Embedded Files
Student Learning Commons
Student Learning Commons
FMS Destiny Discover
FMS Destiny Discover
Search for books and access Destiny Collections
Search for books and access Destiny Collections
Search for articles
Search for articles
Getting Started with Research
Getting Started with Research
Conducting Research can be a daunting task. Whether you are just starting out, or forgot the research process, here are some instructions and tips to help you with any kind of research.
Conducting Research can be a daunting task. Whether you are just starting out, or forgot the research process, here are some instructions and tips to help you with any kind of research.
Go to the HCS webpage
Click on the puzzle piece - the Student Learning Commons - and log in with Clever
Bookmark this for the future!! I have the link to the Student Learning Commons bookmarked so all I have to do is click the Clever login button, and boom- I’m in the Student Learning Commons.
Once in the SLC, go to Reading - Research
If you are looking to do research in our databases, go to SmartSearch. This is where you will find a portal to search all databases.
If you are looking for books in the Library, go to Destiny Discover. This is our Library Catalog- where you can find library books, ebooks, audiobooks, and digital resource Collections I’ve created.
You may need to login with the school. Locate Forestbrook Middle, then login with your district username and password.
Research Tips
Research Tips
GENERAL: If you can’t find the answer to your question(s) on the Library Website, you are always welcome to email me: hmoore@horrycountyschools.net or come see me in the LLC.
LIBRARY BOOKS: Nonfiction books are sorted by GENRE. You must look up the book’s sublocation in the catalog (Destiny Discover), then find that sublocation on the shelves.
RESEARCH: If you want to save an article so you can revisit it without searching for it all over again, save it to your Google Drive.
RESEARCH: If you are using links in your Works Cited, remember you MUST use the permalink, not the web address, because the web address changes every time you access the article. The permalink is the permanent web address of the article, and it will require logging in to see the article.
RESEARCH: The Cite button in SmartSearch is a great way to auto-cite your sources. HOWEVER, remember you must verify each citation is correct - just because they are auto-generated through SmartSearch does not mean they are 100% correct.
RESEARCH: If your search is too broad, you can make your search term more specific OR use the limiters on the left side of the results screen (in SmartSearch). You can limit by publication date, publication type, and more.
RESEARCH: To find helpful sources on your topic, try Google searching- libguide topic - this will pull up resource guides about your topic created by librarians all over the country.
RESEARCH: To find government sources on your topic, outside of the HCS resources, you can try Google searching- sites:.gov topic. This will only search your topic in websites that end in .gov (official government websites).
RESEARCH: If you are not getting the results you want when researching, try expanding your search by using different search terms. For example, if I am researching ghosts but not getting the results I need, I can try searching poltergeists. Use synonyms or terms related to your research.
RESEARCH: If you use more than one search term in your search, you MUST use quotation marks to keep your search terms together. If you search civil rights without quotation marks, the search will show results for both civil and rights individually - search “civil rights” to search the whole term.
RESEARCH: Remember to follow your teacher’s instructions when it comes to sources and citing your research, but also remember this- consistency is key when citing.
Primary sources are original materials and first-hand accounts of an event. They are typically created at the time the event took place. Examples:
Letters, diaries, autobiographies, oral history, manuscripts
Speeches, personal narratives, interviews
Newspaper articles written at the time of the event; photographs
Government documents, hearings, reports, statistical data, trial transcripts
Original research (research studies published in academic journals)
Works of art, literature, music
Artifacts, tools, clothing, furniture, coins
Secondary sources are documents written after an event has occurred, providing secondhand accounts of that event, person, or topic. These sources interpret or analyze events. They are usually written by individuals who are at least one step removed from the event. Examples:
Scholarly or popular books
Reference books
Textbooks
News Reports
Encyclopedias
Journal Articles
While primary sources provide first-hand accounts, secondary sources offer different perspectives and conclusions of those accounts. Secondary sources can also provide background information and analysis of an event or work, and these sources can also give historical perspective based on other events that have taken place since the original event or work.
Primary vs Secondary Sources
Primary vs Secondary Sources
NoodleTools is a fantastic resource that can help you cite sources, develop notecards, create an outline of your work, and format your research paper all in one place. Even if you are not writing a research paper, if you are conducting research, this is a great way to get organized.
