1.How is this information about Boolean Operator helpful in future research? (5-8 sentences)

2. List 2 websites that would be helpful (for studying purposes) for EACH of your classes (Accounting, Children's Literature, Climate and Weather, College Reading)

(Make sure you read strategy 9 so you find reliable study resources).

3. Explain how you found the websites?

4. Were they included on the first page of your Google results page, or did you have to dig deeper to find them?

Focus Your Research KATEGY 9 Twenty years ago, anyone who conducted research had to sit in a library, sort through a card catalog, and wander the stacks looking for the books and journals they needed. The Internet has changed all that. Today's students can conduct research and work on assignments anywhere they have a computer and an Internet connection. Although convenient, the Internet contains a vast amount of information that is not organized in any particular way. It becomes important, then, to limit or qualify your information search to yield the best results. Starting with Google and Wikipedia the Google logo are registered of Google Inc., used with While many Internet search engines are available, most infor- mation searches today start with Google (www.google.com). No matter what your topic, Google is likely to return highly relevant results on the first try, which is what has made this search engine so popular. It often helps to use Google's "Advanced Search" feature, which is located at the bottom of the first page of results. After clicking on "Advanced Search," type your search term in the box labeled "this exact word or phrase," then click the "Advanced Search" button. This type of search allows you to find the phrase that corresponds exactly to your search term. Wikipedia (www.wikipedia.org) is an online encyclopedia that has no spe- cific author. Rather, anyone is permitted to adjust, change, or add to any en- try. For this reason, Wikipedia is almost never acceptable as a source in a term paper or project. However, many of the discussions in Wikipedia come with footnotes that cite credible sources. Clicking on the relevant citations can take you to credible Web sites with good information. The best overall guideline for using Wikipedia is this: Use it as a place to start or to develop a general understanding, but be cautious anytime you see a statement labeled "Citation needed." This means that the statement has not been verified by an expert. In general, remember that you need at least two credible sources to confirm any piece of information. Remember to keep track of every URL you have visited so that you do not engage in unintentional plagiarism. Also remember that it is difficult to get full books online, unless you purchase them. Because many instructors require a combination of sources in term papers-including published books, articles, and Web sites--you will likely end up taking a trip to the library at some point. Focus In a world of information overload, it's easy to get distracted by all the materi- als coming at you on the Web. In general, you can often ignore the results that appear in a tinted box at the top of the first Google results page and the right- hand column of the results page. These are paid ads, usually from businesses that are trying to sell a product or service. In other search engines, you will see a list of "sponsored results" at the top or bottom of the results page. Sponsored results is another term for advertisements, so you can ignore these results, too. In some cases, however, Google uses the right-hand column to offer a snapshot of key information about the search term. For instance, if you conduct a Google search for the novelist Stephen King, the right-hand column of the first results page will provide photos of the author, a brief biography, and related searches Recent studies have shown that many students assume that the first page of Google results are the best results for the search. But the first results are necessarily the best. You may sometimes have to dig deeper into the results to find the best sources of information. Many Web sites, even those managed by credible information sources, have begun to accept advertisements. Often these advertisements are placed at the top, bottom, left, or right of the screen. Ignore the advertisements and focu the center of the screen, where you're likely to find the best information Finally, remember that, in general, you are likely to get the best information from Web sites that end in.edu (indicating a college or university domain),.org (indicating a nonprofit organization), or.gov (indicating a government Web site that is home to reliable information and data). However, these Web sites may not be completely free of bias. For more information about bias, see Chapter 7