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Research Tools. Choosing the Best Tools for Your Research. Narrow Your Research Topic. If your topic is too big, you will have a difficult time doing your research because there will be too much information to sort through. Narrow down your topic so it will be easy to handle.
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Research Tools Choosing the Best Tools for Your Research
Narrow Your Research Topic • If your topic is too big, you will have a difficult time doing your research because there will be too much information to sort through. • Narrow down your topic so it will be easy to handle. • Which topic would be good for research? Why? • Baseball or Left Handed Pitchers • Animals that Live in the Ocean or How Killer Whales Communicate • The History of War or The Battle of Gettysburg • The Middle Ages or Torture and Punishment during the Middle Ages Click here and let’s see how many websites we can find on these topics!
What makes a source reliable? • It comes from a trustworthy source • It can be proven
What to look for…. • It is important to know what research tool to choose in order to find your information • As you look at these research tools, take notes on what information you would find in each book
Dictionary • A book that lists words alphabetically and explains the meanings, spellings, uses, and pronunciations of words • If you needed to know the meaning of the word ambidextrous - you can find it in the dictionary!
Thesaurus • A type of dictionary that lists words alphabetically along with their synonyms and other related words, such as antonyms • Example: • This is a good place to find other words besides the dead word good-like amazing, fantastic.
Atlas • A book of maps • Example: • If you want to know where the country Bhutan is, this is where you would look!
Encyclopedia • A book or set of books that lists subjects alphabetically and provides significant information about each subject • If you want to know information about Thomas Edison or the flying squirrel, the encyclopedia is your place!
Almanac • An annually published resource that contains information about particular subjects: lots of facts and data! • Examples: • Country populations, language • Number of people attending college • Top TV Shows of the year
Internet Websites • Current • Fact based • Reliable source • .edu and .gov - usually reliable sources • .com, .net, .org – can be reliable, but you need to be careful…they could have false information or be biased (show favoritism)
Other types of Reliable Sources • Non-fiction books that have been edited and published • Informational newspapers and magazines • Educational journals
Examples of Unreliable Sources • Tabloid or gossip magazines • Personal blogs, personal websites • Wikipedia • Some TV shows
Complete the Charts • With a partner, complete the PROS and CONS charts on Encyclopedias and the Internet. • Be prepared to share your ideas.