Advanced Searching and Evaluating Resources
Power Searching with Search Symbols
Tip #1 –
“
Quotation Marks
”
When you put search terms between quotes, you search for the exact phrase contained within
the quotes, as opposed to each word individually.
 Google Example – Search “John Smith” to find pages that contain the name exactly as it
is within the quotes, avoiding results like “John R. Smith” or “John the blacksmith.”
 Research Example – Search “Bourne Identity” rather than Bourne Identity to avoid
retrieving articles that are about identity in general and not the film The Bourne Identity.
Tip #2 –
*
Use the asterisk symbol to search for words that have the same root but end in a different way.
 Google Example – Search “Jen* Jones” to find pages for Jen Jones, Jenn Jones, Jenni
Jones, Jenny Jones, and Jennifer Jones.
Note: this is hypothetical, as Google does not yet support the * symbol for single words.

Research Example – Use the search term anarch* to find articles using the many forms
of the word “anarchy”, including anarchists, anarchic, and anarchism.
Tip #3 -
&
(and)
Using the word (not the symbol &) and between search terms retrieves articles that contain
BOTH search terms.
 Google Example – To search for pages about John Smith AND Jen Jones, type “John
Smith” and “Jen Jones” in the search box.
 Research Example – Search “action films” and masculinity to retrieve only articles that
contain both search terms (articles about stereotypes of masculinity in action films, for
example.) This will not retrieve any articles that are only about action films or only
about masculinity.
Tip #4 Don’t forget to check the box marked “Peer-Reviewed” before you click the search button – this
will ensure that your search results are all articles from a scholarly journal.
Evaluating Resources
When researching articles for a paper, it is the responsibility of every researcher from student
to tenured faculty to evaluate their resources. A simple test you can run on each of your
resources to make sure that they are appropriate for you is the CRAAP Test. CRAAP stands for
Currency, Relevance, Authority, Accuracy, and Purpose. Below is why all of these points must
be checked:
Currency: The timeliness of the information.
 When was the information published or posted?
 Has the information been revised or updated?
 Is the information current or out-of-date for your topic?
 Are the links functional?
Relevance: The importance of the information for your needs.
 Does the information relate to your topic or answer your question?
 Who is the intended audience?
 Is the information at an appropriate level (i.e. not too elementary or advanced for your
needs)?
 Have you looked at a variety of sources before determining which one you will use?
 Would you be comfortable using this source for a research paper?
Authority: The source of the information.
 Who is the author/publisher/source/sponsor?
 Are the author's credentials or organizational affiliations given?
 What are the author's qualifications to write on the topic?
 Is there contact information, such as a publisher or email address?
 Does the URL reveal anything about the author or source? examples: .com .edu .gov .org
.net
Accuracy: The reliability, truthfulness, and correctness of the informational content.
 Where does the information come from?
 Is the information supported by evidence?
 Has the information been reviewed or refereed?
 Can you verify any of the information in another source or from personal knowledge?
 Does the language or tone seem biased and free of emotion?
 Are there spelling, grammar, or other typographical errors?
Purpose: The reason the information exists.
 What is the purpose of the information? To inform? teach? sell? entertain? persuade?




Do the authors/sponsors make their intentions or purpose clear?
Is the information fact? opinion? propaganda?
Does the point of view appear objective and impartial?
Are there political, ideological, cultural, religious, institutional, or personal biases?
Exercise I.
Advanced Searching Using OneVU
1. On the library home page, go to the OneVU search box at the top of the page.
2. Click the “Advanced Search” link located in the lower left-hand corner.
3. Using the different search options, perform a search that finds books that are:
a. About Cancer
b. Were written after 2008
c. Are in English
How many search results do you get?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
What is the full citation in APA?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Exercise II.
Using Science Reference Books
1. Using OneVU lookup the call number for McGraw-Hil Encyclopedia of Science and
Technology and write it in the space provided __________________________________
2. Choose any volume and retrieve it from the library shelves.
3. Find an article about a topic of your choice and write the article title in the space
provided ________________________________________________________________
4. What page number and volume number is this article located in ___________________
5. Look in the front of the volume and determine who the publisher is, the year it was
published, and the location it was published and write it in the space provided
________________________________________________________________________
6. Using the information you collected above, create a citation in APA format and write it
in the space provided
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Exercise III
Interlibrary Loan
When researching a topic for a literature review, it is often impossible to obtain all of your
resources from one lending institution. That is why most libraries participate in interlibrary
loan. It provides you with access to most of the materials of any other participating institution.
This can be hugely beneficial to your work if you begin the process with enough time. You
should allow at least two weeks to get an item, but it can take up to a month depending on how
busy the other library is. Article retrieval is a much faster process.
1. Using OneVU Click the Book Tab and in the drop down menu select Libraries Worldwide
2. Do a basic search for Monarch Butterflies and a second keyword of your choosing
3. Once the result list appears, change the “Sort by” option from Library and Relevance to
Date (Newest First)
4. Locate a title that interests you and IS NOT owned by Vincennes University.
5. Click on the title, which is also a link to the book’s information.
6. On this screen, you will see a link to interlibrary loan this item. Click that button.
7. Another window will open where you will fill in your information as well as the books
information.
8. Once you have completed the form, click submit.
9. You will be notified by email when the book you requested has been delivered to the
library for you to pick up.
10. Go to the circulation desk in the library and retrieve your requested item and request a
due date slip.