Research Skills-

Important information for tackling your 1st Research Skills paper!

By Mrs. Ricker

Searching PHS’s Catalog & Databases & the Internet

Keywords-Using them to search the library’s online catalog, databases and the internetHow to use the library’s online catalog.

How to find a book on the shelf after finding it on the computer.

What is an index?

How do you use an index?

PHS Library Online Access:Website through city/school: http://www.cityofportsmouth.com/school/phs/library.htm

New library wiki: http://portsmouthhighschoollibrary.wikispaces.com/

Library Moodle: http://moodle.portsmouth.k12.nh.us/

Basic Research:-Try using the encyclopedias for beginning research on a topic for background information

-When using subject encyclopedias and books/reference materials that include a lot of general information look for the table of contents or the index, in the back or front of the book to help locate your specific topic or keyword

Keywords—Topic Ideas Economy Job creation

Agriculture Energy

Human Rights Genetic Engineering

War Teen Pregnancy Global Warming Religion

Endangered Species Obama

Education Government

What other keywords could you use?

Keywords-if you can’t find it using a specific word or phrase, think of what

other KEY word it might fall under

http://libcat.cityofportsmouth.com/

For example, if you are searching for a person or event and cannot find it, try

searching the keyword that is the UMBRELLA for the person or event you are trying to find. Cannot find results for “energy efficiency”, try

another search with the broader umbrella term.

Searching the internet-ways to utilize a search engine

What is a Boolean Search/Operator?

AND example: Portland and Oregon

OR example: liberal or democrat (like synonyms)

NOT example: Oregon not travel

New York Times Google Search-

NYT uses the Google search engine to search their own site, not outside the NYT site www.nytimes.com

The Google search allows more results, Boolean searching, book searches, scholar (journal articles), patents, images, blog searches etc. And the results pages are collected by popularity

--100s of factors such as the ones mentioned above are included in the Google searching

Databaseshttp://www.cityofportsmouth.com/

school/phs/library.htmPrimary Sources-Information/documents created during the time period the event

occurred or the person lived

Examples: legal documents, speeches, diaries, interviews

*Ebscohost has some Primary Sources and many public and academic libraries have these sources or access to them as well

Ebsco– username=portsmouthh password=03801

http://search.epnet.com/login.asp

Newspaper articles

Magazine articles

Journal articles

Current issues

Remember to Click on “Full-Text”

Primary, Secondary & Tertiary Sources

Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context-password=nhais

http://infotrac.galegroup.com/itweb/nhais_htfk?db=OVIC

Pro/Con articles on controversial issues

Both sides are represented in multiple articles

Search using keywords

Good resource for background information or common opinions on your topics

News Resources (many of these are included in Ebscohost)New York Times

CNN

USA Today

MSNBC

Fosters

BusinessWeek

Portsmouth Herald

Newsweek

Boston Globe

Union Leader

Works Cited:

www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Internet/SearchEngines.html