Methodology — Sabia Librarian

Sabia Librarian is built on the CRAAP method — a professional information literacy framework used in school and academic libraries worldwide. CRAAP stands for Currency, Relevance, Authority, Accuracy, and Purpose — five criteria that, applied together, give a clear picture of a source's strengths and weaknesses.

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What the Evaluator Checks

For each submitted URL, Sabia Librarian examines the content against all five CRAAP criteria simultaneously. It accesses the URL directly (where accessible), then applies a structured rubric based on:

Currency — When was it published or last updated? Is it still accurate for your research question?

Relevance — Does it directly address what you're researching? Is the complexity level right for your audience?

Authority — Who wrote it? Are credentials listed and verifiable? Is the author's affiliation clear?

Accuracy — Are claims backed by data, studies, or primary sources? Are sources cited? Can facts be verified?

Purpose — Why was this created — to inform, persuade, sell, or entertain? Does it show multiple perspectives or just one?

The evaluator also flags bias indicators: political slant, commercial incentives, sensationalist framing, one-sided coverage, or outdated evidence presented as current fact.

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What the Score Means

Sabia Librarian returns a credibility score from 0–100. The score is the aggregate of how the source performed across all five CRAAP criteria — rated as Passed, Failed, or Uncertain based on the evidence found. The breakdown shows exactly which criteria passed, failed, or were uncertain, and why.

Score Ranges

80–100 Highly credible — Strong across most or all CRAAP criteria. Suitable for academic and professional use.

60–79 Moderate credibility — Generally reliable but with some gaps or areas of uncertainty. Use with awareness.

40–59 Low credibility — Significant concerns in one or more CRAAP areas. Verify independently before relying on it.

0–39 Not credible — Serious issues across multiple criteria. Do not use as a primary source.

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What the Evaluator Cannot Do

Honest Limitations

Cannot access paywalled or behind-login sources — will indicate this clearly and provide manual verification steps
Cannot verify credentials at the source institution in real time — checks patterns and public records, but cannot call a university
Cannot assess visual media (images, videos) — focuses on text content and publicly accessible HTML
Cannot guarantee a source hasn't been altered since indexing — evaluates what it can access at evaluation time

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About the Evaluator

Sabia Librarian was created and is maintained by D. Ceabron Williams, M.L., a retired public and academic librarian with years of experience in information literacy and critical thinking instruction. The methodology is designed to teach — every evaluation shows why the source scored the way it did, so you learn the framework, not just a number.