1. Strategies for Researching Information Online
Department of Technology
Eastern Kentucky University

2. Outline Need for superior online search techniques
Developing the ability to:
Determine breath and depth of information needed
Search for information in an organized and efficient manner
Evaluate sources of information critically
Reference and cite sources properly using standard formats
Conclusions

3. Sources of Information: Anecdotal vs. Scientific
Online information can be a mix of fact and outright fiction.
It might be dated, current or upcoming
Identifying the:
Key journals and authors in the field is important
Keywords related to the topic

4. Searching for Information: Surfing Vs Diving
Instead of using ‘natural language phrases’ in Internet search engines
Use online bibliographic databases by identifying ‘keywords’

5. Search Strategy: Haphazard Vs Structured
Using a ‘semi-natural language’ search engine (Google) normally results in numerous hits – but not all lead to the required information
Structure for searching
Methodical even if pace is slower
Using article keywords
Synonyms for keywords
Technical information posted in list servers and newsgroups
Using the free Web – search engines
Accessing subscribed databases – Science Direct

6. Navigating the Online EKU Libraries Databases

7. Citing Articles http://nutsandbolts.washcoll.edu/apa.html
Citing sources in the text and listing sources properly is very important – give the author(s) credit for their contributions
In technology the APA (American Psychological Association) format is commonly used.
In the EKU online databases for automatically generating APA references
After identifying articles click the ‘Add’ button next to the article to add it to a virtual folder (which is above the list of articles)
Click to open the folder
Place a check mark in the articles for which APA references are needed
Click ‘Save’ (you may choose print also)
In the ‘Include when saving’ section, under ‘Citation Format’ change to APA
Click the ‘Save’ button
The references will be listed on the web page under the title ‘reference list’ and can also be printed.

8. Using Google … if you must
Order of words important - 1st word most important, 10 words max
Search based on how many and which pages have intentionally added links pointing to another web page.
Default connective is ‘and’. For other use parenthesis, as in: dog (cat or mouse)
Searching scholarly literature
Acts as a calculator: 2+2 in search area

9. Reviewing Articles
‘Full-text’ document may not be the best source of information – often information has to be requested from outside sources using inter-library loans
Bibliographic references given at the end of most articles can and should then be used as sources of further information - especially those articles which you find useful.
Search for the article(s) whose reference is provided in the 1st article and continue expanding your ‘search net’

10. Top 10 Ways for Using Google Effectively
10. Local area search: by zip, area code
9. Restrict to sites, as in nemo site: gov
8. Definitions of words using define: word, as in define: googol
7. Exclude words from search using ‘-’ and include using ‘+’,
as in: Disney –pixar
6. Drop common words (to, the, etc.) in search text, unless
wanted explicitly

11. Top 10 Ways for Using Google Effectively
5. Localize by type of file, as in “phrase” filetype:pdf
4. Phrase the question as an answer – instead of “How many
awards did Finding Nemo win”, use “Nemo won * awards”
3. Use wildcards ‘*’ instead of words, as in “eastern * university”
2. For phrases use “search phrase”, as in “Finding Nemo”
1. For complex searches use “advanced search” – located beside the initial search area

12. Conclusions
Reduce the guesswork while searching for information online
Find information in an organized and efficient manner - migrate from ‘natural language’ to ‘keyword’ driven searches
Evaluate sources of information critically
Cite the sources used while writing your article using standard reference styles