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Learn how to effectively find information on the internet using Boolean searching techniques and evaluate websites for relevance, appropriateness, detail, currency, authority, and bias.
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The Research Process II How to find the information you need on the Internet
Boolean searching (search engines) • Use – when you don’t want a keyword to be searched. • Use “” when you want to use a phrase instead of a keyword.
Boolean examples • Using symbols • bats pumpkins spiders • Halloween –cats • “United States of America”
Evaluating a website • Look at the domain of the website. • .com for commercial • .edu for educational • .org for organizations • .gov for U.S. federal government • .mil for military • .net for Internet service providers & networks • .k12 for public schools • Use a kid-friendly search engine to find websites that have already been evaluated • Library Spot – www.libraryspot.com/ • Fact Monster - http://www.factmonster.com/ • Visit the library media center website for more suggestions!
Evaluate RADCAB • Relevancy – is the information relevant (related) to my topic? • Appropriateness – is the information suitable for my age and core values? • Detail – how much information do I need? Is the depth of coverage adequate? • Currency – when was the information published or last updated? • Authority – who is the author of the information? What are his or her qualifications? • Bias – why was this information written? Was it written to inform me, persuade me, or sell me something?
Relevancy • Does the webpage contain information related to my topic? • Check the title of the website. • Scan the first page of the website. • Check for keywords or highlighted words about your topic.
Appropriateness • Is the webpage written for my grade level? • Does the webpage agree or contradict my Catholic beliefs and values?
Detail • How much information will I need to research my topic? • Ex: essay, research paper, narrative paragraph • Does the webpage give me enough details to answer my research question(s) or only a brief overview?
Currency • What is the created date of the webpage? • When was the website last updated? • Depending on your topic, make sure that the webpage is no more than 3 years old. If the topic is current, no more than 1 year old. If the topic is very current, no more than 1 month old.
Authority • Who is the creator of the webpage? • What are his/her credentials? • Who is the webmaster? Is there a way to contact the webmaster for questions? • Is the webpage factual or fictionalized?
Bias • Who is the webpage written for? • Does the webpage try to “sell” you on an idea? • Does the webpage try and persuade me to change my Catholic beliefs or values? • Does the webpage discuss only one side of an issue?