As you will find out when researching and writing your first papers for a college course, it is never as easy as it seems. We have become an information highway where communication is the key to success. In order to effectively communicate, you will need the tools to harness the massive amounts of information you encounter. Below you will find some helpful tools, hints and guides to lead you through the process.


Researching
Evaluating


Researching

Keyword vs. Subject Search (From Hunter Library, Western Carolina University)

Subjects

Pros:
• Very accurate search results
• Organized search results with subheadings and cross-references
  
  Cons:
• You must know the correct terminology to use
• No Boolean searching (and, or)

Keywords

Pros:
• Flexible - will find almost anything so you can use any words in your topic
• Can use Boolean (and, or) searching to narrow or broaden your search
• Searches more parts of the item's record (title, table of contents, etc.) and finds more items
  
  Cons:
• May find items that are irrelevant to your topic

Remember to use Boolean Searching (and, or, not) and Truncation (*,!) (Read Search Tips in the various databases)

Recognize Scholarly vs. Popular periodicals (From Hunter Library, Western Carolina University) or Journal or Magazine? How to Distinguish (From Appalachian State)

Identify Primary vs. Secondary sources (From Hunter Library, Western Carolina University)

Search Engine Features Chart – Find out how to effectively search several of the web search engines, including Google and Yahoo. (From Greg R Notess, using a Notess.com web site)

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Evaluating

Evaluation of Information Sources (From Hunter Library, Western Carolina University) – Questions to ask yourself in evaluating web sites as well as choosing other resources. These are also great questions to use when compiling citation information.

Evaluating Web Sites – Quick Guide (From North Harris College)

Evaluating Web Sites (From North Harris College)

Evaluation Information Checklist (From North Harris College)

Selecting Search Engine Results (From North Harris College)

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