Citation and Research Guidance

There’s More than Google!  Effective Research Online and Offline

Pick your topic!

• • This may be assigned - you may have some guidance.

Presearch

• • General Encyclopedias and wikipedia can help you find out some basics on things you might be interested in.  This presearch is to help you find key terms for your real search for sources!  Generally, wikipedia (and general encyclopedias) should be considered starting points to guide you to more relevant sources. Anything found in this presearch should be backed up from other sources.

  • Brainstorm! Using your presearch, think of related terms and similar terms for your topic to help you search online and in print resources

Use different types of resources

• • Books, magazines, newspapers, and websites are all great resources.  

  • Some will be in print. Some will be online (both on the regular open web, and in subscription databases). Different sources will have different reading levels, biases, purposes and depth of coverage

  • The first sources you find will not always be the best. Expect to look at at least twice the number of sources required for the assignment so that you can choose the ones that are most useful to you.

Why books?

• • Books often go into more depth on a topic than briefer materials like articles and websites.

  • For topics commonly assigned in middle school, and of interest to teenagers, there are often books aimed at a middle school reading level.

  • Table of Contents and Indexes can guide you to important parts of a book for your topic

  • Citing books in a bibliography or works cited is very simple and straightforward!

  • No electricity or internet connection required!

    • Search our catalog: http://wou.hl.scoolaid.net/bin/home

    • Our catalog homepage has links to many of the area public libraries as well.

What is a subscription database? Why should I use them?

• • Information in databases is from many different types of sources. Books, magazines, newspapers, primary sources, etc.

  • Some may have been published in other sources like print magazines or newspapers, and some may be original to the databases.

  • Most information found in subscription databases can not be found on the open web - access is not available through a google search.

  • Warning: just because it is in a database, it isn’t automatically a great source - you still have to think critically and evaluate your source!

  • You have access to the databases that GOA subscribes to and pays for - take advantage of that!!!

  • When citing a database source - it’s important to figure out if and where the information was published previously - that has to be included as part of the citation

What about Google?

• • There is a lot of great information on the regular web - definitely use it for research

  • Because there is also a lot of junk, you have to use critical thinking even more on the open web. Anyone can put information on the web.  Bad and very biased information can look really good!

  • The library website has carefully chosen lists of websites on different topics. Take a look before you go to google. Why reinvent the wheel?

    • https://sites.google.com/a/goldaochacademy.org/library_us/home

    • You must be logged in to your school google account to access this page

Google search tips

• • https://support.google.com/websearch/answer/134479?hl=en

  • Use the search tools to limit your results by time or type or location

  • Use operators and symbols to limit your search to certain types of websites or refine your search

Evaluate your sources

Use The CARRDS method to evaluate a web source

CREDIBILITY: Who is the author? Is there an email address to contact the author (not the webmaster)? Why do you trust him or her? Example: The author of this site is a 5th grade class, and so I should use it with caution, if at all. Or, this Civil War site is by a UCLA professor of History, and it provides her email address, so I can trust it.

ACCURACY: Based on your knowledge, does the information seem accurate? Example: Parts of this site are similar to what I already know about Mexico from my textbook, so I think I can trust the information. Or, I don’t know anything about my topic yet so I am not sure, Or, This site is different from what I learned before, so I should compare it with other sources before I use it.

RELIABILITY: Does the site present an opinion, point of view, bias? Is this opinion clearly stated? What is it? Example: this site is an anti-smoking, anti-tobacco site. In the “about us” section it says that the purpose of the site is to teach teenagers not to smoke. I understand the opinion and it is fine for my research.

RELEVANCE: Does this information help to answer my question? Is it in-depth? Is it too hard, too easy, or just right? Yes or no answers are fine for the first part, then rate the level of the information. 

DATE: When was the information created? Was it revised? Are these dates meaningful in terms of subject matter? Example: This site is from 2015 and is about Global Warming, so it is up to date. Or, This site is from 1999 and is about the solar system, so I think it may be too old.

SOURCES: Does the site have a Works Cited or Bibliography? If they are links, do they still work? Yes or No answers are fine. Elaborate if needed.

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OVERALL THIS SITE IS (Circle One):

Very Useful                                             Somewhat Useful              Not Good ( If this is your answer, find a different site!)