how can i identify which part is faulty?

my creda t522vw drier has stopped drying, it still rotates as does the timer, on reading other reviews and questions on this and other sites i have narrowed it down to the heating element or the thermostat, but which one. i am thinking if its the thermostat then the heating element would still heat up and the machine would eventually overheat. so that makes me think its the element at fault. Oh decisions desicions.