Search - English 1301 - Irvin, Lennie: Finding and Evaluating a Source

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Karen Briere

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Searching as Strategic Exploration

A-to-Z List & Subject List of Search Tools
See a list of all library search tools organized alphabetically and by subject area.

Discovery: search the catalog and more This link opens in a new window
Your all-in-one search tool to find books, media, articles, and more.

CQ Researcher This link opens in a new window Explores in-depth a single "hot" issue in the news each week. Topics range from social and teen issues to environment, health, education and science and technology. Every report is written by an experienced journalist and features comments from experts, lawmakers and citizens on all sides of every issue.
Gale Virtual Reference Library This link opens in a new window Full text ebook editions of reference works published by Gale Research, Charles Scribner's Sons, MacMillan Reference, and their divisions.
Credo Reference This link opens in a new window Authoritative content from over 100 publishers providing access to hundreds of in-depth subject encyclopedias, dictionaries, thesauri, books of quotations, and handbooks covering every major subject from Accounting to Art History and Shakespeare to Einstein. Mind Map visually shows relationships between topics.
10/25/2018 change name and database change from:
Credo Academic Core, WMS Collection ID: credo.ebooks15
to Credo Complete Core, Collection ID: credo.completecore.
Name per Credo is Credo Reference
Opposing Viewpoints In Context This link opens in a new window Covers controversial topics in pro and con essays published in the following series: Opposing Viewpoints, Information Plus, At Issue, Contemporary Issues Companion, Current Controversies, Opposing Viewpoints Digests, and Teen Decisions. Study tools and guidelines included.

Google Scholar Use the power of Google to search for scholarly articles and book chapters and link to SAC's full-text holdings.
Advanced Google Search
Getting Started with Advanced Google Search

Purpose:

Students will understand how to create a flexible search strategy and select the best tool for an assignment

Skills:

S.1. Understand how search tools are organized;

S.2. Brainstorm keywords and select sources;

S. 3. Match information needs to a search tool; and

S. 4. Create and revise a search strategy.

Knowledge:

K. 1. Information sources vary greatly in content and format and have varying relevance and value;

K. 2. Recognize the value of browsing and persistence;

K.3. First attempts don't always produce good results.

Activity: All groups will begin with the following research topic:

How has immigration policy changed in the U. S.?

Class will be divided into groups. Groups will be given an index card with a specific discipline from which to search.
Discuss with your group how your specific discipline might approach the topic and brainstorm relevant keywords. Write your keywords and related words or synonyms that you would use to research the topic on your index card.
Ask for volunteer group to write their keywords on the board.

Discuss keywords and search strings and where to find the A-Z List & Subject List of Search Tools.

Each group will examine three different database tools and consider the following:
- What types of content did you find? journal articles, news, primary source, video, audio, reference, statistics, reports, etc.
- Were your search results relevant to your research topic?
- Were the number of search results you found manageable?
- How could you limit your findings to make them more manageable or relevant?
- Consider the capabilities within the database that you like? [printing, emailing, citing, upload to Cloud, download, cited references, cited by, share, etc.] Discuss them with your group.
Discuss each tool and determine, as a group, which tool do you prefer. Write the name of the database (tool) on the index card along with the things you like best about the tool.
Volunteer from groups will share their favorite tool with the class.
WRAP UP - Explain to another student the steps in the process of searching and why each step is important.

Video courtesy of Yavapai College.

Search Examples from Tools

Tool: Library Discovery

Try an all-in-one search for topics to get articles, books, and more. Use quotation marks "for phrases" and the * to pick up alternate endings in your search string.