It can be hard searching for quality  information that is not only relevant but suitable for your needs, but stress no more!
This page is designed to help you in your quest for bird knowledge by providing valuable tips for searching and evaluating information and resources.
Happy searching!

Search Tips

1. Plan and Identify: Planning an effective search strategy can save you time and retrieve more relevant results. Think about your topic, identify key concepts or words and combine them in your search. Also make sure to identify similar concepts and synonyms as these can help expand your search results. You can start combining these key concepts and words to form partial searches. Finally, know your limits. There’s no point searching for information regarding cockatoos if your topic is on migratory shorebirds.

2. Know what kind of data/information you need: Have a think about what information you are after exactly? Are you looking for statistics on a certain species, maybe government initiatives and conservation or perhaps data pertaining to location and population of the Great Crested Grebe? Knowing what type of information you need can help narrow your searches and save time.

3. Utilise search tools: There is a large array of search tools and resources which can help you with your topic search and effectively utilising these will ensure you get the information you need. Depending on what information you need, you can identify what source would best suit your search. Sources include books, newspapers, journal articles, websites and reference materials such as dictionaries.

A common place to start is Google. This is great for generalised searches and basic information but care must be taken as quality is not always controlled. If looking for academic materials, it is recommended that you browse your library catalogue and utilise their search tool such as CSU’s Primo Search. This often provides access to a range of books, eBooks, DVDs, journal articles and research papers. Additionally, online databases and journals are great search tools and often allow the user to tailor their search through ‘advanced’ search options. These are great in refining your searches and subsequent information.

You can learn more search strategy tools and tips here.

Evaluating Tips

As with anything in life, you only want the best and this applies to information!
Quality on the internet is by no means a given so it is very important that any information is evaluated and deemed suitable and credible before being used or applied. Published resources, peer-reviewed journal articles by credible authors, authoritative websites and the like are reliable sources of information.

For a little extra help when evaluating information, consider and apply the CRAP test. This checklist helps you analyse the quality, credibility, validity and suitability  of information and its source.

Currency

• How recent is the information?
• How recently has the website been updated?
• Is it current enough for your topic?

Reliability

• What kind of information is included in the resource?
• Is content of the resource primarily opinion?  Is is balanced?
• Does the creator provide references or sources for data or quotations?

Authority

•  Who is the creator or author?
• What are the credentials? Can you find any information about the author’s background?
• Who is the published or sponsor?
• Are they reputable?
• What is the publisher’s interest (if any) in this information?
• Are there advertisements on the website? If so, are they cleared marked?

Purpose/Point of View

• Is this fact or opinion? Does the author list sources or cite references?
• Is it biased? Does the author seem to be trying to push an agenda or particular side?
• Is the creator/author trying to sell you something? If so, is it clearly stated?

Find out more on peer-reviewed sources here.
Find more tips on evaluating websites here.
Extra search tips from QUT here.