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Did you know we have access to NEW book libraries? Take a look at the book menu on the site!
Click the links below to review different parts of the research process
What is Research?
What is Research?
Where do you start?
Explore: Start learning about your topic using books, websites, videos, etc. (no notes yet!)
Identify: a specific topic (take a BIG topic and pick an aspect)
Specific: create questions about your topic (pick 3-5 questions to find the answers to)
Gather: Now we take notes - collecting facts, images, etc. to answer those questions (own words, phrases, quotation marks around quotes, record source locations!)
Create: following project guidelines (paper, slideshow, video, etc) - use your notes to build it and share!
Reflect: Review, and edit, did you answer all your questions, did you follow the rubric/guidelines
Introduction to Searching Online
Introduction to Searching Online
Search Strategies
With a few basic search strategies, you can usually find almost anything you want. It doesn't matter if you're using Google or any other search engine because these techniques are effective no matter where you search.
Keep it simple: Make your searches brief by focusing on keywords, then keep the number of these keywords to a minimum. This way, you're more likely to get relevant results.
Consider suggestions: As you enter your term, search engines will suggest the most popular results involving the term so don't be afraid to select one, as they can often give you plenty of new ideas.
Use natural language: You don't have to use complicated words or phrases to get results. Search engines can recognize the language you naturally use in your everyday life, so feel free to try whatever comes to mind.
Keywords: the most important words related to a subject, which you type into a search engine to find the information (make a list of keywords and then start with 2-3 words you think are the best choice)
1 Introduction to Searching Online.pdfBoolean Operations & Search Modifiers
Boolean Operations & Search Modifiers
The Boolean search technique allows you to combine keywords with the operators 'AND', 'OR', and 'NOT'. They connect your search keywords/concepts to either narrow or broaden your search results when searching databases. Using these operators, you can make your search more precise and save time.
AND: Narrows your search, combines different concepts, and retrieves results that contain both/all keywords.
OR: Broadens your search, combines similar concepts (synonyms), and retrieves results that contain either or both/all keywords.
NOT: Narrows your search, and excludes unwanted terms from your search. (Google:
Quotation Marks: using these around a word tells the search that terms must appear exactly as they appear
Parentheses: groups items together
Asterisk: this acts as a fill-in-the-blank
Copyright, Fair Use & Plagiarism
Copyright, Fair Use & Plagiarism
What is plagiarism?
Plagiarism is presenting someone else's work as your own. It can include copying and pasting text from a website into a project you're working on, or taking an idea from a book without including a citation to give credit to the book's author. Plagiarism is common, and the Internet has made it even more common. However, if you are careful to cite your sources it's not too difficult to avoid plagiarism.
Tips for avoiding plagiarism:
If you use a source, cite it: Citing your sources gives proper credit to the original authors, and it also lets your readers find the original source if they want to learn more.
Use quotation marks when necessary: If you need to quote the original source, make sure that place quotation marks around the original text.
Don't just change a few words: To properly use another author's idea, you should rewrite it in your own words (while still citing the original source). If it's not possible to rewrite it, then use an exact quote with quotation marks.
What is copyright?
Copyright is the legal concept that works—art, writing, images, music, and more—belong to the people who create them. According to copyright law, any original content you create and record in a lasting form is your own intellectual property. This means other people can't legally copy your work and pretend it's their own. They can't make money from the things you create either. You can still cite and refer to other sources (including copyrighted materials) in your work. But to use, copy, or change a copyrighted work, you need permission from the person who holds the copyright. This permission is called a license. Although everyone has the right to require that others respect their copyright and ask permission to use their work, some people and organizations choose to license their content more freely. They do this by giving their work a Creative Commons license, or by placing their work in the public domain.
Sites I can get images, sounds, etc:
On Google Images click the TOOLS button then USAGE RIGHTS and select Creative Commons Licenses
You can find more sights by searching for them
Citations & Bibliography
Citations & Bibliography
A citation identifies for the reader the original source for an idea, information, or image that is referred to in a work. In the body of a paper, the in-text citation acknowledges the source of information used. At the end of a paper, the citations are compiled on a References or Works Cited list or Bibliography.
How do I create a bibliography?
To create a bibliography:
Open the writing tool of your choice in your browser: BibMe, Citation Machine, or EasyBib.
In the dropdown menu, select New citation list.
Choose a name and citation style for your bibliography. This will create a new bibliography and add it to your citation list.
But wait Google Docs has it built right in!
Online Databases
Online Databases
You can access all the online databases that Pratt Library has to offer with your library card (or ecard) for FREE (sign up for an ecard here - be sure to write your number and pin somewhere safe
City schools have some databases on Clever (hover the black i for login info) - I added them to my Clever page under the topic Research
Mrs. Lemmo's clever page
More examples
More examples
Sign up for a Pratt Library eCard
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