Finding What You Need:The Manley student’s guide to digging through the Internet

and finding the best resources!

Search, don’t surf!

It’s a trillion page Web!

We already know how to

use the Web!

Just because you live on the Web, doesn’t mean you can’t learn how to use it more effectively and more powerfully!

Good searchers:• Use peripheral vision—they mine their results for

additional search terms• Consult several search tools and evaluate their

sources• Make use of advanced search screens • Search the free Web and subscription databases• Use appropriate syntax (the language specific to

the search tool they are using) • Use search strategies• Modify or refine their searches (Searching is

recursive!)

Four tips: FSRE (for sure?)• Focus—What is your mission or question?

• Strategize—Which search tools will you use? Which keywords and search terms will you use and how will you express them?

• Refine—How might I improve my search results?

• Evaluate—Which results will you visit? Which sites or documents are worthy enough to use? Did I do good work?

• If I find it on the Internet, that means it is a good source

• Google is the way to find the best information that you need.

• Wikipedia has good information on anything you might need to find.

Types of Search Tools

Search engines Databases of billions of Web pages, gathered by automated “robots,” allowing broad, often overwhelming searches. Search engines vary in the ways they collect sites and organize results

Subject directories Links to resources arranged in subject hierarchies, encouraging users to both browse through, and often search for, results. Subject directories are often annotated. They are selected, evaluated, and maintained by humans.

Subscription Databases Pay services often provided by states or libraries offering premium content in the form of reference materials, journal and newspaper articles, broadcast transcripts, etc.

The free Web is not enough!

CPS Subscription Databases

• Your bright orange sheet shows most of CPS’ databases. They are also linked from the Manley High School website.

• You will need a password to access most of these (on your bright yellow/green sheet)

Key Words are the key!• Whether you are using the regular Internet

or Library Databases, it is important to use Key Words about your research topic / question.

• Spelling counts! • You will need to do MANY searches in

order to find what you need. Don’t give up! Try different combinations of words and phrases and always explore suggested links and additional resources.

Your research question• First write down your research question• Next, brainstorm all the search terms you can

think of related to your topic:

How prisoners can’t find jobs once they get out of jail and it leads to them returning to jail b/c they have no choice but to commit crimes

Jail, penitentiary, prison, prisoners, ex-convict, parole, felon, Jobs, money, work, employment, unemployment, career

Research Question: How effective are drug abuse prevention programs for young people?

Concept 1 Concept 2 Concept 3 Concept 4

or teen* “drug abuse”

prevent* effectiv*

or adolesc* marijuana program* success

or child* alcohol treat*

Connect with “ANDs”

Recognize the importance of brainstorming and strategy

Boolean searching

Let’s play Boolean Aerobics!• Stand up if you have brown hair• Stand up if you have brown hair OR black hair• Remain standing if you have brown hair OR

black hair AND are female• Remain standing if you have brown hair OR

black hair AND are female AND are wearing something blue

• Stand up if you have brown hair OR black hair AND are female AND are wearing something blue OR wearing a necklace

Search formula:

(“brown hair” OR “black hair”) AND female AND (“wearing something blue” OR

“wearing a hoodie”)

Plan your search

Execute your search

Refine your search…

…and search again!

“Phrase searching”• One of your best searching tools!• Use only for legitimate phrases, names,

titles• “affirmative action”• “John Quincy Adams”• Titles “An Officer and a Gentleman”

• Phrase searching is sometimes overused: Remember: not every group of words is a phrase

So now what?• Some of you may be thinking, this is

TOO MUCH WORK! I’m going to Google.

• When using the free web, you can use some of the same strategies, but you will simply have more information to sift through and evaluate.

• Let’s look at some examples…

SEARCHING GOOGLE:Some of you may run to google and start typing “how felons can’t find jobs…”•http://bit.ly/GSPJ0W•http://bit.ly/GSPMtC•http://anse.rs/GSPUJt

Are these sites good sources? Why or Why not?

Evaluating Websites

21st Century Information Fluency

•http://21cif.com/tools/

Evaluation Tool: Author, Publisher, Objectivity, Date, Evidence, etc.

How do I know this is a good source?

REMEMBER:• Use the print friendly version or email

the article to yourself.• Always write down or copy/paste your

SOURCE or citation. This will make things a lot easier later on.

• Always check your sources for credibility, reliability, accuracy.