Research is like eating a Whale

One Step at a Time
  • Define the task
    • Identify the information requirements
  • Information seeking strategies
    • What sources do you need
    • Evaluate the different sources
  • Locate and access sources
    • Locate sources
    • Find information within the source​
One Step at a Time cont.
  • ​​Use of information
    • Read, look, listen
    • Use the information
  • Put it all together
    • Organize the information 
    • Create the rough draft
  • Evaluation
    • READ the draft word for word
    • Did it solve the problem?  Do you need to fill in areas?
    • Redo the product 

How to Evaluate Sources
Use the CRAP method.  Currency, Reliability, Authority, and Purpose or Point of View
Ask yourself the following questions about each website you're considering:
Currency
  • How recent is the information?
  • Can you locate a date when the page(s) were written/created/updated?
  • Does the website appear to update automatically (this could mean no one is actually looking at it)?
  • Based in your topic, is it current enough?
Reliability
  • What kind of information is included in the website?
  • Based on your other research, is it accurate? ...complete?
  • Is the content primarily fact, or opinion?
  • Is the information balanced, or biased?
  • Does the author provide references for quotations and data?
  • If there are links, do they work?
Authority
  • Can you determine who the author/creator is?
  • Is there a way to contact them?
  • What are their credentials (education, affiliation, experience, etc.)?
  • Is there evidence they're experts on the subject?
  • Who is the publisher or sponsor of the site?
  • Is this publisher/sponsor reputable?
Purpose / Point of View
  • What's the intent of the website (to persuade, to sell you something, etc.)?
  • What is the domain (.edu, .org, .com, etc.)? How might that influence the purpose/point of view?
  • Are there ads on the website? How do they relate to the topic being covered (e.g., an ad for ammuntion next to an article about firearms legislation)?
  • Is the author presenting fact, or opinion?
  • Who might benefit from a reader believing this website?
  • Based on the writing style, who is the intended audience?

Sources

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​ GALILEO is an excellent source for scholarly information.  You will need a password.  

​The password is attempt.  It will be good untill 5/20/16

GALILEO  Main  Page     
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Citing Information
There are many online resources to help you with citing your sources.  You do need to be careful and remember they do make mistakes too.  Also remember that they way you put information in can make a big difference in how it comes out.

CITATION MACHINE(MLA, APA, Chicago & Turabian) Enter in your information and generate works cited or in-text citations.

EASYBIBFree for MLA Only. Search for your source, build your citation, and export it!

PURDUE ONLINE WRITING LABFor MLA and APA (Includes Style Guides) The ultimate guide for perfect citations and formatting.