Googling for information
We all love to Google. But there are many options for gathering information online. Remember that ultimately you're looking for credible information.
Sometimes we don't know much about a topic and need an overview. Or we've read a little, but haven't connected the dots. Where do you go?
Instagrok is a good place to go for help understanding the basics or overview of a topic. Instagrok allows users to "research any topic with an interactive concept map, that you can customize and share." Instagrok is a great starting place for research. It has partnered with EasyBib to help student evaluate the credibility of their information selections. Students are given a starting place and basic information, but then can customize their concept map of information to suit their research needs.
Even Wikipedia can be a good place for general, background information (Don't quote it! Don't cite it!). Also, check out the citations at the end of article. They may have used some credible sources which you can visit and cite directly (check these though!).
And yes, you can also Google. Here are some helpful tips and tricks for your next Google search.
Have you realized that there are a lot of junk websites out there? Not finding the best sources of information when you just Google? Instead, try a search engine that removes many of the junk websites and is pre-screened by librarians and other information professionals:
Sometimes we don't know much about a topic and need an overview. Or we've read a little, but haven't connected the dots. Where do you go?
Instagrok is a good place to go for help understanding the basics or overview of a topic. Instagrok allows users to "research any topic with an interactive concept map, that you can customize and share." Instagrok is a great starting place for research. It has partnered with EasyBib to help student evaluate the credibility of their information selections. Students are given a starting place and basic information, but then can customize their concept map of information to suit their research needs.
Even Wikipedia can be a good place for general, background information (Don't quote it! Don't cite it!). Also, check out the citations at the end of article. They may have used some credible sources which you can visit and cite directly (check these though!).
And yes, you can also Google. Here are some helpful tips and tricks for your next Google search.
Have you realized that there are a lot of junk websites out there? Not finding the best sources of information when you just Google? Instead, try a search engine that removes many of the junk websites and is pre-screened by librarians and other information professionals:
Evaluating for reliability and credibility:
Despite how you performed your online search, you will still need to evaluate each website you visit. Check out this presentation to help you understand how we determine if a website is credible (aka The CRAP Test).
Evalute this website
To evaluate websites, remember to check for CRAP (this is an excellent and informative diagram from Mercer University Libraries)
C=Currency
R=Reliability
A=Authority
P=Purpose
For more information, check out the CJUHSD Style Manual.
Evalute this website
To evaluate websites, remember to check for CRAP (this is an excellent and informative diagram from Mercer University Libraries)
C=Currency
R=Reliability
A=Authority
P=Purpose
For more information, check out the CJUHSD Style Manual.