Research Tips

• RESEARCH: The Cite button in SmartSearch (found in your Classlink) 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.

  1. 1. 1. 1. • 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.

Discus Database Features- Middle and High School 

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.