keywords/databases

1. Laksamee Putnam
lputnam@towson.edu
Research & Instruction Librarian
http://bit.ly/tsemwarnersp2015c1

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!

3. A quick plug…
 The Big Read
 Free copies of the
book!
 Kick off event –
 February 24th, 5-6:30
PM Potomoc Lounge,
University Union
 Book Discussion–
 March 11th, 12:30-1:30
PM, Cook Library 507

4. Agenda
 Discussion
 Background reading/Internet searching
 Keywords
 Evaluating Resources
 Finding Articles

5. 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?
Pew Research Center. (2015) Chapter 3: Attitudes and
beliefs on science and technology topics. Public and
Scientists’ Views on Science and Society. Pages 37-57.
http://www.pewinternet.org/files/2015/01/PI_Scienc
eandSociety_Report_012915.pdf
Dickson, E. (2014) I accidentally started a Wikipedia
hoax. The Daily Dot.
http://www.dailydot.com/lol/amelia-bedelia-
wikipedia-hoax/

6. Web “Pre-Searching”
 Why start your search online?
 Find background information
 Help solidify research topic
 New vocabulary words
 Breadcrumb trail

7. Keywords are critical!
 Sample topic:
 What peaceful protest methods occurred during the
Ferguson trial?
 First, break the question down into key concepts:
 Concept #1: peaceful protest
 Concept #2: methods
 Concept #3: Ferguson

8. Think of more words
 Enter your synonyms here:
 http://bit.ly/tsemfoodsp2015poll1
 View results here:
 http://bit.ly/tsemfoodsp2015poll2

9. More on keywords…
 Expand your list to include synonyms then add
to it once you have done some background
reading.
 What peaceful protest methods occurred during
the Ferguson trial?
Peaceful protest methods Ferguson
nonviolent action
passive resistance
social movement
Gene Sharp
formal statement
symbolic public act
Michael Brown
United States
police violence

10. Create keywords
 Fill in key concepts on Nonviolent Action
 Use some of the ones we’ve come up with!
 Think of different synonyms to describe the methods
 Don’t construct a search strategy yet!

11. Search Tip #1
Boolean “search connectors”
AND OR NOT
internet AND children
 Combining >1 topic
instruct OR teach
 Combining
synonymous terms

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

13. 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”

14. Putting it all together…
 What peaceful protest methods occurred during the
Ferguson trial?
Peaceful protest OR nonviolen* action OR passive resistance
AND
“Gene Sharp” OR formal statement OR “symbolic public act”
AND
Ferguson OR USA OR police violence
Peaceful protest methods Ferguson
nonviolent action
passive resistance
social movement
Gene Sharp
formal statement
symbolic public act
Michael Brown
United States
police violence

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

16. 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/cosmicweb6
 http://bit.ly/cosmicweb7

17. Check for CRAP
Currency
Reliability
Authority
Purpose/Point of View

18. 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/si
zes/m/in/photostream/

19. 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/

20. 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/

21. 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/

22. Searching the library
 CookOneSearch
 American History
 MasterFile
 Communication & Mass
Media
 SOCIndex
 Will also search for
BOOKS
 Other resources
 News Bank
 Sage Knowledge
 VAST
 CQ Researcher
Utilize the TSEM Course Gateway to remember the resources

23. Finding Articles
 Features to remember
 Yellow Findit button
 Citation creations
 So many filters!
 Email yourself
 Also as you are searching
 Take a look at the article citations
 Make note of additional keywords

24. Fill in this wall
 Use your search strategy in Google
 Use your search strategy in a library database
 Pick the most interesting result from both
 Enter your results here:
 http://padlet.com/lputnam/tsemrsearchsp20
 Enter your name, keywords, and describe what you
found

25. Thanks for listening!
 Next library session:
 Time to research Food movements
 Annotated Bibliography and APA Citation Style

26. 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