Help your students search the internet with confidence using the strategies you learn in this session! Do you find students clicking on links endlessly, getting lost in too much information, or giving up after the first page or two of Google search results? Sick of students turning in papers that only sort of cite sources like Wikipedia? Save time, reduce frustration, and cut through the fluff to find quality information.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012: 3:00 p.m.-3:50 p.m. Krumm 26 W
Thursday, February 9, 2012: 11:00 a.m.-11:50 a.m. Krumm 26 W
Clear Expectations for Resources:
- Students' first instincts are to Google
- Let students know limitations for the types of resources they may use (i.e. 3 journal articles or books, 1-2 website resources)
- Different assignments will allow for different types of resources (i.e. Websites work well for current events, news, emerging trends and popular topics; journal articles and books work well for research-based assignments, historical topics, things that have been around long enough to go through the publishing process, etc.)
Web Evaluation:
Web Evaluation General
University Libraries, University of Maryland. (2011). Checklist for evaluating websites. Retrieved from http://www.lib.umd.edu/guides/webcheck.html
Using the Library Catalog:
- Search the library catalog to find quality websites
- Start on the homepage (http://library.grandview.edu), then click on "Books" and click on the "Grand View University Online Catalog."
- Change the third box, the "Limit" box, to "Webpages" (see image below)
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| The search page of the library catalog--Select "Webpages" in the third box. Click photo to enlarge the image. |
- Enter your search terms in the "Search for" box and leave the "Search by" box on "Keyword Anywhere AND with Relevance."
- Click on the item call number or the number in front of the title to see more about what the website is about.
- You can browse the "Bibliographic" and the "Table of Contents" tabs at the top of the page for more information, or click the link at the bottom of the page listed next to "Linked resources" (see image below).
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| Browse the "Bibliographic" and "Table of Contents" tabs to learn more about the resource, or click the link next to "Linked Resources" at the bottom of the page to be taken directly to the website. Click photo to enlarge the image. |
Try the Recommended Websites Page:
- Though it is currently a work-in-progress, the library's recommended websites page offers a list of quality websites that address a wide range of topics. It will eventually be linked from the library's homepage, but we have been having some classes use the direct link: http://recommendedwebsites.weebly.com/
Google Advanced Search:
- Google Advanced Search allows you to specify certain criteria when browsing search results on the web. Use Advanced Search to search exact words/phrases, search for synonyms (i.e. "mobile OR cell OR smart" when referring to cell phones), exclude results containing certain words, select language preferences, and limit domains (see images below).
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| Click the gear/wheel at the top right corner of Google's homepage, then click "Advanced Search." http://www.google.com Click photo to enlarge the image. If there is not gear/wheel, enter you search terms into the search box, as you normally would and click "Google Search." Once you reach your results list, that gear should appear in the top, right corner. |
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| This is the Google Advanced Search page where you enter your search terms and additional restrictions. http://www.google.com/advanced_search?hl=en Click photo to enlarge the image. (Updated 2/29/12) |
- Google Scholar allows students to search for scholarly articles online. We recommend students start with the library databases (found on the library homepage, under "Journals") where they will have access to more full-text options, as well as ways to easily interlibrary loan articles we don't have in full-text.
- After they have searched the library databases, they may try using Google Scholar. Some articles are available freely, while others are behind a paywall. We recommend students use the library homepage to request items using interlibrary loan, rather than pay for materials they could get through the library.
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| Google Scholar can be used to find scholarly articles and citations online. www.scholar.google.com Click photo to enlarge the image. |
Using Wikipedia (Caution):
- Wikipedia should not be a student's go-to choice for scholarly information, but it can help them find their way to that scholarly information
- Students can use Wikipedia to help them come up with additional search terms (to search for in library databases or in Google) or it can help them come up with search terms to exclude
- Students can also track citations backward to (possibly) find scholarly research or other helpful websites--but they should always evaluate web resources using the criteria listed in the above PowerPoint slides.
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| Remember, anyone can go in and change information on Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newton,_Iowa Click photo to enlarge the image. |
Properly Using & Citing Web Resources:
- The library has citation resources for students listed on the main page, then under "Topics and Information" then "Writing Aids."
- Students may also find the Purdue OWL helpful: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/
- All images and music you find online also need proper credit, as is the case with any research resources you use.
- Creative Commons (http://search.creativecommons.org/) allows searchers to find "a pool of content that can be copied, distributed, edited, remixed, and built upon, all within the boundaries of copyright law." Be sure to check the stipulations associated with the license of the work you wish to use.
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