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Library Research Skills: Evaluating Articles: Intro. to DAPPR

This guide has the same content as the Evaluating Articles workshop.

I know what you're thinking...

"Surely, there must be a dapper way to evaluate?!"

Dapper looking cartoon wolf dressed in sweater vest with top hat, monocle, and cane.

The DAPPR Test

A great way to evaluate your sources is to use the DAPPR Test. The DAPPR Test is a tool you can use to evaluate your sources by looking at 5 different pieces of information about a source.

The acronym DAPPR helps you remember to look at the Date, Author, Publisher, Purpose, and Relevancy of a source.

D is for date, A for author, P for publisher, P for purpose, and R for relevancy.

The DAPPR Test is a grading rubric that asks you to look at your source and score each aspect of it on a scale of 0-3. Then you add up the total score (the maximum score is 15). Sources with scores of 13-15  are the most reliable sources for college-level research.

DAPPR Rubric--downloadable and printable

DAPPR Guidelines

Where to Find the DAPPR Test Rubric

There are places you can find the DAPPR Test on our library webpage. Click on the red button for Research to take you to that section and look for the heading Research Resources.

In the Research section of the library homepage, under Research Resources you'll find Workshops & Tutorials (labeled 1) and LibGuides (labeled 2).

 

1. Clicking on Workshops & Tutorials will take you to a webpage that contains links under Evaluation Guides, including the DAPPR Evaluation Guide.

Link to DAPPR Evaluation Guide found under heading for Evaluation Guides on the Workshops & Tutorials webpage.

2. Clicking on LibGuides will take you to a page with subject folders.  Find Library Research Skills and click on it to open the drop-drop down menu.  There you will find LibGuides such as Library Research Skills: Evaluating Books and eBooks, Library Research Skills: Evaluating Articles, Library Research Skills: Evaluating Internet Sources, and Evaluating Sources with the DAPPR Test, which all have downloadable DAPPR Test rubrics. Also, most LibGuides created for research assignments have a tab for Evaluating Sources that will contain a downloadable DAPPR Test rubric.