Jobs for Cincinnati Graduates Presentation

Click here to view the Internet Research presentation for the 24th Annual Jobs for Cincinnati Graduates Career Development Conference.

Learn how to use more reliable resources such as Online Research Databases, Meta Search Engines, and even other search engines.

Learn how to evaluate websites, refine your search terms, and avoid getting kicked out of school for plagiarizing.

The Research Process

For all of your problem solving tasks, turn to the Big 6 for help.

If you need to decide something major, like how to complete a research paper, or if you need to decide something minor, like what to wear to the prom, the Big 6 will walk you through each decision, step by step.

Here is a downloadable Research Paper Organizer for help with each of the steps in the research process.

Here is a wallet-sized Big 6 Guide to print out and refer to as often as you need.

Step One: Define your task

• What do you know? What do you need to know?

• What is the essential question that you need to answer? What are some sub-questions that you need to answer in order to find the answer to the essential question?

• Use a graphic organizer, like Inspiration software, to brainstorm all of the questions that you want to answer about your topic.

Step Two: Information-seeking strategies

• Brainstorm all possible sources of information. (Click here for some ideas.) Don't forget: people can also be sources of information.

• Narrow your list of sources down to the best ones for the task.

Step Three: Location and access

• Locate your best sources and start finding information within these sources.

• Use the index and chapter headings in a book.

• Brainstorm keywords and phrases to use for Online Databases and Internet searches.

Step Four: Use of information

• Use skimming and scanning techniques to find specific information that will answer the questions you came up with in Step One.

  • Some of the information that you are looking for will NOT be found in any source. These are usually the synthesizing questions that will higher-level thinking skills. For example: "How would Oprah Winfrey wish to be remembered: for her talk show or for her humanitarian efforts?" You will probably not be able to find a source of information that addresses that question, but based on what you have learned about Oprah, you will be able to make an educated guess.

   

• Evaluate the sources that you find. (See below for some Website Evaluation links.)

  • Wikipedia: anyone can edit the information found on this "encyclopedia," therefore it is NOT a reliable source of information.

  • Domain names: remember that .edu can be the website of either a university professor or an elementary school student. Look closely to determine which it is!

  • If you do a basic Google search, you will come up with garbage mixed in with quality websites. A better way to search the Internet is to use subject directories.

    • Remember: the more specific your keywords are, the more likely you are to get the results that you want.

    • Use Boolean Logic ("and," "or," "not") to narrow or expand your search. For example, "Bengal tigers" not "football" if you want information about the animal but not the football team.

    • Use quotation marks around words that you want left together. For example, "Vince Lombardi" will hopefully only result in hits for Vince Lombardi and not every Vince or every Lombardi on the Internet.

Step Five: Synthesis

• Organize your information from multiple sources. Make sure that you have answered the essential question and all of the sub-questions.

  • Note-taking skills.

  • No copying and pasting!! This is plagiarism. (See below for some information about plagiarism.)

   

• Decide how you are going to present the information that you found. Some possibilities include:

  • Written essay.

  • Brochure.

  • Poster.

  • Oral presentation.

  • PowerPoint presentation.

  • Video presentation.

  • Musical presentation.

  • something else?

Step Six: Evaluation

• Using the rubric or checklist that your teacher has given you, judge the effectiveness of your finished product. Have you done everything you can to get the maximum number of points?

• Using the evaluation form that your teacher has given you, judge the efficiency of your research process. What worked, what didn't, and what can you do better next time?

Website Evaluation

Students need to be able to critically evaluate a Web page for authenticity, applicability, authorship, bias, and usability. The ability to critically evaluate information is an important skill in this information age.

• Website Evaluation Criteria:

  • Website Evaluation Guide

  • Evaluating Web Pages

  • Five W's of Web Site Evaluation

   

• Website Evaluation Forms:

  • Critical Evaluation of a Website

   

• Website Evaluation WebQuests:

  • Evaluating Web Pages: A WebQuest

  • The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (or why it's a good idea to evaluate web sources)

Plagiarism

Plagiarism in any form is unacceptable.

Intentional plagiarism is an unethical choice where the student knowingly submits someone else's words or ideas as if they were his/her own. Unintentional plagiarism is a lack of documentation and/or inattention to format issues.

• Avoiding Plagiarism

  • The OWL at Purdue: Avoiding Plagiarism

  • The OWL at Purdue: Quoting, Paraphrasing, and Summarizing

   

• Plagiarism Lessons

  • Plagiarism vs. Documentation

  • Summarizing, Paraphrasing, and Quoting

MLA and APA Citations

MLA (Modern Language Association) style is most commonly used to write papers and cite sources within the liberal arts and humanities. Here is the MLA style sheet for West High students to use. There are copies of it available in the library.

APA is a style developed by the American Psychological Association to be used in all of the books and journals that it publishes. Many others working in the social and behavioral sciences use this style as well. Here is the APA style sheet for West High students to use. There are copies of it available in the library.

* Find out from your teacher which style (MLA or APA) he or she wants you to use

when writing papers and citing sources.*

• The following websites offer even more examples of how to write papers and cite sources:

  • APA Citation Guide: Ohio State University

  • MLA Citation Guide: Ohio State University

  • APA Style.org

  • MLA Handbook: Documenting Sources from the Web

  • The OWL at Purdue: APA Formatting and Style Guide

  • The OWL at Purdue: MLA Formatting and Style Guide

  • The Writer's Workshop: The University of Illinois (MLA and APA)

  • Online Citation Styles: Bedford St. Martin's (MLA and APA)

   

• If none of these have helped at all and you desperately need help making your citations, try one of the following citation helpers. Be aware, however, that accuracy is not guaranteed, and a lot of copying and pasting is involved.

  • Citation Machine

  • MLA Citation Generator

  • Noodle Bib