NoodleTools is a fantastic resource that can help you cite sources, develop notecards, create an outline of your work, and format your research paper all in one place. Even if you are not writing a research paper, if you are conducting research, this is a great way to get organized.
Select the green New Project button on the right side of your screen
Give your project a title
Choose your citation style (your teacher will tell you which to use)
Choose your citation level (your teacher will tell you which to use)
When you are ready to add notes to a source, the simplest place to do that is on the Sources screen. Click the "New" link in the "Notecards" column. The saved notecard will automatically be linked to that source.
Input notes about your source. Make use of the Direct Quotation and Paraphrase sections - this will help you avoid accidental plagiarism.
When you have multiple notecards, you can switch over to the Notecard Tabletop screen to organize, pile, and/or tag them. Notecard piles are the base of your outline - how you organize your piles is how you will organize your outline.
When you are ready to start an outline, click the "Outline" checkbox at the top of the Notecard Tabletop screen.
*Sign in with Google. Use your school gmail account and school password.
*Sign in with Google. Use your school gmail account and school password.
*Choose "I am a student or library patron" and "create account," then select the CREATE ACCOUNT button at the bottom.
*Choose "I am a student or library patron" and "create account," then select the CREATE ACCOUNT button at the bottom.
*Choose Forestbrook Middle School. This step is important!
*Choose Forestbrook Middle School. This step is important!
Open your project, and select the New Source tab in your navigation bar at the top right of the page.
Choose the closest match for your source from the choices given.
Fill in the citations form with the information about your source. If your source is a book, you can locate the book in WorldCat (via an ISBN number or title/author search) and it will automatically fill in the form with the book's details.
After entering your source’s information, select Submit to save the citation.
Once you have entered multiple sources, this becomes the basis of your Works Cited or Bibliography. Make sure you double check to make sure the created citations are correct and follow any guidelines given by your teacher.
When you first open the outline panel, a sample topic and subtopic are already in place. Double-click on the ones titled "Topic" and "Subtopic" and rename them to what you want. Then continue creating your outline.
Add subtopics under an existing topic:
Right-click (or long-press on an iPad) on a topic and select "Add subtopic (child)." A new subtopic is added under the selected topic, and you can then title it.
Add topics under an existing topic (at the same outline level):
Right-click (or long-press on an iPad) on a topic and select "Add subtopic (child)." A new subtopic is added under the selected topic, and you can then title it.
Move a section of the outline:
Any topic (along with its subtopics) can be dragged to another location in the outline. You can also single-click on a topic and then use the arrows in the editor to move it.
Using a combination of drag/drop and the arrow buttons is useful. For example, you can drag and drop one topic onto another topic to make the first a subtopic of the second. Then you can select the topic and move it with the up and down arrows, to order it relative to the other subtopics there if required.
Next, link your notecards to your outline topics:
You may drag notecards into the outline from either the Tabletop View or Detail View.
An advantage of using the Detail View is that you are able to view the full content of the notecards as you choose the ones you move. In the Detail View, notecards can be moved by their drag handle (three lines in the upper-right corner, when viewing the content of a notecard).
A reason to use the Tabletop View is that you can move an entire notecard pile into an outline topic. Dragging a notecard pile into the outline will add all of the notecards within that pile.
Exporting to Google Docs:
Select "Export/Print" at the top right of your Sources screen.
Select "Print/Export to Google Doc" on the menu.
Google may prompt you to log into your Google Drive. Select the account with the same address that is entered in your profile under "My account."
After you are logged into your Google Drive, Google will automatically open a new document with your sources.
If you are having trouble, verify your pop-up blocker is allowing pop-ups from NoodleTools.
NoodleTools Help
NoodleTools Help
NoodleTools Help Youtube channel
NoodleTools Help Youtube channel
NoodleTools Quick Guide for Students
NoodleTools Quick Guide for Students
Detailed NoodleTools How-to Guide
Detailed NoodleTools How-to Guide
Middle & High School Quickguide.pdfNot sure what database to use?
Not sure what database to use?
Check out the features for each database.
Check out the features for each database.
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