Resource Evaluation: Books & eBooks

What is the TRAAP Evaluation Process?

TRAAP is an acronym that helps you to remember the steps of resource evaluation. When considering a potential resource for inclusion in your assignment, think about the series of points below. If you cannot easily answer these questions, you may need to investigate your resource further, or consider using a different one.

Watch the video to show you how to use the TRAAP method to evaluate a book or book chapter.

Timeliness

When was the book published? If your topic relies on current information, older articles may be outdated.

What publication date range is suitable for your topic? You can limit your searches to a particular date range in Library Search and library databases. Remember it may take some time for a book to be published. If unsure, check with your lecturer about what would be considered current for your topic.

Is it the latest edition of the book?

Is the quality of information in the book affected by its age?

Are older or historical sources suitable for your topic?

If you are using statistics and data from within the book, what date are they from? Statistics and data may be older than the publication date. See the Statistics and Data section for more information.

Relevance

Have you read the book description or table of contents to decide whether the book will be relevant?

Have you looked in the index for keywords from your topic or assignment question?

Does the information relate to the topic or answer your question?

Is the information at an appropriate level for tertiary students?

Have you looked at a variety of sources before selecting this one?

Authority

Who are the authors and editors? What are their qualifications and do they work for a credible institution, such as a university?

Does the book have other contributors who are experts or academics in their fields?

Who is the publisher and are they credible? Are they known for publishing scholarly material?

Are there any book reviews that regard the book favourably? Look for reviews by academics and experts in the field, or reviews published in academic, peer-reviewed journals. You can search for book reviews in Library Search.

Accuracy

Does the book use references and evidence to support it? Look for in text references/footnotes and a reference list.

Can you find other sources of information that support the book?

Do these references and supporting sources pass the appropriate resource evaluation tests? Use the other pages in this resource evaluation tool to help you evaluate other resource types.

Is the source free of spelling, grammar and typographical errors?

Purpose

Is the book written for an academic audience?

Is there a preface or introduction by the author that contains any information about the purpose for writing the book?

Do the language and tone seem unbiased or free of emotion?

Can you detect any biases, such as political, ideological, gender, cultural, religious, institutional, personal biases, etc.?