The Power of Research

 Choose a topic  Create Research Questions  Highlight important words or phrases to use as keywords to search for  Prepare to Take Notes  Use different note-taking tools (graphic organizers)

 Explore the Web  Search engines – organizes information based on keywords, titles, and other content ▪ Use Keywords ▪ Modify your search ▪ Use quotation marks “domestic dog breeds” ▪ Use terms and, not, and or (dogs and domestic) ▪ Examine Search Engine Results ▪ Don’t just click the first one. ▪ Read the description and web address for each one. .com or.net usually by a person or company trying to sell something .gov or.org usually by the government or nonprofit organization  DO NOT print unless you have skimmed it.

 Books  Fiction or Nonfiction  Reference  Encyclopedias and Dictionaries  Internet  Audio/Video  DVDs  Music  Speeches

 Use the Library Catalog (Destiny)  You can search by: ▪ Author ▪ Title ▪ Keyword (subject)

 Nonfiction books  Decide if a book is useful by: ▪ Read the title and subtitles ▪ Look at the copyright ▪ Look at the Table of Contents ▪ Check the Index

 Is it reliable?  Websites ▪ Who created it? ▪ Why was it created? ▪ Do you notice problems with the site? ▪ Can you find more accurate or more useful information somewhere else?  Nonfiction Books ▪ Is the book up to date? ▪ Is the book carefully researched?