FOCUS
Focus on the information need
Ø Plan the experiment or project.
Ø Define terms in a way appropriate for the context.
What is my assignment or the information problem to be solved?
What questions am I raising or addressing?
Do I understand the concept I am reserching?
What types of information do I need to answer the questions?
What keywords and alternate search terms are pertinent to my questions?
How will I organize my search plan?
How many references do I need?
What format will I use to present the results?
| Tips for Research Success | This short video demonstrates that understanding the requirements of your assignment and knowing the type of information that is needed are key to being successful. |
| Are you sure you know exactly what you need to do in your assignment? Do you know what information will help? | |
| Define the Research Topic | Getting started with your research means identifying your topic. |
| Choosing a Topic | Knowing where to look for ideas will help you find an interesting topic. |
| Learn Something about the Topic | This is probably the only time that Wikipedia is recommended! A wikipedia article is a great way to gain a little understanding about a topic so that you can more effectively search for information that you will actually use in your research. |
| Brainstorming Techniques | Need help focusing the topic? Try brainstorming. |
| Broadening the Topic | If you don't find enough (or any) information, you might have to broaden your topic. |
| Narrowing the Topic | If you find way too much information, you might have to narrow your topic. |
| Having trouble getting started? | Let O.W.L help you ask the right questions. |
| Framing Your Research Questions | You have a topic, now what was the question??? How to come up with good research questions for your project. |
| Graphic Organizers | Everything you wanted to know about graphic organizers and how to use them to help with your research and learning. |
| Keywords and Search Terminology | Don’t start searching until you have a search strategy in mind. This website will help you learn how to build an effective search term to use in catalogs, databases, or on the Internet. |
| Boolean Machine | Exactly how does a Boolean operator work, anyway? Take a look at this and see! |
| Ask an Expert | Need help designing a research strategy? Ask a librarian! They love this stuff! |