Tag Archives: search strategies

Today’s summary, and reading/homework for Wednesday 10/21

Today we continued our discussion of the research process, refining your topic, and creating search strategies. We spent time using easybib.com to create and manage bibliographies, and we also used bubbl.us to do some concept mapping. Slides from today are available here.

On Wednesday we’ll discuss — and do — advanced internet searching. Please read Badke Ch. 6 (all) and Ch. 7 pp. 161-164. Please view the web search strategies video from Common Craft. Remember, the final version of your research topic proposal is due at the start of class on Wednesday! See the assignment guidelines or get in touch with me if you have questions about the assignment.

~Prof. Leonard

Notes from today, and reminder about tomorrow’s reading & assignments

Today we discussed the mechanics of searching, databases, and Boolean searching. Continue to use the search strategies we discussed — AND, OR, and NOT, “phrase searching,” truncation using the * symbol, and nested searching using parentheses around synonyms–and consider if your search results are different, better, worse, unexpected, etc. Slides from today are available here.

We meet tomorrow–Wednesday–as usual. On Wednesday, we will begin our discussion of the research process: assessing your research needs, preliminary strategies, and topic development. Please read Badke, chapter 2 and comment on one or 2 classmates’ blog posts for Wednesday. The DRAFT of your research topic proposal is due by 10 am as an email attachment to me, or turned in at the beginning of class.

~Prof. Leonard