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RESEARCH SKILLS

RESEARCH SKILLS. Pottsville High School Media Center. OPAC – Online Public Access Catalog. Keyword. Subject. Author. Title. Ways to Search. SEARCH TIPS. If a title begins with a, an, or the - use the second word to begin the search If searching for a person – begin with last name

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RESEARCH SKILLS

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  1. RESEARCH SKILLS Pottsville High School Media Center

  2. OPAC – Online Public Access Catalog Keyword Subject Author Title Ways to Search

  3. SEARCH TIPS • If a title begins with a, an, or the - use the second word to begin the search • If searching for a person – begin with last name • Use the OPAC to search for books we have in the Pottsville High School Library

  4. Keyword Search Results Call Number Title Author

  5. ENCYCLOPEDIAS ALMANACS AND OTHER REFERENCE BOOKS

  6. HOW TO USE AN ENCYCLOPEDIA Encyclopedias are usually in volumes with each volume representing another letter of the alphabet. First use the Index to find the subject - subjects are arranged alphabetically.  The index is normally the last volume of the set.                       INDEX PAGE  The Index tells you if there are illustrations Volume & page number Cross references The example page shown below is from volume R/10 of the Encyclopaedia Britannica

  7. Index Page from Encyclopedia Britannica The Index tells you if there are illustrations Volume & page number Cross references

  8. The example shown below is from R/10 of Encyclopedia Britannica First entry on page Entries are in alphabetical order FYI: Sometimes an encyclopedia article will have an author and sometimes it does not. Encyclopedias usually make use of written information, but photos, illustrations, maps & diagrams can also aid the reader

  9. ALMANACS • Use an almanac when you are looking for current statistical data and basic information about a topic. • Almanacs are published annually (each year). They include up-to-date (current) statistics lists, charts, and tables of useful information on many different topics. They may also include maps and color plates of national flags. • When do I use an almanac?Use an almanac when you need up-to-date information (e.g., what the flag of a specific country looks like or what the population of a specific country is), especially when you need a list of things (e.g., academy award winners or first ladies) or to compare things (e.g., the highest mountain, the longest river).

  10. How do I use an almanac?Think about what information you need. Then think of the general topic and the specific topic and use the indexes to see what you can find that matches or comes close to what you want.An almanac will have more than one index. The index is frequently located the opposite of other books; the more detailed index may be in the front rather than the usual place in the back of the book.There may be a table of contents. General topics are listed such as Health, State and Local Government, and Noted Personalities.There may be a quick reference index. This is more detailed than the table of contents and less detailed than the general index. Topics may include Planets, Rivers, Zip Codes, or Zodiac Signs.The general index will be the most detailed and will be listed by main headings (usually in bold print) and subheadings (usually indented).

  11. Example: If you need the most current population of Egypt by cities, find Egypt as the main heading listed in the general index, and then find the subheading Population.This will tell you the page to turn to for the information.Example: Look up Basketball as a main heading. Under Basketball, it may list NBA and then another subheading called Coaches. This lets you know that on the page listed, you may find a chart of the NBA Coaches of the Year or All-Time Coaching Victories.There may also be a thumb index. The World Almanac and Book of Facts 2001, for example, has topics listed on the back cover. The edge of the pages are dark to coincide with the topic. This is a quick way to turn to the section you need.An almanac is usually arranged by topics.

  12. Other Reference Books in the Media Center • Dictionary & Thesaurus • Biographical Indexes • i.e. Wilson’s Author Series • Use the index to find which volume and page that gives the information about the author • i.e. Subject specific reference books

  13. PHS Web Page • http://apache.afsc.k12.ar.us/highschool/ PHS Media Center Page • http://apache.afsc.k12.ar.us/highschool/index.php?page=E`bsco

  14. PHS Webpage Click

  15. PHS Media Center Pages • Links • Periodical Database - EBSCOHOST • Online Encyclopedias – • ENCYCLOPEDIA BRITANNICA • Login: pottsvillehs • Password: student • Search Engine • Citation Help Sites • Author Search Sites • More, More, More

  16. EBSCOHOST – Online Periodical Database • Magazine Articles • Journal Articles • Newspaper Articles • Login and password required – only available at school • Login: S8533866Password: password

  17. EBSCOHOST LOGIN: S8533866 PASSWORD: password

  18. SEARCH TECHNIQUES • Developing good search techniques can save time. 81,300,000

  19. Simple vs. Advanced It’s about power!

  20. Why go beyond the simple search screen?

  21. Simple Screen Click here for more precision and power!

  22. Advanced screen

  23. Simple screen in a database

  24. Advanced screen in a database

  25. STOP the insanity! Stop using stop words in your searches! in, of, the, a, to you, why, who, what, on, than, then, their, an, his, her, be

  26. Google doesn’t care, but your database does! Google ignores stop words and assumes an AND between words.

  27. How important AND is!!!

  28. When to use “+” in Google

  29. When do you really need OR? OR is generally used for synonyms or related words.

  30. OR in Google

  31. NOT as a refinement technique for problem words eagles NOT Philadelphia“Martin Luther” NOT King

  32. Using “not” in Google

  33. “Phrase searching” • One of your best searching tools! • Use only for legitimate phrases, names, titles • Best example -- “vitamin A” • “John Quincy Adams” • Titles “An Officer and a Gentleman” • “to be or not to be” • Phrase searching is sometimes overused: not every group of words is a phrase • Sometimes “ANDing” is a better strategy

  34. A question is not a query How many buffalo remain in the United States? Can you create an effective “two word” search? From David Barr, formerly of IMSA

  35. How to structure a good query • Brainstorm several key words and phrases—the ones you think would appear and wouldn’t appear in your dream document • Anticipate synonyms and related words • Mine your results!: be on the look out for better words and phrases as you search

  36. More on the query • Focus on nouns (verbs are often vague, stop words, like articles—a, an, the—are ignored by most engines) • Include most important words and phrases first.

  37. And finally, as you search, consider . . . What types of sources does your instructor want you to cite: Primary sources? Scholarly sources? Popular sources? Trade journals?

  38. Consider what type of source is contained on that printout? • Popular? • Trade? • Scholarly? • Primary source? http://mciu.org/~spjvweb/scholarly.html

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