Tips and Tricks for Effective Research
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Virtually any person
can publish almost
anything on the
Internet.
Unlike most print
sources, web sources
do not have to be
professionally accepted
and edited to be
published.
Purdue University Writing Lab
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Web
◦ anyone with web access can publish
◦ author/affiliations and qualifications may
be unclear
◦ may not clearly identify external
information
◦ may be biased/misleading
◦ publication info may not be listed
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Print
◦ extensive publication process
◦ clearly indicates author/affiliations
◦ clearly marks outside sources/quotations
◦ bias exists, but is reviewed
◦ only qualified manuscripts accepted for
publication
◦ publication info clearly listed
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Use search engines to
your advantage
Identify the web site
Examine for credibility
Determine depth and
scope of information
Assess date of
information
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A search engine is an
Internet tool that locates
web pages and sorts them
according to specified
keywords.
Examples: Google,
Bing, Yahoo
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Search engines can
help you to identify
sources that will
provide serious
information, products
or services, or
entertainment.
Purdue University Writing Lab
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It is a good idea to
read the directions
for each search
engine to get the
most out of your
search.
Use words like AND
and OR to limit
your search and
get more specified
information.
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Sometimes the actual
purpose of the web site
may not be clearly
articulated.
Can be difficult to
separate advertising from
accurate information.
Some marketing sites will
offer misleading
information in attempts
to sell their products.
Purdue University Writing Lab
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Whenever possible,
try to locate the
home page.
You can often do this
by eliminating some
information from the
end of the URL.
.org
.gov
.com
.net
.edu
.us
.au
.uk
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Who is the creator
of the site?
What is the purpose
of the site?
Who is the audience
of this site?
Can you purchase
products at this
site?
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Is the site affiliated
with a business or
university?
Does the site offer
idiosyncratic
information about a
particular person or
group?
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Does the site provide a
list of sources or a Works
Cited page?
Can you locate any of the
source material? How
reliable is this material?
Are there links to other
credible sites with
additional information?
Does the site provide a
link for emailing the
author or webmaster?
Purdue University Writing Lab
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Directions: on a separate sheet of paper identify
the following for the website projected:
Author
Date
List of works cited
Links to other websites
Make a list of other things you notice about this
website
http://www.gilderlehrman.org/historynow/2009-03/great-depression
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Does the material show signs of
research, such as references to other
sources, hyperlinks, footnotes, or a
reference page?
Does the author consider opposing
points of view?
How closely does the site really match
the information for which you are
searching?
Corroborate information whenever
possible!
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Are there a lot of flashy pictures, colors,
animated images, and logos designed
to attract attention? Do these eyecatching images distract you from
noticing a lack of credible information?
Do they disguise an attempt to get you
to buy something?
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Can you locate a date on the
web page?
Dates on web pages can mean:
◦ Date the author first wrote or
developed the material
◦ Date site was first available
on the Internet for public
access
◦ Date site was most recently
updated, including revisions,
additions, or subtractions to
the material
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Pick topic
Search topic in a general search engine
such as Google
Run another search using a library
research tool, such as JSTOR, EBSCOHOST,
or Megasearch
Discuss the kinds of results each search
turned up
1.
2.
3.
4.
1.
What do we notice about the results?
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Different search engines might return
different results in a different order
Can include results from paying
advertisers:
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Consider:
◦ keywords that apply
◦ what kinds of information you need
◦ multiple angles
◦ keep notes
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Do multiple searches
Try keyword variations
◦ e.g. try “dining hall,” “cafeteria,” and “campus food
service”
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Be specific as you learn more
◦ e.g. change “dining hall” to “Midwest university
dining hall”
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Boolean Operators: words added to a search
to make it more specific
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AND
◦ finds pages with all of the search terms used
◦ e.g. “dining hall” AND “student workers”
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OR
◦ finds pages with at least one of the search terms
◦ e.g. “dining hall” OR “cafeteria” OR “campus food
service”
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NOT
◦ excludes pages that include the second term e.g.
Henry VII NOT Shakespeare
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Using the three Boolean phrases from the
previous page (AND, OR, NOT), come up with
search terms for your topic.
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Example: The Great Depression AND politics
Create synonyms for your topic, to get better
search results
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Some results won’t be helpful
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wrong topic
not enough information
incorrect or outdated information
shallow or untrustworthy source
wrong tone for your project (e.g. an opinionated
article when you need a basic overview)
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Have a clear idea of type of content needed
◦ general overview
◦ different viewpoints in a debate
◦ in-depth explorations of a topic with numbers and
statistics
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Good design NOT an indicator of reliable
information
Bad design not an indicator of unreliable
information
◦ might be more likely to indicate an outdated
website or one run by an individual
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Often one of the first results listed
“Web versus Print” slides apply
Check for instructors’ policies
Can be useful for:
◦ getting an overview
◦ generating new ideas
◦ pointing to other sources
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Example of sources and further reading in
the Wikipedia Henry VIII article:
 When
you have found a source
that answers your question, make
sure to highlight information that
you want to include in your paper.
 When
putting information into
your paper, use exact quotes. DO
NOT paraphrase!
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Source 1: “We didn’t go hungry, but we
lived lean.” That expression sums up the
experiences of many American families
during the 1930s: they avoided stark
deprivation but still struggled to get by. The
typical woman in the 1930s had a husband
who was still employed, although he had
probably taken a pay cut to keep his job; if
the man lost his job, the family often had
enough resources to survive without going
on relief or losing all its possessions.
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One of my questions from part two was how did women live
during the Great Depression.
This source explained that the answer to my question was,
“The typical woman in the 1930s had a husband who was still
employed, although he had probably taken a pay cut to keep
his job.”
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This information answers my question because I now know
that women were able to support their families.
I feltsurprised when I read this quote becauseI thought that
women had to get jobs to support their families.
It made me realize that women were still able to support their
families.
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Enter information that you have
Fill in the boxes for the specific information
For a book, look in the first few pages for
publication information
For a website, scroll to the bottom for
publication information
www.easybib.com
www.citationmachine.net
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Using To Kill a Mockingbird, find the
following information:
◦ Author
◦ Publisher
◦ Publication city
◦ Publication year
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Using the following website, find the
following information:
◦ http://www.gilderlehrman.org/history-by-era/greatdepression/essays/women-and-great-depression
◦ Author
◦ Title of web page
◦ Title of website
◦ Publishing organization
You are now ready to begin
I-Search part 3!