CART is an acronym to help you evaluate resources.
Keep CART in mind when looking at ALL resources – print resources, like books, encyclopedias and magazines, databases, and especially WEBSITES.
Current
Is the resource current? Does it have to be? Do different topics require information to be more up-to-date?
Accessible
Is the resource accessible? Can you read it and understand what it means? Is it too hard to understand, too easy?
Relevant
Is the resource relevant? Does it address the topic you are researching? Will it help you answer the question?
Trustworthy
Is the resource trustworthy? Who wrote it? Who were they writing it for? Are they an expert on the topic? Was it written by a person, an organization, etc.? Why did the author write it?
Here are some websites that we have already evaluated for you. If you choose to do your own web searches, we expect you to use your web evaluation skills. For a refresher on web evaluation, see the CART box on the left.