Research
If you're looking for information for a class project, we've got you covered!
Always remember to exercise Media and Information Literacy skills when doing research - especially when you're online!
Strategy: Skimming
When doing research, most of the time there is more information available than you have time to review. You have to be smart about how you use your time and energy. When starting research, find some sources. Then:
Pick one item to start with.
DON'T try to read every word. Instead, read AROUND the text! Skim through the source - look at:
Titles
Headings
Subheadings
Pictures and their captions
Charts
Summaries (In academic works, they're called "abstracts")
Take a second to mentally summarize what you learn from looking at only those parts.
Ask yourself if the piece seems to have information you can use.
If not, move on to the next source.
If so, THEN start to read further. Keep notes about the useful info (maybe using a tool like Google Keep).
Resources
Citations
Any time you borrow information, images, or other work someone else created, you have to cite your source(s) by using an in-text citation and a Works Cited list. MyBib makes WC lists easy.
MyBib.com - Go to the site, sign up with Google so it will remember your projects, and this site will make Works Cited lists a breeze.
A few reminders:
Current Events
Databases
MiddleSearch Plus - a database collecting articles, entries, and videos from thousands of books, magazines, news outlets, and journals.
Open Web Searching
If you're going out into the wilds of the Internet, consider using the following tips to help you get better results:
This search tool only looks at reliable websites. Click the link to go to the reliable search box!
This is a GREAT tool for keeping track of your open web research - super-easy to use and free!
Google "Tricks" Cheat Sheet
Find out what’s hot in Google searches up to the moment. Filters let you see what’s popular in different countries over different time periods. You can even search preset categories.
Google has scanned and indexed the words in thousands and thousands of books. Display a graph showing how often certain words show up over time.
