The ACT UP method, created by Dawn Stahura, is a way to look at information through a different lens - "as informed cultural producers of information (as opposed to being cultural consumers)." The ACT UP method is a way to critically evaluate information and places YOU, as a scholar, in the mix of the scholarly conversation. The ACT UP method asks questions that move us beyond just being passive consumers of information and asks that we consider different approaches to research and open the dialogue to be more inclusive of historically excluded groups. This means including voices from Black, Indigenous, Latinx, Asian, LGBTQIA+ communities, and women, among others. It also places emphasis on being aware of the information you are consuming, producing, and sharing.
Each letter below spells out ACT UP. You can use these prompts to critically evaluate information sources.
The ACT UP evaluation method was created by Dawn Stahura at Salem State University.
This guide is used and has been adapted with the permission of Dawn Stahura. The ACT UP evaluation method was created by Dawn in 2017. For information about reusing the guide, please contact dawnstahura@gmail.com
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Information is all around us. But finding good information can be a little trickier. One evaluation tool we can utilize when we come across information is the CRAAP method. CRAAP stands for Currency, Relevance, Authority, Accuracy, and Purpose. Use the questions posed below on your sources to see if they stack up!
Consider the importance of currency for the following sources:
How relevant would the following sources be for your paper?
Remember: website domains can help you understand the source of the information you're looking at. For example, in order to have a .edu or .gov in your domain you have to be a college/university or governmental entity respectively. Other website domains like .com, .org, and .net can all be purchased. Don't assume that a .org is more trustworthy than a .com!!!
Are the following authoritative sources?
Consider what these points might mean for a resource's accuracy:
Remember: information can have political, ideological, cultural, religious, institutional, or personal bias. Is it fact, opinion, or propaganda?
What do you think the purpose of the following could be?
The CRAAP Method was developed by Meriam Library at California State University.