 Living in a digital world means that we can access information on almost any topic at any time and from anywhere. When trying to find resources for your assignments at uni, having access to all this information can be overwhelming. You can't believe everything you read, and you need to think critically about the information before you choose to use it. So how can you be confident that you are selecting the best resources to answer your task? One technique you can use is the Crap Test. The Crap Test is a list of questions to help you decide whether or not the information you find is credible and appropriate to use. Crap stands for currency, relevance, authority, accuracy and purpose. Think about how recent your information should be. As a general rule, try to find information published in the last five years. However, there are always exceptions. You might need to look at older historical material depending on your assignment. There might be earlier events or theories you need to know about. If you need very current information, a book or journal article might not be appropriate. Sometimes other sources are better for discovering very recent or new research. Emerging research is often reported at conferences, in reports and in the news and social media before it is published in books or journals. This is probably what you'll consider first. Does the information you've found help you to answer your assignment task? Do you understand the content? Is it too complex? Is it too simple? Who wrote it? You need to check their credentials. Are they an authority on the subject? Are they linked to a university, a government department, a research institution? Is the research peer-reviewed? It can be a good idea to take note of different website URL endings. These can give you clues about the accuracy and usefulness of a website and can be one way that you can assess the quality of the information you are viewing. In a world of fake news, how can you sort the facts from fiction? You need to be confident that the information you're using is accurate. Is there evidence of research presented? For example, is there a bibliography or reference list? Do other sources support the information you have found? Think of the overall purpose of the resource. What is the author trying to tell you? Are they trying to communicate research? Comment on something? Persuade you to their point of view? Or are they selling you something? Does the work express an opinion or is it balanced and objective? Is the research funded by a particular interest group? Could there be any bias? Not everything you read will be balanced and objective and you might need a range of opinions to answer your question. If the bias is bad, sometimes bias is okay, but you need to be aware of it. You can use the crap test or tools like it to evaluate any information, no matter where you find it. If you need help, just ask.