The following questions are key to conducting research
What is basic research?
How do I conduct basic research?
How do I find online and physical materials in the library?
How do I organize my research results?
How do I learn a basic research skill set that I can apply going forward to build on?
What is a subscription database?
A database is a collection of articles, usually from journals
and magazines; can also include excerpts from encyclopedias and other reference sources.
Why use a database?
Remember these two tips:
1. Use quotes when searching to keep phrases together. Also, try to be as specific as possible. For example, instead of civil war, search for "American Civil War"
2. Use Boolean operators (AND OR NOT). You may also substitute their symbols:
When searching in Google, remember to place the symbols right next to the search term. This is especially helpful with the minus sign:
What is a search engine?
A search engine uses a program to search the internet to
match the keywords entered by the researcher.
Why use a search engine?
Search engines are useful for finding information on
organizations, groups, and personal web pages related to a
topic. It can be challenging to confirm the legitimacy of
information found on the internet.
Use CARRDSS to evaluate your sources |
|
C | REDIBILITY : Who is the author? What are his or her credentials? |
A | CCURACY: Can facts, statistics, or other information be verified through other sources? Based on your knowledge, does the information seem accurate? |
R | ELIABILITY: Does the source present a particular view or bias? |
R | ELEVANCE: Does this information directly support my hypothesis/thesis or help to answer my question? |
D | ATE: When was this information created? When was it revised? Are these dates meaningful in terms of the subject matter? |
S | OURCES BEHIND THE TEXT: Did the author use reliable, credible sources? |
S | COPE: Does this source address my hypothesis/thesis/question in a comprehensive or peripheral way? Is it a scholarly or popular treatment? |
Being able to read the URL of a site will help you evaluate before you spend time working with it. The domain designation has information, as well as the grammar of the URL.
Indications you are on a personal page that should be scrutinized for bias, accuracy and authority.
Does the URL have a tilde: ~?
Does the URL have %?
Does the URL include a personal name?
Does the URL include words like: users, people or members?