Research Process
The Inquiring Process is a MEES website, and is a great resource for helping students through the research and inquiry process. This site includes class activities for Elementary and Secondary students. It also provides informative videos on the inquiry process, search strategies, note taking, plagiarism, etc.
Common Sense Education provides lesson plans for teaching students (K-12) digital citizenship. They also provide book, movie tech reviews.
Summary Table of the Inquiry Process
Inquiry Process Summary.pdfClassroom Activities for Elementary Students - Inquiry Process
Classroom Activities for Secondary Students - Inquiry Process
Search Strategies & Techniques
Truncation & Limiters
Truncation
You can use truncation and limiters to either refine or broaden your search as well. Truncation is when you use the asterix symbol at the end of the root keyword in order to include those word variations in your results.
E.g Using Librar* will get you results with articles that have the words library, libraries and librarian.
Limiters
Many databases allow you to limit your search using a range of filters. Usually options to limit your search are: year, language, peer reviewed, format, article type and text availability.
Search by Subject Heading
You can also search by subject heading. You will have to identify subject headings for your topic. Subject headings are standardized terms assigned to articles. Once you find the right subject term you will be able to find many articles on your topic. This is helpful for when a concept can be described in more than one way. To find the list of subject terms used, find the thesaurus or there will be a subject terms (or subject heading) feature.
Frequently Asked Questions
Research VS Inquiry
The research process entails finding the answer to a question. The inquiry process requires further investigation and questioning. It involves active engagement, further questioning and a look at complex problems.
What is a database?
Databases allow you to access information in one place online. Research or academic databases contain information and content found in journals, magazines, and newspapers. Most articles found in databases are not freely available on the internet and cannot be found through google. The information would have been thoroughly researched by professionals and experts in the field and checked for mistakes. Looking for articles in a database also allows you to limit your search to peer-reviewed articles which are often required when writing assignments and papers. A database is designed and organized for easy retrieval and access to all types of data and information.
What is a scholarly/peer reviewed journal article?
Scholarly or peer reviewed means that the article has been read and evaluated by experts/professionals in that specific subject area. This process ensures quality information, because it has been assessed for validity and reliability. The information in a peer reviewed article is deemed trustworthy and accurate.
What is a primary and a secondary source?
A primary source is an original work or a firsthand account. The work hasn’t been evaluated, interpreted or analyzed. A secondary source is usually a study of the original work which has been written retrospectively.
What is information literacy ?
"Information literacy is a set of abilities requiring individuals to ‘recognize when information is needed and have the ability to locate, evaluate, and use effectively the needed information.’” (ALA, ACRL)