Laksamee Putnamlputnam@towson.eduResearch and Instruction Librarian

COSC 111: FINDING INFORMATION USING COOK LIBRARY

Web “Pre-searching”

Evaluations – Check for CRAP

Search strategies and Search tips

Finding books: Cook Library Catalog

Finding articles: Databases

TAKE AWAY…

WEB “PRE-SEARCHING”

Why or why not start your search online? Respond here: http://bit.ly/COSC111web

WEB “PRE-SEARCHING”

Why not start your search online? The Invisible Web

http://goshen.libguides.com/beyond_googling

Can you trust this information?

TED video: Online fi lter bubble – Eli Pariser http://

www.ted.com/talks/eli_pariser_beware_online_filter_bubbles.html

Go to one of the websites below and analyze it http://bit.ly/cosmicweb1

http://bit.ly/cosmicweb2

http://bit.ly/cosmicweb3

http://bit.ly/cosmicweb4

http://bit.ly/cosmicweb5

http://bit.ly/cosmicweb6

http://bit.ly/cosmicweb7

TRY THESE WEBSITES OUT

CurrencyReliabilityAuthorityPurpose/Point of View

CHECK FOR CRAP

CurrencyHow recent is the information?

Can you locate a date when the resource was written/created/updated?

Based on your topic, is this current enough?

Why might the date matter for your topic?

CHECK FOR CRAP

Guidelines for CRAP provided by the Jean and Alexander Heard Library

http://www.flickr.com/photos/helloeveryone123/3937374193/sizes/m/in/photostream/

ReliabilityWhat kind of information is included in the resource?

Does the author provide citations & references for quotations & data

Where are you accessing this information?

CHECK FOR CRAP

Guidelines for CRAP provided by the Jean and Alexander Heard Library

http://www.flickr.com/photos/schnappi/5930145952/sizes/l/in/photostream/

Authority Can you determine who

the author/creator is? What are their

credentials (education, affi liation, experience, etc.)?

Who is the publisher or sponsor of the work/site?

Is this publisher/sponsor reputable

CHECK FOR CRAP

Guidelines for CRAP provided by the Jean and Alexander Heard Library

http://rantchick.com/a-doctrine-on-respect/

Purpose/Point of View Is the content primarily opinion?

Is the information balanced or biased?

What is the purpose of the information? Is it to inform, teach, sell, entertain or persuade

CHECK FOR CRAP

Guidelines for CRAP provided by the Jean and Alexander Heard Library

http://www.flickr.com/photos/cogdog/5484085301/sizes/m/in/photostream/

Articulate your topic

Brainstorm

Strategize where to search

PREPARING TO SEARCH

research skills ≠ needle in the haystack

1. Choose a Topic

FORMULATING A KEYWORD SEARCH

1. Choose a Topic The success of Apple products

FORMULATING A KEYWORD SEARCH

2. Narrow/Broaden your search

FORMULATING A KEYWORD SEARCH

2. Narrow/Broaden your search How Apple created and marketed its products successfully

FORMULATING A KEYWORD SEARCH

3. Identify the key concepts

FORMULATING A KEYWORD SEARCH

3. Identify the key concepts Apple

Marketing

Created

Products

Success

FORMULATING A KEYWORD SEARCH

4. Consider synonyms/alternative spellings for terms

FORMULATING A KEYWORD SEARCH

Products

Success

Apple

Marketing

Created

4. Consider synonyms/alternative spellings for terms

FORMULATING A KEYWORD SEARCH

Products Brand Invention Iphone

Success Achievement Fortune Fame Progress

Apple Apple Inc. Mac

Marketing Market Advertise Retail

Created Innovate Design Build

CellphoneCell phoneCellular telephoneWireless phoneMobileSmartphone

SIMILAR IDEAS….DIFFERENT WORDS

5. Formulate your search utilizing various combinations of your words

String them together using AND/OR/NOT

Truncate *

Phrase searching

FORMULATING A KEYWORD SEARCH

AND OR NOT

For example:

spam AND internet securityCombining >1 topic

OLED OR organic light emitting diodes

Combining synonymous terms

BOOLEAN SEARCH CONNECTORS

WHAT AND DOES…

spam AND internet security

WHAT OR DOES…

OLED OR organic light emitting diodes

OLED organic

light emitting diodes

DON’T FORGET: TRUNCATION HELPS

technolog* finds…

technologtechnologtechnologtechnologtechnolog

yiesistsicalically

…etc!

PHRASE SEARCHING

Use quotations to keep a keyword phrase intact (words will be searched in the specific order)

Examples: “Bank of America” “Cisco Systems”

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER…

How Apple created and marketed its products successfully?

Apple“Apple Inc.”

Mac

Market*advertise

retail

Successinnovateprogress

Apple OR “Apple Inc.” OR Mac

AND

market* OR advertise OR retail

AND

success OR innovate OR progress

6. Limit your search

Appropriate date range

Subject

Publication type

FORMULATING A KEYWORD SEARCH

Keywords come from the search question

Use Boolean “search connectors” to combine keywords in ways that capture the results you need

Use broader terms/concepts when looking for BOOKS.

Use narrower terms when looking for ARTICLES.

SEARCH TERMS AND KEYWORD REMINDERS

Towson CatalogCollection and Call Number

USMAI Combined CatalogRequests

TU WorldCat

Interlibrary Loan (Illiad)

FINDING BOOKS

From:Scholarly JournalsMagazines (inc. Trade Publications)Newspapers

Peer-reviewed articles in multiple journals

JournalsTowson: 64 journals with the words “Computer Science” in the title

DatabasesComputer Science Index: 500 journals on a variety of topics

Go to a subject gateway and choose one appropriate for your topic

SEARCHING DATABASES

Come up with keywords for your topic

Find a website – Check for CRAP

Find a book – Check for CRAP

Find an article – Check for CRAP

As you are finding information on your topic please fi ll in the Google Doc worksheet http://bit.ly/COSC111schmitt

LET’S START SEARCHING!

Feel free to contact me: Laksamee Putnam lputnam@towson.edu 410.704.3746.

Or any reference librarian: Visit Cook Library Reference Desk 410.704.2462. IM – tucookchat

QUESTIONS?