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Online research takes skill. In high school, you need to transition from searching for information to researching a topic. When you have to do research, a simple Google search is no longer enough. This is when Google Scholar and library databases can help.
Online research takes skill. In high school, you need to transition from searching for information to researching a topic. When you have to do research, a simple Google search is no longer enough. This is when Google Scholar and library databases can help.
This video from McMaster University Libraries explains the differences between search and research. Watch to find out more about developing a search strategy, exploring a variety of sources and thinking critically about the information you have found.
Every good researcher knows these three strategies:
1) How to develop search terms
2) How to find multiple resources
3) How to evaluate sources.
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Developing Search Terms
Developing Search Terms
The secret to good search results is to use the right keywords. By following three easy steps, you can figure out the keywords relevant to your research topic.
1. Think of your question
A good research question guides your thesis. It addresses exactly what you want to find out, and gives your work purpose and clarity. This step can take time, so be patient.
Use Google and Wikipedia to understand your topic, but do not use them as a source for your research.
Focus your question on a single problem.
Make sure it can be researched using primary and secondary resources.
Example:
Broad topic: Impact of social media
Thesis: social media has increased loneliness in teens.
Research Question: Does social media increase loneliness in teens?
2. Eliminate some words
Eliminate common and general words, or in other words identify the main concepts in the question.
Important words are generally the verbs and nouns of your question
Avoid relational words like impact, effect, and cause.
Stick to two to four keywords for best results.
Example:
Three keywords: social media, loneliness, teens
3. Be specific and use academic language
Think of more professional and academic synonyms for your keywords.
Talk to your friends, teachers, parents and librarians to brainstorm.
Make a list to keep track of what you find.
Take advantage of BOOLEAN operators and modifiers to customize your research results.
Example:
Social Media: Facebook, Instagram
Loneliness: aloneness, social isolation
Teens: adolescent, young adults, youth
One possible search string: "social media" AND teen* AND (loneliness OR "social isolation")
Copy and paste this string into Google to see the difference in results.
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Exploring multiple resources
Exploring multiple resources
Most assignments from teachers will ask you to use a certain number of sources. Additionally, researchers use different TYPES of resources. This is a great trick to cross-reference the information to ensure it is accurate.
Explore information from different sources such as: government sites, news articles/broadcasts/podcasts, independent organizations.
Look at the website address (the URL) and URLs endings (such as .com, .org, .ca) to identify the type of site.
The variety of information is plentiful; everything from a documentary on YouTube to company websites.
Example:
Research Question: Does social media increase loneliness in teens?
Resource Type 1: Mental health section of a site like Youth.gov
Resource Type 2: an article from news sources such as The New York Times or The Washington Post
Resource Type 3: reports/data from a reputable Youth support organization such as the World Health Organization - who.int
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Once you have a bunch of sources, it is necessary to make sure they are good sources to use in your assignment. A gold standard approach, often used in high schools, colleges and universities is the CRAP (a.k.a CRAAP) test. Each letter in the word CRAAP stands for a concept you should be looking for in your source. By applying the CRAAP test to your source, you can check that the information is up-to-date, related to your topic, written by someone knowledgeable on the topic and as free of bias as possible.
Source: Toronto Public Library
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More academic resources
More academic resources
To help your understanding of the concepts mentioned above, check out the video tutorial resources under the Library 101 tab.
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