This presentation outlines basics of how to get started on research from creating a question and query to finding sources and gathering information.

1. RESEARCH:
MAKING A PLAN AND FINDING
RESOURCES
Ms. Cheby, Teacher Librarian, November

2. Information Literacy
Informatio
n
+ Literacy

3. Information Literacy
“To be information literate, a person
must be able to recognize when
information is needed and have the
ability to locate, evaluate, and use
effectively the needed information.”
American Library Association, 1989

4. ™
Research: The Big6 Skills
1. Task Definition
2. Info Seeking Strategies
3. Location & Access
4. Use of Information
5. Synthesis
6. Evaluation
Copyright M. Eisenberg 2010

5. The Big6: Not Linear
Task
Definition
Information
SKILLS,
See king
Strategies
NOT
STEPS
Location
and Access
Information
Use
Synthesis
Evaluation

6. ™
The Big6 Skills
1. Task Definition
2. Info Seeking Strategies
3. Location & Access
4. Use of Information
5. Synthesis
6. Evaluation

7. Task Definition
 Define the problem:
 What is the topic I have chosen? (BE
SPECIFIC)
 Write down your topic as a
question that can later be
restated as a thesis.
 i.e. How did the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising
resist the injustice horrors of the
Holocaust? Did it lead to the end of the
Holocaust?
 Howmany/what kind of sources
SOURCEI need according to the
do : http://big6.com/pages/free-stuff.php, Accessed 4/19/2012
rubric?

8. Task Definition
 Become a question generator
 See an example here.
 Identify keywords in your questions.
 Generate more keyword options:
 Synonym: means the same
 Hyponym: same meaning, but more specific (to
narrow search)
 Hypernym: same meaning, but more general
(to broaden search)
SOURCE: How To Do Research – World Book Student, Accessed 4/24/2012

9. Task Definition
Construct Web Search
Query
Prioritize keywords
Use “Optimal Query
Checklist”
Combine using Boolean
Terms & Keywords.
SOURCE: How To Do Research – World Book Student, Accessed 4/24/2012

10. Information Seeking Strategies
 Determine all possible sources
 Types of sources
 Primary vs. secondary sources
 Popular vs. Scholarly Sources

11. Information Seeking Strategies
 Determine all possible sources
 Types of sources
 Newspapers
 Scholarly Journals
 Magazines/Periodicals
 Books
 Reference Books
 Websites
 People
 Primary vs. secondary sources
 Popular vs. Scholarly Sources
SOURCE: http://big6.com/pages/free-stuff.php, Accessed 4/19/2012

12. Information Seeking Strategies
 Determine all possible sources
 Types of sources
 Newspapers
 Scholarly Journals
 Magazines/Periodicals
 Books
 Reference Books
 Websites
 People
 Primary vs. secondary sources
 Popular vs. Scholarly Sources
SOURCE: http://big6.com/pages/free-stuff.php, Accessed 4/19/2012

13. Information Seeking Strategies
 Determine all possible sources
 Types of sources
 Primary
 examples: Birth Certificates, Diaries,
Diplomatic Correspondence, Executive
Orders, Legal Records, Letters, News Film
Footage, Government Records,
Literary texts
 secondary sources
 Examples: Historical accounts,
encyclopedia articles, literary criticism
 Popular vs. Scholarly Sources
SOURCE: How to Do Research –World Book Student, accessed 4/27/2012

14. Information Seeking Strategies
 Determine all possible sources
 Types of sources
 Primary vs. secondary sources
 Popular vs. Scholary
Sources
 Scholarly sources:
• evaluated by experts
/"peer reviewed"
• Based on research
• Written for researchers /
students
• Clearly and accurately
lists/sites references
SOURCE: http://big6.com/pages/free-stuff.php, Accessed 4/19/2012

15. Location & Access
 Locate sources
 Library
Catalog
 LAUSD Digital Library
 Ms. Cheby’s Resource Blogs

16. Location & Access
 Locate sources
 Library Catalog
 Books
 Websites
 Databases
 LAUSD Digital Library
 Ms. Cheby’s Resource Blogs

17. Location & Access
 Locate sources
 Library
Catalog
 LAUSD Digital Library
 What is a Database?
 How to use a database?
 Ms. Cheby’s Resource Blogs

18. Location & Access
 Locate sources
 Library
Catalog
 LAUSD Digital Library
 Ms. Cheby’s Resource
Blogs

19. Location & Access
 Find Information within
sources
 SourceCards/Bibliographic
Information
 Record information for
bibliography
 Use MLA Style Guides
 Evidence for assignment

20. Information Seeking Strategies
 Choosing the Best Sources
 Why not Wikipedia?
 CARRDSS
 Academic Sources vs. Popular Sources

21. Information Seeking Strategies
 Choosing the Best Sources
 Why not Wikipedia?
 CARRDSS
 CREDIBILITY / AUTHORITY
 ACCURACY
 RELIABILITY
 RELEVANCE
 DATE
 SOURCES BEHIND THE TEXT
 SCOPE AND PURPOSE
 Academic Sources vs. Popular Sources
Source: Carol H. Rohrbach, language arts coordinator, School District of
Springfield Township, Erdenheim, PA

22. Information Seeking Strategies
 Determine all possible sources
 Types of sources
 Primary vs. secondary sources
 Choosing the Best Sources
 Why not Wikipedia?
 CARRDSS
 Academic Sources vs. Popular
Sources
 You can determine if a source
is
scholarly or popular by looking
at the author, audience,
language use, organization,
and references cited.

23. The Virtual Library
Resource Blog:
http://chebyteacher937.word
press.com/
Verdugo Hills High School
Library and Media Center
http://twitter.com/LibrarianCh
eby