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
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
Editor's Notes
Aka it’s a good starting point
You can read the wikipedia article… just don’t cite it
