The Research Process II How to find the information you need on the Internet

Boolean searching (search engines) Use – when you don’t want a keyword to be searched. Use “” when you want to use a phrase instead of a keyword.

Boolean examples Using symbols bats pumpkins spiders Halloween –cats “United States of America”

Evaluating a website Look at the domain of the website. .com for commercial .edu for educational .org for organizations .gov for U.S. federal government .mil for military .net for Internet service providers & networks .k12 for public schools Use a kid-friendly search engine to find websites that have already been evaluated Library Spot – www.libraryspot.com/ Fact Monster - http://www.factmonster.com/ Visit the library media center website for more suggestions!

Evaluate RADCAB Relevancy – is the information relevant (related) to my topic? Appropriateness – is the information suitable for my age and core values? Detail – how much information do I need? Is the depth of coverage adequate? Currency – when was the information published or last updated? Authority – who is the author of the information? What are his or her qualifications? Bias – why was this information written? Was it written to inform me, persuade me, or sell me something?

Relevancy Does the webpage contain information related to my topic? Check the title of the website. Scan the first page of the website. Check for keywords or highlighted words about your topic.

Appropriateness Is the webpage written for my grade level? Does the webpage agree or contradict my Catholic beliefs and values?

Detail How much information will I need to research my topic? Ex: essay, research paper, narrative paragraph Does the webpage give me enough details to answer my research question(s) or only a brief overview?

Currency What is the created date of the webpage? When was the website last updated? Depending on your topic, make sure that the webpage is no more than 3 years old. If the topic is current, no more than 1 year old. If the topic is very current, no more than 1 month old.

Authority Who is the creator of the webpage? What are his/her credentials? Who is the webmaster? Is there a way to contact the webmaster for questions? Is the webpage factual or fictionalized?

Bias Who is the webpage written for? Does the webpage try to “sell” you on an idea? Does the webpage try and persuade me to change my Catholic beliefs or values? Does the webpage discuss only one side of an issue?