|
Here are some general hints and
guidelines for finding good, reliable information about your subject
quickly and accurately:
- Think about what you want or need to know about your
subject. Come up with a list of questions you want to answer
about your subject. Write them down so you will know what
information to look for during your research.
- Look at all of the potential resources you can use to
find information. These include books (fiction, non-fiction and
reference), magazines, newspapers, the online database (SIRS
Discoverer on the home page) and Internet links. Make a list of those
you think will help you most. Don't forget the encyclopedias and
almanacs, they
have lots of good information in short, quick articles.
- When using non-fiction books, first use the index at
the back of the book to see where you will find the answers to some of
your questions. For instance, if you need to know about Queen
Elizabeth I's childhood, you would look up "childhood" in
the index of a biography about her.
- Then, use the page numbers (and sometimes paragraph
numbers) that correspond to that section in the book to turn directly
to the answers to your questions.
- Once you have found information about your subject,
whether on the Internet or in print materials, skim and scan for
keywords that may answer your questions. Use chapter headings to give
you clues about what you will find in that section. Don't sit down and
try to read an entire book from start to finish. You will probably not
get done in time.
- If you find an article, paragraph or chapter that is
helpful, write down the title of the work, author, page numbers,
publication place and date, etc. as soon as you determine you can use
the information in it. Otherwise, you may not be able to find it again
when you need to cite your sources and write a bibliography. Use the
bibliography format found on the library
homepage.
- Finally, do not try to print out an entire article
from the Internet. You need to skim it online and take notes on the
information you need. This will help you to remember the information
and will keep us from having to buy more paper.
|
