Research Tips
Use web resources like Google and Wikipedia to START your research, but be aware that you may need to do more than simply do a few web searches to find the information that you need.
Use Wikipedia and other web sites academically. Look for bibliographies and other lists of resources and links that add to your research.
Apply information, like keywords, names, or topics, found with your web searches to the Library's catalog and databases to find scholarly resources like books and journal articles.
Likewise, use information found in books and articles to find better web sources.
See Research Help for more ideas on how to make effective and efficient use of your time.
Where do you get your Information?
The Web can provide excellent starting places for your research:
But if you are only using Google and Wikipedia to find your information, you may not be finding all of the information that is available on your topic. Especially if you are being asked to do scholarly research.
Find Websites - A guide to becoming a better web searcher from UC Berkeley.
Have you tried Kosmix yet?
Information about Information
Keep in mind that:
- Search Engines only retrieve a portion of the information available on the web. Sometimes only a small portion.
A lot of useful information is not freely available on the web. It is proprietary, meaning someone--an author, a publisher, or institution--owns the information. More about the Invisible Web.
- Not all digitized information is created equal.
You need to critically analyze and evaluate the information you intend to use.
- Not all information has been digitized.
There are still BOOKS in the Library. And other print and analog resources that do not exist on the Web.
Information Literacy
With this library guide we will explore and discuss Research Strategies and learn how to efficiently and effectively search, find, evaluate, retrieve, and properly use Information.
Information Literacy
The ability to identify, locate, access, evaluate, and use information effectively is an essential skill. It is a measure of your information literacy.
An information literate individual is able to:
- Determine the extent of information needed
- Access the needed information effectively and efficiently
- Evaluate information and its sources critically
- Incorporate selected information into one’s knowledge base
- Use information effectively to accomplish a specific purpose
- Understand the economic, legal, and social issues surrounding the use of information, and access and use information ethically and legally"
| From the Association of College and Research Libraries Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education. |
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