Article: 10 Tips to Improve Your Online Research

According to the article, if you question the reliability of a website's information, you should:

• use it anyway if the information is critical to making your point.

• caution your reader about the source.

• throw it out and find information that has greater credibility.

• cite the source in you bibliography.

True or false, databases like EBSCO and JSTOR help you access sources such as peer-reviewed articles in academic journals, published study results, transcripts from academic conferences, and primary sources from archives.

• True

• False

According to the article, a great way to get back on track with your research when feeling stuck is:

• Look at the bibliographies of your sources to help guide your research.

• Keep slugging through websites suggested by your search engine.

• Check with your instructor. They have to help you research; it's their job.

• Adjust your research question so it is more in line with what you are finding.

Even though Wikipedia is not considered a reputable source, due to the fact that anyone can edit it, it can be useful:

• because sources are cited at the end of each article.

• because the sources used to create the article can be used in your research.

• to help you get ready for your research.

• All of these are true of Wikipedia.

True or false, most institutions of higher learning do no consider Wikipedia, in and of itself, to be a reputuable source.

• True

• False

Primary sources are:

• never used in serious research.

• used exclusively in serious research.

• are about the thing (such as articles by academics about said movies, books, or historical documents).

• are “the thing itself” (books, movies, historical documents, whatever you are primarily focused on).

Secondary sources are:

• never used in serious research.

• used exclusively in serious research.

• are about the thing (such as articles by academics about said movies, books, or historical documents).

• are “the thing itself” (books, movies, historical documents, whatever you are primarily focused on).

True or false, the best research projects use a blend of primary and secondary sources.

• True

• False

According to the article, when performing research:

• remember that you’re not going into this with research answers, you’re going in with a research question.

• you need to be open to encountering the unexpected:

• your job, as a researcher, is to gather information from a range of sources,

• All of these are true about research.

Acording to the article, when using online databases or search engines, you can refine your search (check all that apply):

• by limiting keywords.

• by experimenting with different keywords.

• by adding all the important, or relevant, words to your search.

• by typing "add" before each search.