Critically evaluate information using applicable criteria

Appropriately use information to fulfill the identified need

English 1102

English 1102 is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 United States License.

What to do before you search…

Brainstorm ideas for a topic Talk with friends Browse indexes, table of contents

Define your topic Understand your assignment Narrow vs. broad

Identify main topic Identify related concepts/ideas/subtopics List synonyms for each category

Develop your research strategy Connect concepts & synonyms

Helpful Hint

Brainstorm

Define

Identify

Develop

Identify search terms

Concept 1

AND

Concept 2

AND

Concept 3

Main idea Related idea Subtopic

OR OR OR

Synonym Synonym Synonym

OR OR OR

Synonym Synonym Synonym

• Use “ “ or ( ) to keep words together & in order• Connect different concepts with AND• Connect similar concepts with OR

Boolean Operators

AND = narrow

OR = expand

NOT = exclude

AND is automatically used by Google and other search engines to combine terms

Sometimes a program will use a + or – to substitute for AND or NOT

Books

Articles

Online Resources

Know where to look

Books

comprehensive information

often a historical perspective

find book titles in the CSU Catalog

CSU Catalog

Basic search

Articles

contemporary or new information

narrowly focused perspective

find articles in a database

citation

full-text

Find Articles

Academic Search Complete

Basic Search

Select Advanced Search

Search Strategy = “binge drinking” AND college AND impact

different ideas connected with AND

similar ideas connected with OR

Search Strategy = (“binge drinking” OR “alcohol abuse”) AND (college OR university) AND impact

*Use “ “ or ( ) to keep words together & in order

Results List

Use suggested subject terms for brainstorming

Article Access Level

Detailed Record

Online Resources

today’s information

broad, variety perspective

may be unstable

find resources from reliable online sources

Know Your Domains

Extension Type

.edu Educational institution

.org Non-profit service organizations

.gov Government agency

.mil Military entities

.biz Businesses

.com Commercial organization

.net Internet service providers

Critically evaluate information using applicable criteria

Evaluating Information

Evaluating Information

Authority

Currency

Content

Audience

Purpose/Scope

Objectivity/Bias

Accuracy

Quality

Evaluate: Authority

Determine the need for an expert or popular perspective

Who is the author?

What are the author’s credentials?

What affiliations does the author have?

Is contact information provided?

Who published the work?

Who sponsored the work?

Evaluate: Currency

Determine the need for a contemporary or historical perspective for your topic

When was the work published?

Are there multiple editions?

Examine the currency of the references

Evaluate: Content

Determine the information need

Who is the intended audience?

What is the purpose? Scope?

Examine objectivity, accuracy

Is the information verifiable?

Evaluate overall quality

Evaluate overall usefulness, appropriateness

Authority

Authority

Currency

Content

Content

Authority

Currency

Content

Authority

Content

Content

Currency

Authority

Authority

Content

Currency

Content

Content

Authority

Final Review

1. Know your assignment

2. Clarify your topic

3. Be flexible in your search

4. Critically evaluate your resources

Next steps

Appropriately use information to fulfill the identified need

Go to: http://clayton.libguides.com/ENGL1102 for tips on citing sources and avoiding plagiarism