Reviewing Search Strategies and Searching the Web

Claire Holmes, MLSInstruction Librarian, Cook Librarycholmes@towson.eduhttp://pages.towson.edu/cholmesTwitter: TUEdLibrarian

Today’s Agenda:

Review: Research Strategies

Continue to brainstorm keywords

Web searching and web source evaluation

Find background information

Refine research topic

Build list of keyword terminology

Find links and/or citations to other sources

Remember:“Pre-Searching” is important

Use Subject Gateways, Course Gateways for your course or topic…

…and familiar tools to identify websites with academic content.

Source: www.wikipedia.org.

Source: www.google.com.

HINTS:• Use the advanced search features of search engines like Google.• Search by DOMAIN.• Search for professional or academic ORGANIZATIONS or

ASSOCIATIONS related to your topic … for example, use [organization* or association*] as keywords.

• Look for embedded search engines in the websites you find.• Try “related searches” feature when using Google’s search engine.

Understand and use Boolean “search connectors”

education AND technology Combining >1 topic

instruct OR teach Combining synonymous terms

REVIEW: Search Tips

technology

What AND does…

education AND technology

education

teach

What OR does…

instruct OR teach

instruct

educat* finds… educat educat educat educat

eioningor

…etc!

Don’t forget: Truncation helps

Use quotations to keep a keyword phrase intact (words will be searched in the specific order)

Examples:“No Child Left Behind” “information literacy”

Phrase Searching…

Sample topic:How is social networking being used as a

learning tool in public schools?

First, break the question down into keywords:

How is social networking being used as a learning tool in public secondary schools?

Don’t forget! Keywords are critical!

Expand your list to include synonyms then add to it once you have done some background reading.

How is social networking being used as a learning tool in public secondary schools?

“social network*” learn* “public school*” facebook teach* secondary“social network site” instruct* high school*

middle school* youth teen*

More on keywords…

How is social networking being used as a learning tool in public secondary schools?

“public school*” “social network*” learn* secondary high school

facebook teach* middle school youth “social network site” instruct* teen*

“social network*” OR facebook* OR social network site*AND

learn* OR teach* OR instruct*AND

“public school*” OR secondary OR high school OR teen*

Putting it all together…

Searching for academic content Articulate your topic by choosing important

ideas

Brainstorm◦ Ideas Concept Map Terminology/Keywords

Dig for the content

EVALUATE!

Web Source Issue #1: QualityCriteria for evaluation of internet sources: Currency Authority Coverage Relevance & Usefulness Navigation & Ease of Use

This information is courtesy of Jan Alexander & Marsha Ann Tate, librarians at Wolfgram Memorial Library, Widener University. http://www.widener.edu/Tools_Resources/Libraries/Wolfgram_Memorial_Library/Evaluate_Web_Pages/Checklist_for_an_Information_Web_Page/5720/

Web Sources: EVALUATE!

Source: http://www.spat.pitt.edu/

Questions? Need help?…feel free to contact me!

Claire Holmes, MLS cholmes@towson.edu,http://pages.towson.edu/cholmestwitter: @TUEdLibrarian, @CookLibraryOfTU

Or any librarian: Visit Cook Library Reference Desk Call: 410.704.2462 IM: (tucookchat) Text-a-Librarian: # 66746, start your question with

askcook