1.5 Strategic web and database searching

This competency starts with academic research, but gets a lot deeper. Where do you start when you're looking for information online?

Developing this competency involves …

• Learning how to assess your information needs, identify appropriate digital information sources and finding aids, and recognize when digital and digitized sources are inappropriate or insufficient.
• Developing a critical understanding of how search engines and algorithms work, how to use them effectively, and their limitations and appropriate use contexts.
• Developing a critical understanding of how common indexing schemes work, how to use them effectively, and their limitations and appropriate use contexts.
• Learning to find and use database- or site-specific filters and Boolean, wildcard, or other specialized search functions to effectively refine searches.

See also: “Searching as Strategic Exploration.” Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education.

Student-Curated Resources

This libguide provides great tips about being skeptical in the face of news sources, as well as providing resources on how to spot fake/biased news. You can also begin your research and find scholarly articles with TriPod.