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Remember MISO (Media, Interview, Survey, Observation)? These are some of the sources you can use to learn. Reading, viewing videos, or listening to podcasts by someone who is an authority on a topic are great media sources. We can summarize or analyze this research in a report, research essay, or a literature review. Or we can use it to create a presentation, podcast, video, or art product to show our learning.
Remember MISO (Media, Interview, Survey, Observation)? These are some of the sources you can use to learn. Reading, viewing videos, or listening to podcasts by someone who is an authority on a topic are great media sources. We can summarize or analyze this research in a report, research essay, or a literature review. Or we can use it to create a presentation, podcast, video, or art product to show our learning.
He's trained to lead you to credible sites and help you access the databases, too.
Types of Media Sources
Types of Media Sources
Encyclopedias -- Great for overviews and at the beginning of research
Books -- You don't have to read the entire thing! Check the index or table of contents to find the relevant pages.
Websites -- These vary A LOT in quality. Check the Evaluating Sources page for tips to find the best ones.
News -- We have two entire databases devoted to news articles! Plus find news in podcasts and videos from trusted news sources.
Academic journals -- For grades 10, 11, and 12.
Use this LINK to access the passwords for all of AISL's premium research databases.
Research Part 1: Where to Find the Essentials
Research Part 1: Where to Find the Essentials
is where you search the library catalog for print materials like books. Our library also has print magazines. Try the AISL Book Recommendation Bot on the homepage!
Databases are subscriptions that AISL pays for because they are full of credible information that is selected especially for students and researchers. There is no fake news here! But all sources have a degree of bias in them, so you need to read all sources critically. This LINK has descriptions and passwords. You can also access them from the Oliver Library Homepage by clicking on on Other news > Secondary Library.
AI
AI
Ask your teacher to what extent you can use AI on your assignment. Typically, when you type a question into Google, the first answer is AI generated by Google Gemini. This should not be cited in academic work, but it can lead you to other sources of information that you can cite. See the Using AI page for more help.
Flint is approved for all grades and includes a chatbot based on the LLM Claude by Anthropic. The school's subscription protects your data and does not use your chats to train the AI.
Gemini is open to grades 9-12. The school's subscription protects your data and does not use your chats to train the AI.
Perplexity.ai This search engine is especially designed for research. It will generate an answer that is like a customized Wikipedia page with links to all its sources, so you can access them and read them directly. Note: not permitted for under age 13. If you are between 13 and 18, you are legally required to have parental or guardian consent to use the tool. Opt-Out of Training: Go to Account > Preferences and toggle off "AI Data Retention."
No other AIs are recommended at this time. Remember that free accounts typically do not protect your privacy or data.
Why not just Google it?
Why not just Google it?
What is at the top of your Google search results is not always the most credible source. Here's why...
What is at the top of your Google search results is not always the most credible source. Here's why...
Algorithms are "effectively recipes in code form, providing step-by-step instructions for how computers should solve certain problems. They drive not just the internet, but the apps that populate phones and tablets.
"Algorithms determine which friends show up in a Facebook user’s news feed, which Twitter posts are most likely to go viral and how much an Uber ride should cost during rush hour as opposed to the middle of the night. They are used by banks to screen loan applications, businesses to look for the best job applicants and insurers to determine a person’s expected lifespan." (Grind et al.).
Google's algorithm is tailored to make Google a profitable company.
Meanwhile, websites want to appear on the first page of Google results because they know that placement will get them more clicks. SEO, or search-engine optimization, is the practice of trying to generate more search-engine traffic for a website, and rich companies and organizations have entire departments to optimize their placement in Google results.
Some actually pay for placement; they are at the top with the "Sponsored results" label.
But how does Google's algorithm tailor results to you?
But how does Google's algorithm tailor results to you?
Will it keep you coming back? Will you choose it instead of some other search engine? Will you click on the sites it sponsors (thus earning it revenue?)
The Google algorithm is not tailored to give you the most credible information, but it is tailored to give you a good experience and give you the results it thinks you want to see. Here's how Google says it personalizes its results to you.
Google's algorithm has also been shown to reinforce racism by amplifying harms against marginalized people, including women of color. A researcher at the USC Anneberg School of Journalism and Communication, Safiya Umoja Noble, shares her findings in a book she titled Algorithms of Oppression. Here's a video clip on her research.
Search Encyclopedia Britannica
Search Encyclopedia Britannica
From the Oliver Library Homepage, click on Other news > Secondary Library to see the databases and passwords to access them when off-campus. Databases are subscriptions that AISL pays for because they are full of credible information that is selected especially for students and researchers. Encyclopedia Britannica is a great place to get an overview of your topic.
Search Gale Databases
Search Gale Databases
From the Oliver Library Homepage, click on Other news > Secondary Library to see the databases and passwords to access them when off-campus. Databases are subscriptions that AISL pays for because they are full of credible information that is selected especially for students and researchers. Gale Resources contains lots of different types of information, from news articles to videos to scholarly articles. Watch the video below to see some of its features.
Make database and library catalog searches more effective with Boolean
Make database and library catalog searches more effective with Boolean
We are used to using Natural Language Processing (NLP) with online search engines like Google and AI chatbots like Gemini. We type in a question, and the search corrects our spelling, considers synonyms and related terms, analyzes our context (based on our previous search history and a bunch of other things it knows about us already), and then it spits out the answer it thinks we want to hear or directs us to the most popular websites on the topic.
