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Online Research

Online Research. Tips and Tricks for Effective Research. Why do we need to evaluate web sources?. Virtually any person can publish almost anything on the Internet. Unlike most print sources, web sources do not have to be professionally accepted and edited to be published.

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Online Research

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  1. Online Research Tips and Tricks for Effective Research

  2. Why do we need to evaluate web sources? • Virtually any person can publish almost anything on the Internet. • Unlike most print sources, web sources do not have to be professionally accepted and edited to be published. Purdue University Writing Lab

  3. Web versus Print: Web • Web • anyone with web access can publish • author/affiliations and qualifications may be unclear • may not clearly identify external information • may be biased/misleading • publication info may not be listed

  4. Web versus Print: Print • Print • extensive publication process • clearly indicates author/affiliations • clearly marks outside sources/quotations • bias exists, but is reviewed • only qualified manuscripts accepted for publication • publication info clearly listed

  5. Researching the Internet • Use search engines to your advantage • Identify the web site • Examine for credibility • Determine depth and scope of information • Assess date of information

  6. What is a search engine? • A search engine is an Internet tool that locates web pages and sorts them according to specified keywords. • Examples: Google, Bing, Yahoo

  7. Use search engines to your advantage • Search engines can help you to identify sources that will provide serious information, products or services, or entertainment. Purdue University Writing Lab

  8. Limit your keyword search • It is a good idea to read the directions for each search engine to get the most out of your search. • Use words like AND and OR to limit your search and get more specified information. Or Lawsuit Smoking Legislation Tobacco And Advertising Teenagers

  9. Identify the web site • Sometimes the actual purpose of the web site may not be clearly articulated. • Can be difficult to separate advertising from accurate information. • Some marketing sites will offer misleading information in attempts to sell their products. Purdue University Writing Lab

  10. Identify the web site • Whenever possible, try to locate the home page. • You can often do this by eliminating some information from the end of the URL. .org .gov .com .net .edu .us .au .uk Purdue University Writing Lab

  11. Identify the web site • Who is the creator of the site? • What is the purpose of the site? • Who is the audience of this site? • Can you purchase products at this site? • Is the site affiliated with a business or university? • Does the site offer idiosyncratic information about a particular person or group? Purdue University Writing Lab

  12. Examine for credibility • Does the site provide a list of sources or a Works Cited page? • Can you locate any of the source material? How reliable is this material? • Are there links to other credible sites with additional information? • Does the site provide a link for emailing the author or webmaster? Purdue University Writing Lab

  13. Let’s try it! • Directions: on a separate sheet of paper identify the following for the website projected: • Author • Date • List of works cited • Links to other websites • Make a list of other things you notice about this website • http://www.gilderlehrman.org/history-now/2009-03/great-depression

  14. Determine depth and scope of information • Does the material show signs of research, such as references to other sources, hyperlinks, footnotes, or a reference page? • Does the author consider opposing points of view? • How closely does the site really match the information for which you are searching? • Corroborate information whenever possible! Purdue University Writing Lab

  15. Determine depth and scope of information • Are there a lot of flashy pictures, colors, animated images, and logos designed to attract attention? Do these eye-catching images distract you from noticing a lack of credible information? Do they disguise an attempt to get you to buy something? Purdue University Writing Lab

  16. Assess date of information • Can you locate a date on the web page? • Dates on web pages can mean: • Date the author first wrote or developed the material • Date site was first available on the Internet for public access • Date site was most recently updated, including revisions, additions, or subtractions to the material Purdue University Writing Lab

  17. Invisible Web vs. Visible Web: Teacher Demo • Pick topic • Search topic in a general search engine such as Google • Run another search using a library research tool, such as JSTOR, EBSCOHOST, or Megasearch • Discuss the kinds of results each search turned up • What do we notice about the results?

  18. Search Engine Results • Different search engines might return different results in a different order • Can include results from paying advertisers:

  19. Conducting a Search • Consider: • keywords that apply • what kinds of information you need • multiple angles • keep notes

  20. Using Search Terms • Do multiple searches • Try keyword variations • e.g. try “dining hall,” “cafeteria,” and “campus food service” • Be specific as you learn more • e.g. change “dining hall” to “Midwest university dining hall” • Boolean Operators: words added to a search to make it more specific

  21. Defining a Search: Boolean Operators • AND • finds pages with all of the search terms used • e.g. “dining hall” AND “student workers” • OR • finds pages with at least one of the search terms • e.g. “dining hall” OR “cafeteria” OR “campus food service” • NOT • excludes pages that include the second term e.g. Henry VII NOT Shakespeare

  22. Let’s try it! • Using the three Boolean phrases from the previous page (AND, OR, NOT), come up with search terms for your topic. • Example: The Great Depression AND politics • Create synonyms for your topic, to get better search results

  23. Evaluating Search Results • Some results won’t be helpful • wrong topic • not enough information • incorrect or outdated information • shallow or untrustworthy source • wrong tone for your project (e.g. an opinionated article when you need a basic overview)

  24. Evaluating Search Results • Have a clear idea of type of content needed • general overview • different viewpoints in a debate • in-depth explorations of a topic with numbers and statistics

  25. Evaluating Search Results: Visuals • Good design NOT an indicator of reliable information • Bad design not an indicator of unreliable information • might be more likely to indicate an outdated website or one run by an individual

  26. Wikipedia Articles • Often one of the first results listed • “Web versus Print” slides apply • Check for instructors’ policies • Can be useful for: • getting an overview • generating new ideas • pointing to other sources

  27. Evaluating Sources: Using Wikipedia • Example of sources and further reading in the Wikipedia Henry VIII article:

  28. Now that we have learned how to research, lets find out how to cite our sources!

  29. What to do when you find info • When you have found a source that answers your question, make sure to highlight information that you want to include in your paper. • When putting information into your paper, use exact quotes. DO NOT paraphrase!

  30. Example question: How did women live during the GD? • Source 1: “We didn’t go hungry, but we lived lean.” That expression sums up the experiences of many American families during the 1930s: they avoided stark deprivation but still struggled to get by. The typical woman in the 1930s had a husband who was still employed, although he had probably taken a pay cut to keep his job; if the man lost his job, the family often had enough resources to survive without going on relief or losing all its possessions.

  31. Template ExampleSource: (website) Ware, Susan. "Women and the Great Depression." The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History. Web. 14 Oct. 2012. • One of my questions from part two was how did women live during the Great Depression. • This source explained that the answer to my question was, “The typical woman in the 1930s had a husband who was still employed, although he had probably taken a pay cut to keep his job.” • This information answers my question because I now know that women were able to support their families. • I feltsurprised when I read this quote becauseI thought that women had to get jobs to support their families. • It made me realize that women were still able to support their families.

  32. How to use EasyBib or Citation Machine • Enter information that you have • Fill in the boxes for the specific information • For a book, look in the first few pages for publication information • For a website, scroll to the bottom for publication information • www.easybib.com • www.citationmachine.net

  33. Citation Website Demo (Book) • Using To Kill a Mockingbird, find the following information: • Author • Publisher • Publication city • Publication year

  34. Citation Website Demo (Website) • Using the following website, find the following information: • http://www.gilderlehrman.org/history-by-era/great-depression/essays/women-and-great-depression • Author • Title of web page • Title of website • Publishing organization

  35. You are now ready to begin I-Search part 3!

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