Online Research

The library is a great place to find books full of information, but it’s also an excellent place to go when you need to do online research. The majority of high school students (and adults, for that matter) go straight to Google when they need to find information, but there are other ways of conducting online research that are often more reliable and suitable for professional or academic research.

Check out these links to get started with your online research:


1. Virtual Library

INFOhio

2. Research by Content Area

Are you conducting research or working on an assignment for a class? Start with these teacher-approved websites, grouped by content area.

English

https://newsela.com/

https://www.procon.org/

History

Crash Course: World History

Crash Course: US History

The Library of Congress

The National Archives

Science

Scientific American


3. CRAAP Evaluation Guidelines

You’re working on a research project, and your teacher assigns you to find a few “credible sources.” How do you know whether a source is credible? Consider its Currency, Relevancy, Authority, Accuracy, and Purpose. Whether you’ve found an article through the databases on Ohio’s Virtual Library (INFohio), or whether your stellar Google-ing skills have led you to a website that you think just might work, use the CRAAP test to decide whether you have something that will really be teacher-approved.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Gutux3nqM5URFBJ9GYc2c0Zh3hjkWNhYwHB5odwj6ig/edit?usp=sharing


4. Google Like a Pro

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0DQfwc72PM


5. Finding Pictures Ethically

Let’s admit it: everyone has gone to google images, found a picture that looked good, and inserted it straight into a digital presentation. Right? What’s the problem with that? Well, in a nutshell, the answer has to do with copyright laws.You know that all information found in a source — a book, an online article, a video, an interview with a person, etc. — must be cited. But did you know that all pictures found online must also be cited? Copying a picture straight from Google Images and inserting into a document of your own is a violation of copyright law and an instance of plagiarism.

How to fix it? There are a few easy steps to finding a picture on Google Images that doesn’t village copyright law.

  1. While looking at a page of search results on Google Images, first click TOOLS.
  2. Next, click USAGE RIGHTS.
  3. Finally, change from NOT FILTERED BY LICENSE to LABELED WITH REUSE WITH MODIFICATION.

What is copyright?

Copyright Laws

Creative Commons


"Research is formalized curiosity. It is poking and prying with a purpose." -Zora Neale Hurston

Citations

Once you’ve done all your research, it’s up to you to follow the rules of academic honesty and cite your sources correctly. Sources must be cited correctly within the body of your work through parenthetical or in-text citations. Sources must also be cited at the conclusion of your work in a Works Cited or References page. Need some help? Check out these links.



Using Easybib Add-on for google docs