 2020].

Prater, M., 2020. 25 Google Search Statistics To Bookmark ASAP. [online] Blog.hubspot.com. Available at: https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/google-search-statistics [Accessed 9 November 2020].

Library.csuchico.edu. 2020. [online] Available at: https://library.csuchico.edu/sites/default/files/craap-test.pdf [Accessed 9 November 2020].

Hill Renerie, R., 2020. Research Guides: Website Research: CRAAP Test. [online] Libguides.cmich.edu. Available at: https://libguides.cmich.edu/web_research/craap [Accessed 9 November 2020].