Searching and Evaluation – Bird Watching Library Guide

This section will give you some tips and tricks for searching on your own, and advises how to evaluate how appropriate or authoritative a source is.

Searching:

Searching can be laborious and tricky, but there are some simple ways to ensure you are finding the information you need.

1. 1. 1. Break your search topic down into keywords. This helps you understand what you should be looking for. It is good to think about: Related terms, different spellings, and synonyms (CSU, 2022).
    2. Consider what kind of information you are looking for. Do you need scholarly material, or general interest material? This will determine whether you need to use scholarly databases or a Google search (CSU, 2022).
    3. Use search operators to include, exclude, and link keywords in your search. See the infographic below for when and how to use these.
    4. Check bibliographies, reference lists, or use the “Cited by” function in most databases. This helps you locate other relevant resources that relate to what you’ve already found (The University of Melbourne, 2022).

(Prince George’s Community College, 2022).

Evaluating:

When doing research, it is important to be able to evaluate the information you find. This ensures what you are reading, watching, or seeing is going to help answer your search question.

When we evaluate a resource, we need to think about the following:

- - Is the information relevant? (Appropriate or inappropriate material will impact the validity of your research).
  - Is the website reputable or authoritative? Good URLs to look for are: .edu; .gov; or sometimes .org
  - Is the author an expert or well respected in their field? A reputable author will use reliable sources, and present unbiased information.
  - Has the material been peer-reviewed? For scholarly and academic research, this is important in identifying (The University of Adelaide, 2022).

A good evaluation tool is the CRAAP test, which stands for:

- - Currency
  - Relevance
  - Authority
  - Accuracy
  - Purpose

Watch this helpful video by The University of South Australia to get started with evaluating your sources and resources (University of South Australia, 2017).

References

Charles Sturt University. (2022). INF211/406 Research Skills Guide: Strategic searching. https://libguides.csu.edu.au/INF211-406-Research-Skills-Guide/search-strategies

Prince George’s Community College. (2015). Boolean Operators. Library Learning and Resources. https://pgcc.libguides.com/c.php?g=60038&p=385676

The University of Adelaide. (2022). Evaluate Resources. https://libguides.adelaide.edu.au/Evaluating_resources

The University of Melbourne. (2022). Finding resources for your assignments. https://unimelb.libguides.com/researchessentials#s-lg-page-section-6661103

The University of South Australia [University of South Australia]. (2017, October 23). Study Help: Evaluating Information [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2U3dkTLjuvE&t=14s