Searching Support

            I.    Search Engines

            II.   Databases

            III.  Social Media

Every research project begins with some kind of prompt to direct your investigation and ends with a product that exhibits the collection and analysis of research in support of a central thesis. But before you go off to search for sources in order to make your case, you have to know what you are looking for and how you can search most effectively. There is a research process to follow that carefully embeds searching for sources, evaluating sources, and applying sources with citations.

The Big 6

The Big 6 Research Skills include:

• 1. Task Definition

  2. Information Seeking Strategies

  3. Location and Access

  4. Use of Information

  5. Synthesis

  6. Evaluation

Considered in a different way, we can divide the research process into these 6 simple steps:

• 1. Define the task

  2. Search for and select the best sources

  3. Read critically and analyze the sources found

  4. Evaluate the sources for evidence and bias

  5. Extract useful information (paraphrase and quote) and communicate (write or present) your findings

  6. Reflect on the process and the product

The two areas of The Big 6 Research Skills this page focuses on is:

• • Define the task

  • Search for and select the best sources

Task definition involves defining the problem and identifying the information needed. This is important because it can lead to key search terms to be used later. Defining the problem means the information problem. How does your prompt require research? What kind of research will be required? Will you be making an argument? Is it necessary to support your argument with evidence? If so, what evidence will be most reliable in support of your claims?

Searching for information comes next, once you know what information is needed. From the research question you develop or the prompt that hones the research project you should be able to isolate several unique words or phrases to be used as search terms. These terms can be used in a variety of searches. For a quick search that represents a widely cast net, you can do a Google search or use another Search Engine. Anyone and everything can show up in the results of your search here. If you are interested in highly respected sources that may be doing important research for a university or public sector organization, you can search through several Databases like Proquest, JSTOR and EBSCOhost. Finally, you might also find that there are some other unsung researchers out there who are communicating their findings in new ways by tapping into Social Media outlets like Twitter, Facebook, Google+, etc.

Thomas, Nancy Pickering. "Chapter 4: Process Models for Information Skills Instruction." Information Literacy and Information Skills Instruction: Applying Research to Practice in the School Library Media Center. 2nd ed. Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited, 2004. 44-61. Print.