Research+Tips

**These research tips are provided as a suggested guideline to facilitate the research process for an efficient and successful learning experience.**                  **Refer To:**         Your Teacher's Guidelines         Big 6 Information Problem Solving Process         bookmarks and posters         Hierarchy of Resources (see below)
 * Research Tips **

**Follow the Research Process -** ex. Big6  TM         Evaluate (step 6) and revisit other parts of the process over and over. **Evaluate** your //**sources**//,        your //**process**//,         your //**product**//.

**Cite your sources** //**as**// **you find information.**        The Navarro English Department requires **MLA documentation** for your citations. Links to  [|citation tools]   and guides are provided on the Student Resources page of our school library website. Create a wordprocessing document and save as "citations." Copy/Paste your citations into the document. Number or code your citations. Mark the code next to the info from the corresponding source in your notes to refer to later.

**Words of Wisdom --- Protect your work! Back-up your files.** Flash Drives (aka. thumb drives, key drives) can be purchased at HEB, Walmart, Office Depot, Best Buy, just to name a few. Even the cheapest will hold the data of many floppy disks and are not as vulnerable to damage. Always have a copy of your most current saved original on your flash drive //and// in your network folder at school or on your home computer. Caution! Magnets damage or erase computer disks. Do NOT place magnetic holders, cell phones, radios or any other devices that may contain magnets near computers.

Set the Student Resources Page of the School Library page as the Home Page in your browser while doing research. You can always change it later.

**Save in Rich Text Format (RTF)** if you have //Microsoft Works// or another word processing program at home. This will maintain your formatting, but allow your document to be opened by MS Word at school for printing.

**Hierarchy of Resources** This guideline is provided as a strategic tool to help students maximize accuracy and efficiency when performing information searches. 1. Encyclopedias – Brainstorming, Keywords & Cross References for chosen topic                  2. Library Resources:                  Destiny - OPAC (Catalog)                   Reference Books                   Biographies                   Non-Fiction Books                   Periodicals                   3. AV Software – Library use only                  4. Teacher selected references and/or websites                  5. Databases:                  TexShare                   Ebsco – Magazines & Journals                   Points of View                   Extended Collection                   Britannica Online                       6. WebPath Express in Destiny - OPAC (catalog) "Last Stop" Resources...                             7. Vivisimo - Uses the Google search engine and others, then "clusters" or categorizes the results. (Less time surfing.)                  Google – more authoritative searches than other search engines                   – searches .gov., org, .edu sites first                   Ask.com (formerly //Ask Jeeves//) has a kids search engine   Ask for Kids.com                     For more Children's search tools see     __Major Children's Guides and Directories__                   Other educator suggested web directories or search engines. See the Navarro Libraries Home Page for more suggestions. **Other Sources to Consider:**                  Community Resources                   Government Agencies, Museums, etc.                   Interviews of local or professional authorities (people) on a subject / in a field                   Public Library & TexShare Databases                   College/University Libraries