Kinesiology 500: Evidence-Based Practice in Kinesiology and Nutrition: Get Help: Search Tips & More

The ability to summarize information is an important skill to practice. It's crucial to be able to paraphrase and explain the main points of an article or study in a way that your audience will understand and that makes sense in the context you are provided.

When you search for information, you're going to find lots of it. . . but is it accurate and reliable? You will have to determine this for yourself, and the CRAAP Test can help. The CRAAP Test is a list of questions to determine if the information you have is reliable. Please keep in mind that the following list is not static or complete. Different criteria will be more or less important depending on your situation or need and include:
Currency 
Relevance
Authority
Accuracy
Purpose

The following techniques can improve your success with online searching, whether you're searching a catalog for books or a database for articles:

• Enter phrases in quotes:  "body image" "aerobic exercise"
• Use truncation symbols to search for alternate word endings: In most databases, entering athlet* searches for athletic, athletics, athlete, and atheletes.
• If one term doesn't work, try a few others. Experiment with different vocabulary related to your topic. Brainstorm ideas for relevant keywords and use background sources such as encyclopedias for suggestions.