Transcript Slide 1
Effective Research Skills Select Your Topic. Read research requirements before beginning. Make a list of questions to help guide your research. Selecting and Using Sources Print materials: Media Center Card Catalog Try Keyword Search, Write down call number Print Source If using a nonfiction source, locate the index and search for your topic (alphabetical order). Note the page number. Conducting Online Research How to Locate and Evaluate Internet Resources Can you search effectively? Many people know a lot about technology but NOT a lot about how to search the Internet! Electronic Searching Ever try to locate information online and you get too many results?? or no results at all? The Big Mistake Usually, people use search terms that are too broad. This will produce too many results that are not relevant to your topic. Example: Assignment – Your teacher wants you to determine if the element mercury is toxic. You “google” mercury….. and retrieve millions of webpages… Your results: Mercury Car Planet Mercury Try Again! You realize the word “mercury” has several different meanings. So you add another search term. You “google” Mercury Element. Wrong Again! Your first webpage is about a god in Roman mythology named “Mercury.” Add another specific term to your search box: Mercury Element Toxic If you use specific phrases or keywords pertaining to your topic, you will save time… and be more successful in obtaining the results you need! But – I found it on the Internet? Treasure... or Trash? Why do we need to evaluate web sources? Virtually any person can publish almost anything on the Internet. Unlike most print sources, web sources do not have to be professionally accepted and edited to be published. Before clicking on the link, look to see if it is a personal page. Check out the domain name or the “dots”: .gov = Hosted by a U.S. government agency .com = For-profit business, personal sites .edu = Educational organization .org = Nonprofit organization .net = Hosted by a network .biz = Business site (newer than .com) .ac = Academic organization (outside the United States) ~ = personal webpage Try the C.A.R.S. evaluation checklist: C – Credibility A – Accuracy R –Reasonableness S - Support Credibility •Author? •Has contact information? •Appearance of site •Sponsor or organization? Accuracy Warning signs: Copyright Date? Last update? Are the facts related to this topic? Anonymous Information Misspellings, faulty links, messy appearance, out-of-date Reasonableness The material is presented objectively, not slanted and bias? •Does the information make sense, given what I know of the world? Is it believable? •Does the information contradict itself? Support Warning signs: •Has the author provided documentation? List of sources? Manipulative or emotional language, onesided information, a conflict of interest between the source and the objectivity of the information. Using a database, such as Discus: Discus - Advantages Online Encyclopedia vs. Print Encyclopedias Magazine, Journal, Reference vs. Internet Site Often has photographs Cites the source for you – look for citation link at top of article or bottom of page Ex. SOURCE CITATION: "Lois Duncan." Writers Directory, 24th ed. St. James Press, 2008. Reproduced in Biography Resource Center. Farmington Hills, Mich.: Gale, 2008. http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/BioRC Select Appropriate Database Use Search Box – type in keywords For Information on Young Adult Authors using the Discus database: Try Kids Infobits or Junior Edition Literature links, the Online Encyclopedias (Grolier), or History Resource Center Additional Information to remember – Cite your sources, clip art, photos. Give credit where credit is due! The media center Cite Slips that you can use to document. You can also find sites online that document for you – http://www.easybib.com http://www.citationmaker.com