Ms. Doyle, District Librarian

Please get ready to write in your journal.

Entries will be marked in purple

•Evaluate information -- don’t believe everything you read

•Who publishes the site? .gov, .edu, .com? Who wrote it and what makes them an expert?

•Compare multiple sources

•Always cite your sources (OSLIS Citation Maker, Easybib.com, etc.)

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When should you use Wikipedia?

Talk to someone next to you to decide:

•To get a quick overview of your research topic?

•As the main source of information for your research paper?

•When reading about a pop culture topic of personal interest?

•When making an important decision about your health?

•To see what sources the article’s author’s used?

Take about 2 minutes to write in your journal, responding to these questions:

#1. What websites do you consider reliable? List at least 2 in your journal.

#2. What websites do you think might be unreliable? List at least 2 in your journal.

#3. How do you tell the difference? Write at least 2 sentences in your journal.

Share your thoughts with the class!

A. Start on your school home pageB. Click “Library” to find District Library

Catalog -- WebCat

Journal Entry #4: Finding a book

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You Google a topic and none of your results make sense – you look up the Korean War and get Korean food and World War II and sites that seem completely random

You get 3 million results but you don’t want to go through them one by one

You need academic sources but all you find are commercial websites

You get frustrated and just go to Wikipedia

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Newspapers, magazines, scholarly journals, images, reference books, primary sources and more

School pays for access – has information you just can’t get free on the web

Edited/fact checked (peer reviewed)

Passwords are on bookmark from library with home-access passwords (or find on Library Home Page)

5. How to Find the Databases

A. Go to your school’s website

B. Find Library in the menu, then choose Online Research Tools or Library Home Page

On your bookmark, find and circle Gale PowerSearch.

Web address:secondary.oslis.org

Limit on left side.

For example, Books to get reference book articles

6. Use Advanced Search and combine two subjects with AND

7. Think about your research topic. Brainstorm at least 6 keywords you could use in your search. Write the keywords in your journal.

In keyword searching, you use any words that come to mind. The computer finds them anywhere in the article.

Keyword Searches

In subject searching, you use the exact words that catalogers use.

Subject Searches

Keyword Subject

Words used

Any you can think of

Exact words catalogers use

Search Basque sheepherders

Basques and shepherds

Results Many – but most don’t match your topic

A few – but all are good matches

Use the Advanced Search to decide EXACTLY what you want.

Use one of your subject

headings, the term AND , and then your other subject heading

8. Advanced Search

Why limit to edited and peer-reviewed sources?

Peer Review: “. . .[S]cholars in the author's field or specialty critically assess a draft of the article. Peer-reviewed journals (also called refereed journals) are scholarly journals that only publish articles that have passed through this review process.”

-- Cal Poly Library Services Research Guide

9. Peer-Reviewed Sources

Thumbs up or down:

People Magazine

Journal of the American Medical Association

Sports Illustrated

European History Quarterly

A. Notice that you can make citations for database articles for your Works Cited list

B. Email to yourself

10. Use Database Tools

11. Write down one question you still have about research and/or Gale PowerSearch

Share with the class?

A. secondary.oslis.orgB. Gale PowerSearchC. Go to Advanced SearchD. Do a subject search for “Basques”

AND “Shepherds”E. In the reference book article on

Basques, find the four things a Basque sheepherder required to do his job.

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Email me at doylem@loswego.k12.or.us for help

Or come by the library on Monday (LOHS) or Tuesday (Lakeridge) – usually!