Information Literacy Instructional Program

Information Literacy Learning Guides

Research Tips

• Read the assignment closely for important content words, phrases, and ideas.
• Reread it before you begin your research or writing.
• If the assignment is not clear, ask for assistance from your instructor.
• Large assignments can be overwhelming, especially when you try to tackle everything at once. - Try dividing assignments into smaller tasks.
• Avoid doing last minute research.     Waiting until the last minute could result in lack of access to the books you need, particularly if there are many students working on a similar project or theme. Finding the materials you may need as soon as possible after receiving an assignment can save you a lot of time.
• Finally, save time by asking a reference librarian for assistance.     Reference librarians can guide you to the appropriate resources for your assignment and can teach you how to use them. Asking one question can save you hours of aimless searching. There is specialized assistance available including online reference and RAP - one on one research assistance available.

Defining, Refining, and Focusing Your Topic When doing research it is important to have a clear focus for your topic, so you know what information to look for and you can better judge what resources will be most appropriate and useful. Try the following tips:

• Define your topic in terms of who/what/when/where.
• Think about ways to further narrow your topic or express it in more specific terms.
• Identify keywords to use in a search on your topic. Focus on concepts and use only the substantial words [nouns and verbs] of your topic as keywords. Avoid prepositions such as "of, "after," "with," etc.
• Come up with some alternative or related terms for your topic keywords. Think in terms of synonyms and specifics.
• Combine your keywords using the Boolean operators AND/OR to construct a search query. AND retrieves less results and limits your search; OR retrieves more hits and broadens your search.
• If you get a large result set from your search, consider further narrowing the scope of your topic.
• If you get a small result set, try removing overly specific keywords, making use of synonyms, or using broader terms.

Evaluating Resources Careful evaluation of web-based resources is an important aspect of good research. There are 4 primary criteria to consider when evaluating any kind of information, including web sites:

• Accuracy/Coverage       Consistency, Corroboration, Criteria,Comprehensiveness, Audience
• Authority                        Documentation, Origin, Authorship
• Objectivity                     Slant, Bias, Purpose
• Currency                        Date, Timeliness, Validity