Reading vertically describes reading a source from beginning to end without stopping to use outside sources to verify the provenance or to help evaluate the information presented.
A useful tool developed by California State University, CHICO, is the C.R.A.A.P. test, an acronym for Currency, Relevance, Authority, Accuracy, and Purpose.
You may consider using this tool to support vertical reading of different types of non-academic sources and scholarly resources that have not been through a peer review process, for example, preprints.
Currency
The timeliness of the information:
- When was the information published or posted?
- When was the information last revised or updated?
- Is the published/revised date appropriate in relation to your research topic?
Relevance
The importance of the information in relation to your research interest:
- Does it answer or contribute to your research question?
- Who is the intended audience?
- Is the information at the appropriate level for your research (for example, too elementary, not enough depth/coverage, etc.)?
- Would you be comfortable citing the source in your work (is it a scholarly source?)
Authority
Consider the source of the content:
- Who is the author, publisher, source and/or sponsor?
- What are the author’s credentials or organizational affiliations?
- If searching online, what does the domain name/URL reveal about the source? Remember .org websites can also be set up my commercial entities. Read the "About" section.
Accuracy
The reliability, truthfulness, and correctness of the content:
- Where does the information come from?
- Are the sources cited scholarly or academic?
- Is evidence provided? Is the research transparent and includes access to supporting documentation, for example data and survey instruments?
- Has the information been reviewed or refereed?
- Can you align the information with a previous source you have read or from personal knowledge?
- Are there spelling, grammar, factual, or other typographical errors?
Purpose
The reason the information exists:
- What is the purpose of the information? Is it to inform, teach, persuade, sell, entertain? If a website, is it free of advertising?
- Do the authors or sponsors make their intention or purpose clear?
- Does the point of view appear objective and impartial? Are the parameters of the study clearly defined?
- Is the information based on facts, opinion, or propaganda?
Adapted from Blakeslee, Sarah (2004) "The CRAAP Test," LOEX Quarterly, 31(3). Available at: http://commons.emich.edu/loexquarterly/vol31/iss3/4
