Research Strategies
Objectives
Understanding search results
Picking the right search terms
Narrowing a search to get the best results
What matters in a query
Search operators
Evaluating credibility of resources
Databases that can be used for research
Understanding Search Results
www.youtube.com/watch?v=BNHR6IQJGZs
Mar 4, 2010 - Uploaded by Google
http://www.google.com/howgoogleworks | The life span of a Google query is less then 1/2 second, and involves ...
While quietly standing at sea level, you are suddenly whacked on the ankle with a guitar. Did you hear it or feel it first?
Picking the right search terms
Circle key words
Underline “maybe” words, offer synonyms or replacement terms
Add missing words
Ignore unnecessary words
Search Terms: Example
While quietly standing at sea level, you are suddenly whacked on the ankle with a guitar. Did you hear it or feel it first?
Search Terms: Example
While quietly standing at sea level, you are suddenly whacked on the ankle with a guitar. Did you hear it or feel it first?
speed
sound
nerve
impulse
distance
speed of sound
speed of nerve impulse
distance head to toe
What Matters in a Query?
1 | Does every word matter? Try searching for [who], [the who], [a who] |
2 | Does order matter? Try searching for [blue sky] and [sky blue] |
3 | Does capitalization matter? Try searching for [barack obama] and [Barack Obama] |
4 | Does punctuation matter? Try searching for [red, delicious! apple?] and [red delicious apple] *exception is quotations [“red delicious apple”] |
5 | Do symbols matter? Try searching [jaguar], [jaguar -animal], [jaguar +football], [jaguar +car] Consider using symbols such as $, #, @, *, -, and + to refine your search |
Search Operators that Work
[“ ”] | This exact wording or phrase |
[OR] | One or more of these words |
[-] | Any of these unwanted words |
[filetype:] | Specific file types: ex: .pdf .ppt .doc |
[site:] | Search within a site or domain |
[CTRL + F] | Find words on page [CMND + F] on Mac |
More |
Evaluating Credibility of Resources
Site | What is the domain extension? |
Author | Who wrote this information? |
Date | When was the article written? |
Accuracy | Can the information be verified? |
Bias | How might point of view reflect its credibility? |
Purpose | Why does the author write this information? |
Science Search Challenge 1
I can grow my body back in about two days if cut in half. Many scientists believe I do not undergo senescence. What am I?
Science Search Challenge 2
El Dorado is near a famous hill that's not on Earth. What year was it photographed?
References
A Google a Day Challenges http://www.google.com/insidesearch/searcheducation/lessons.html#challenges
Google Search Education: Lessons
http://www.google.com/insidesearch/searcheducation/lessons.html#lessons
How Search Works
www.youtube.com/watch?v=BNHR6IQJGZs