1. How To:
Research Like a Boss

3. Searching for Sources
Imagine you’ve been given an assignment on the Boreal Forest for Science class.
Your teacher tells you that you need to include information from sources other than your textbook
What next?!?!?!

4. Where to start... Textbook Wikipedia
Often times your textbook will have a “References” section at the back of the book containing the names of others books, papers, or websites that you can also use.
Wikipedia
ONLY AS A STARTING POINT, NOT FOR GATHERING INFO. Wikipedia also has a references section that will list other websites relevant to the topic

6. Why NOT to Use Wikipedia!
You should not trust Wikipedia because it is publicly edited – meaning ANYONE can go onto the website and change/add information.
Therefore, it is not trustworthy.

7. Why you can’t trust Wikipedia

8. Why you can’t trust Wikipedia

9. Why you can’t trust Wikipedia

10. Why you can’t trust Wikipedia

11. Why you can’t trust Wikipedia

12. Where to start...
Search Engines!

13. But, can you trust everything google gives you?
Search Engines
Google, Bing, and Yahoo search engines will do all the work for you. Just type in your topic (EX:“Boreal Forest”) and within seconds you will have an abundance of Websites, Images, Videos, and News!!
But, can you trust everything google gives you?

14. What’s Makes a Good Source?
Encyclopedias
Websites ending with “.edu”
University/ Government Sites
Published Textbooks and Papers (mostly)
Bad
Wikipedia or other Wiki-sites
Blogs
Personal Websites
Movies
Historical Novels
Anything that can be edited by anyone

15. How to Find Good Sources
There are two questions you want to ask when searching for a good source:
Is it Accurate?
Is it Reliable?

16. Accuracy Just because a website says one thing does not make it true
EX: The Boreal forest is home to over 1,000 different species of Unicorn.

17. Accuracy
To check how ACCURATE a website’s information is, check other trustworthy sites!
If another site does not say the same thing (or says the exact opposite) the information is probably NOT accurate

18. Reliability
When trying to choose a partner for a school project, you want to pick someone you trust – who is RELIABLE, who you can count on to get the work done. Picking a source is the same way.
Get students to brainstorm why a textbook or Encyclopedia might be more reliable than Wikipedia or other “bad” sources.

19. Reliability Checklist
Does it pass the Accuracy test?
How old is it? What is the copyright date (textbook)/When was it last updated?(website)
Who created the website? Credentials?
How is the layout/design? Is it user friendly
Is it bias?
Here are two websites to compare/contrast Reliability:
Good Reliability:
Bad Reliability:

20. I Found a Good source…Now What!?
Once you have found a good source, you want to take advantage of its vast amount of information. But HOW?? Do
Take lots of little notes
Summarize
Pick out the most important information
Don’t
Copy and paste from the source

21. Plagiarism?!?...What’s That?
It is important to remember and keep track of the sources you use when researching:
Copying the specific website address (not just google.com)
Writing down the title and name of author of books
If you don’t, say where you got the information from that means you are claiming it as your own ideas. Which is PLAGARISM!

23. How to Avoid Plagiarism: Citing!
To avoid plagiarism all you need to do is tell the people reading your assignment, project, etc., where you found your information. This is called citing a source
One way you do this by creating a Bibliography.

24. BiblioWHAT!?

25. Bibliography
A Bibliography is a list of all the websites or books you have taken information from and attaching it to your project.

26. WARNING!
Just because you list a website in your bibliography DOES NOT MEAN that you can copy and paste the information into your project. You are still expected to summarize information and put it in your own words to the best of your ability.

27. Example: Do Not

28. Example: Do

29. Questions?