1. Upward Bound:
Learning how to
research
Laksamee Putnam
lputnam@towson.edu
Research & Instruction Librarian
Slides: http://bit.ly/upb2014c1

2. First…
 Laksamee Putnam
 lputnam@towson.edu
 Cook Library Reference:
 410.704.2462.
 IM/email
 Phone: 410.704.3746.
 Twitter: @CookLibraryofTU
 Albert S. Cook facebook profile!
 Slides: http://bit.ly/upb2014c1

3. Agenda
 Pre-class reading Discussion
 Background reading/Internet searching
 Keywords
 Evaluating Resources

4. Wikipedia Woes and Google Gaffs
 What are the pros and
cons of so much
information being online?
 What do you do to be
sure you’re finding
credible resources?
 How do you evaluate
the information you find
while researching?
 Why is it important to
support your argument
with valid sources?
New York Times (2013) If a Story Is Viral, Truth
May Be Taking a Beating http://nyti.ms/1d7MUUB
Google Analytics (2012) Google analytics in real life
– Site search.
http://youtu.be/cbtf1oyNg-8
DuckDuckGo (2012). There are no “regular results”
on Google anymore.
http://vimeo.com/duckduckgo/bubble

5. Web “Pre-Searching”
 Why start your search online?
 Find background information
 Help solidify research topic
 Find new terminology to use as keywords
 Find links and/or citations to other sources

6. Improve Google
Cryogenic and organ
 Advanced Google
searching
 Duck Duck Go
Pop culture and society
 Cook Library’s Guide
to the Web
Check out the Subject Gateways

7. Keywords are critical!
 Sample topic:
 What are the challenges of cryogenics?
 First, break the question down into key
concepts:
 What are the challenges of cryogenics?

8. More on keywords…
 Expand your list to include synonyms then add to it
once you have done some background reading.
 What are the challenges of cryogenics?
challenges cryogenics other stuff…
organs
ethics
technology
cryonics
cryosurgery
cryobiology
NASA
United States
Alcor

9. Create keywords
 Enter your research topic on your worksheet
 Fill in keywords/synonyms
 What helped you find synonyms?

10. Search Tip #1
Boolean “search connectors”
AND OR NOT
internet AND children
 Combining >1 topic
instruct OR teach
 Combining synonymous
terms
Which is better?

11. Search Tip #2
 Use truncation!
 Educat* finds
 Educate
 Education
 Educating
 Educator
 Etc…

12. Search Tip #3
 Phrase Searching…
 Use quotations to keep a keyword phrase intact
(words will be searched in the specific order)
 Examples:
 “No Child Left Behind”
 “school reform”

13. Putting it all together…
 What are the challenges of cryogenics?
(organs OR embryo) AND cryogenics
(ethics OR religion) AND “life preservation”
(technology OR MRI) AND cryo*
challenges cryogenics other stuff…
organs
ethics
technology
cryonics
cryosurgery
cryobiology
NASA
United States
Alcor

14. Create a search strategy
 Using the keywords on your worksheet and
the search tips mentioned here create a
search strategy

15. Evaluate what you find
 Go to one of the websites below and analyze
it
 http://bit.ly/cosmicweb3
 http://bit.ly/cosmicweb4
 http://bit.ly/cosmicweb5
 http://bit.ly/cosmicweb6
 http://bit.ly/cosmicweb7

16. Currency
Reliability
Authority
Purpose/Point of View
Check for CRAP

17. Check for CRAP
 Currency
 How recent is the
information?
 Can you locate a date
when the resource was
written/created/updated
?
 Based on your topic, is
this current enough?
 Why might the date
matter for your topic?
Guidelines for CRAP provided by the Jean and Alexander Heard Library
http://www.flickr.com/photos/helloeveryone123/3937374193/s
izes/m/in/photostream/

18. Check for CRAP
 Reliability
 What kind of
information is included
in the resource?
 Does the author
provide citations &
references for
quotations & data
 Where am I accessing
this information?
Guidelines for CRAP provided by the Jean and Alexander Heard Library
http://www.flickr.com/photos/schnappi/5930145952/sizes/l/in/photostream/

19. Check for CRAP
 Authority
 Can you determine who
the author/creator is?
 What are their credentials
(education, affiliation,
experience, etc.)?
 Who is the publisher or
sponsor of the work/site?
 Is this publisher/sponsor
reputable
Guidelines for CRAP provided by the Jean and Alexander Heard Library
http://rantchick.com/a-doctrine-on-respect/

20. Check for CRAP
 Purpose/Point of View
 Is the content primarily
opinion?
 Is the information
balanced or biased?
 What is the purpose
of the information? Is it
to inform, teach, sell,
entertain or persuade
Guidelines for CRAP provided by the Jean and Alexander Heard Library
http://www.flickr.com/photos/cogdog/5484085301/sizes/m/in/
photostream/

21. Group work
 Complete Part 2 of your worksheet
 Work together!
 Find a reliable website
 Find a “bad” website

22. Thanks for listening!
 Complete the paper worksheet!
 Next class:
 Watch 2 videos and prepare for discussion
 Use your keywords to find books/articles

23. Questions?
 Feel free to contact me:
 Laksamee Putnam
 lputnam@towson.edu
 410.704.3746.
 Twitter: @CookLibraryofTU
 Or any reference librarian:
 Visit Cook Library Reference Desk
 410.704.2462.
 IM – tucookchat