The Big 6
Proper
research
can can be broken down into 6 distinct steps. Some of these steps
are intuitive and if you have ever researched the answer to a
simple question, you have accomplished a few of these already.
This page is an attempt to help you visualize and think about
your research to attain better results. The following list is
called The Big 6.
1.
Task Definition
-What does my teacher want me to do?
-When are my deadlines?
-When are my deadlines?
-What is the required format?
-What content is required?
2.
Information Seeking Strategies
-Where can I find the kind of information I need?
-What are some good keywords or phrases that I can use to find
my information?
-Are certain types of sources required or not allowed?
3. Location and Access
-Where can I find the sources I need to use?
-Once I have located a source, how can I most efficiently find
the information I need? Index? Table-of-contents? Headings or
Sub-headings?
-Have I used the correct citation format on my bibliography card?
4. Use of Information
-Have I read carefully?
-Are my notes in my own words?
-Do I understand everything that I have written down?
5. Synthesis
-How do I take all the information I’ve gathered and organize
it in my own way to show my teacher what I have learned?
6. Evaluation
-Does my work meet all the requirements of the assignment?
-Does my product represent my BEST work?
-Did I learn anything about researching that might help me in
the future?
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Custom Search Engines
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VIDEO TUTORIALS
Searching
for Primary Resources Tutorial
For
tips on how to locate primary source material, click here.
Did
you forget how to search the catalog? Here is a tutorial
created by Justin S. '12 that will refresh your memory.
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BEYOND GOOGLE
Below
are links to research tools that will help you with a number of
class projects.
NoodleTools
provides
links to different search engines, directories and other online
sources based on your information needs. Try it out!
Visual
Geography Series
In
addition to the Visual Geography books we have in the library,
Lerner Publishing Group has provided an additional online resource
with links to country-specific information, up-to-date statistics,
photographs and maps and much more.
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