However, databases and the library catalogue still require using keywords as search terms. You won't get good results if you just type a question in the search bar. Instead you need to use the Advanced Search feature and use something called Boolean Operators.
Here's a good article that explains how to hack your database searches with Boolean.
And here's a video.
Research Part 2: Where to find Scholarly Sources
Research Part 2: Where to find Scholarly Sources
This section is for grades 10, 11, and 12 or students with deep understanding of the topic they are researching. Scholarly literature is difficult to interpret. The Scholarly Sources page can tell you more about what it is and how to use it.
This section is for grades 10, 11, and 12 or students with deep understanding of the topic they are researching. Scholarly literature is difficult to interpret. The Scholarly Sources page can tell you more about what it is and how to use it.
When we use data and information collected by someone else instead of gathering it ourselves, this is sometimes called "secondary research" (not be be confused with "secondary sources" which are defined here.)
When we use data and information collected by someone else instead of gathering it ourselves, this is sometimes called "secondary research" (not be be confused with "secondary sources" which are defined here.)
Here are places to find scholarly articles:
Here are places to find scholarly articles:
Google's search engine for scholarly literature.
1. Its “Cited by” function lets you see the number of times a source has been cited. This can tell you something about a source’s credibility and importance to the field.
2. Not all the articles are Open Access (OA), meaning that the full text is free. Some articles are behind paywalls. You can search for their titles in JSTOR or Gale databases to see if our subscriptions will give you access.
3. Not all articles are of good quality. Use the advanced strategies on the Evaluating Sources page to sort the good from the bad.
From the Oliver Library Homepage, click on Other news > Secondary Library to see the databases and passwords to access them when off-campus.
JSTOR is all scholarly with everything being the equivalent of peer-reviewed.
In Gale, use the Advanced Search option to select Peer-reviewed journals.
Or after doing a search, under SHOWING RESULTS FOR, select Academic Journals.
The article I want is behind a paywall. How can I access it?
The article I want is behind a paywall. How can I access it?
Strategy 1: Search online for an open access (free, full-text) copy.
Copy the title and put it in quotation marks (this make the search find those exact words in that exact order, so your search is more precise).
Paste this into the Google Scholar Search bar.
If the right column has a link to a PDF, you're golden! If not...
An alternative way to do this is to download the Chrome extension called "Unpaywall," which automatically searches for an open source copy of any article you view.
Strategy 2: Check our databases.
Copy the title and put it in quotation marks (this make the search find those exact words in that exact order, so your search is more precise).
Go to the Library homepage > news pages > Secondary Library to find the database page. This video shows you how.
Open the relevant databases: For math or science, start with Gale Science. Then move on to the general databases: JSTOR, Gale High School, and Gale OneFile.
Paste the title in quotation marks into each database in turn to see if it's available.
Strategy 3: Locate someone who has access to university databases.
You might so have a friend or family member at university who would be willing to check for you. Universities have extensive subscription databases.
Strategy 4: Ask the librarian for an Interlibrary Loan.
This can take up to three weeks, so if your deadline is sooner than that, ask the librarian to help you locate similar articles that are in our databases or open access on the web.
Search JSTOR Scholarly Database
Search JSTOR Scholarly Database
When on AISL wif-fi, you'll have access to premium content. Off campus, you won't get all the full-text articles. However, you could create a personal log-in and save your results so that the next time you're at school, you can get the premium content. I've heard that the wifi signal reaches into the parking lot!
Special collections include:
Struggle for Freedom: Southern Africa. This primary souce repository brings together more than 27,000 objects and 190,000 pages of documents and images detailing the liberation movements that reshaped Botswana, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, and Zimbabwe in the 20th century.
World Heritage Sites: Africa is a comprehensive digital collection of more than 86,000 objects documenting Africa’s cultural heritage and rock art sites. Through visual, contextual, and spatial data, this resource supports research and preservation efforts across disciplines including anthropology, archaeology, art history, architecture, and geography.
Artstor on JSTOR lets you access millions of curated, cross-disciplinary, rights-cleared images and multimedia from around the world–all discoverable alongside JSTOR’s journals, books, and other primary sources.
Research Part 3: Where to find Multimedia
Research Part 3: Where to find Multimedia
Images:
Images:
Britannica ImageQuest
Britannica ImageQuest
From the Oliver Library Homepage, click on Other news > Secondary Library to see the databases and passwords to access them when off-campus.
JSTOR Images & ArtSTOR
JSTOR Images & ArtSTOR
When on AISL wif-fi, you'll have access to ArtSTOR via the JSTOR database. Off campus, you won't get all the premium content. However, I've heard that the wifi signal reaches into the parking lot!
Research Part 4: Where to find sources in French
Research Part 4: Where to find sources in French
See video above about how to search this subscription database. You may search in French or English.
A massive portal for French journals in the humanities. It’s excellent for finding older, foundational texts (journals, books, conference proceedings, serial publications, primary sources, etc.) on language and culture that are free and open access. Can be searched in English or French.
Based in Quebec, this is perfect for research regarding the preservation of French in North America and the evolution of the language. Can be searched in English or French. About 90% of their scholarly articles are open access.
An 18 pp. report in both English and French.
This is the official French body for language policy. Their "Publications" section has beautifully designed brochures on AI, neologisms, and regional languages.
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