"1 of 25
Sources such as experiments, surveys, notes from your own field research, eyewitness accounts, and historical documents are all examples of what type of source material?
Primary
Secondary
2 of 25
When conducting research, it's a good idea to search the databases available through your school's library before searching the Internet because
information on the Internet is not always reliable.
your school's computers hold resources that are either not available on the Web or not accessible to students unless they access them through the library.
many libraries subscribe to indexes and journals that students can access free of charge.
it's a faster way to find resources.
All of the above.
3 of 25
When you start researching a topic, you should do all of the following except
talk to other people about your topic
consult general and specialized encyclopedias for information about your topic.
conduct a formal interview of someone working in the field.
conduct a Google search on your topic.
4 of 25
Elements of an accurate note include which of the following items?
a) The exact page numbers of the material being noted.
b) The author's name (if provided), source title and any other bibliographic information you may need.
c) A subject heading
d) All of the above
e) a an b only
5 of 25
If you need to find current information on your topic, the best place to start is by researching
online periodical databases
encyclopedias
the World Wide Web/Google
the MCCD Online Public Access Catalog (OPAC)
All of the above
6 of 25
If you need to find facts or statistics about your topic, the best place to search for this information is
online periodical databases
encyclopedias
the World Wide Web/Google
the MCCD Online Public Access Catalog (OPAC)
All of the above
7 of 25
Boolean searching allows you to group words together in different combinations to produce a variety of results.
True
False
8 of 25
If you wanted to conduct an Internet search for information on how genetic engineering affects crop production in the United States, which of the following searches would produce the greatest number of results related directly to this topic?
"genetic engineering" and crops
"genetic engineering" or "crop production"
genetic and engineering and crops and production
"genetic engineering" and "crop production"
9 of 25
If you are searching for information about coal mining in Arizona, but you don't want to locate information on salt mines, which is the best search choice?
"coal mining in Arizona"
coal and mining and Arizona and salt mines
"coal mining in Arizona" not "salt mines"
coal or salt mines
10 of 25
Imagine that you are conducting research on the effects of overdevelopment on natural habitat. You open a search engine in your Internet browser and insert the keywords "land" and "development." A page opens, listing thousands of entries. What should you do?
Search the first 10 entries for information on your specific topic.
Redo your search by typing in the words land or development.
Choose a different search engine.
Narrow your search by inserting more specific keywords such as "overdevelopment" and "natural habitat."
For the next two questions, click on this link, https://www.riosalado.edu/library, and search the library's site for the following items.
11 of 25
On the CQ Researcher site, find the article titled "Smart Growth." Locate the pro/con element in this article. Which author is listed as providing the pro view and who is listed as providing the con view?
Pro, James E. McGreevey and Con, Samuel R. Staley
Pro, Maria Foscarinis and Con, Michael Tanner
Pro, Maryann Russ and Con, James W. Rouse
Pro, James W. Rouse and Con, Samuel R. Staley
12 of 25
On the CQ Researcher database, which article listed below contains an abstract by Mary H. Cooper titled, "Will Congress Improve the Superfund Law?"
"Environmental justice"
"Cleaning up hazardous wastes"
"Lead poisoning"
"Environmental movement at 25"
13 of 25
The information literate student evaluates information and its sources critically and incorporates selected information into his or her knowledge base and value system.
True
False
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Why is it important to develop skills in Information Literacy?
Information literacy skills help people evaluate information gained through mulit-media sources.
Information literacy forms the basis of life-long learning.
Information literacy helps people incorporate selected information into their knowledge base.
Information literacy helps people make sense of the vast amount of information available in the world today.
All of the above.
15 of 25
According to Danny Sullivan, which top Internet search engine was voted "Most Outstanding Search Engine" four times and is the top choice for those searching the web?
Yahoo
AOL Search
Google
Ask Jeeves
16 of 25
According to Danny Sullivan, when researching you should search well-known, commercially-backed search engines because
a) they provide dependable results.
b) they are well-maintained and upgraded.
c) they purchase only the best materials to keep in their databases.
d) webmasters stay away from these search engines.
e) a and b only
17 of 25
When evaluating the usefulness and credibility of an online source, which of the following should you include in your evaluation?
Your purpose
Date of publication
Publisher's credentials
Audience of source
All of the above
18 of 25
Most of the information found on Google and Yahoo goes through an editorial review process and can, therefore, be trusted as reliable.
True
False
19 of 25
When evaluating an article, you should follow these steps:
Determine the length; determine the currency of the article; determine the credibility of the search engine and determine the author's goals.
Determine if the article is related to your search; determine the credibility of the publication; evaluate the author's credentials; look at the date; and determine the accuracy of the article.
Determine the relevance of the source; figure out who the sponsor is or who the publisher is; determine how long the article is (longer articles tend to be more credible); determine what the author wants you to know.
Determine what organization published the article, specifically if it is commercial or academic; notice if the author has any credentials listed; review the sources cited by the author.
20 of 25
When evaluating a web source, you should follow these steps:
Consider the URL; look for background information on the sponsor; evaluate the author's credentials; look for a date that indicates when the information was posted or last updated; determine how accurate the information is by reviewing sources cited.
Look at the graphics on the site as more reputable sites use more graphics; look for a date that indicates when the information was posted or last updated; look for links to additional sources; determine how accurate the information is by reviewing sources cited.
Determine what organization published the URL, specifically if it is commercial or academic; notice if there is an author listed, as these sites tend to be more reputable; review the sources cited by the author.
Look for a search button on the site; notice how quickly or slowly the site loads in your browser; look for a date that indicates when the information was posted or last updated; look at the graphics on the site as more reputable sites use more graphics.
21 of 25
How can you determine if an author listed on a website is credible if his/her credentials are not listed?
Look at how the site is written.
Look to see if the author included usable contact information
Look for the type of sources used, primary or secondary
Look to see if secondary sources are cited properly and verifiable.
All of the above.
22 of 25
How can you determine if the content on a site is relevant and useful for research?
Review the site for facts, statistics, secondary sources cited and current date.
Determine the sponsoring organization's reputation.
Determine the author's purpose in writing the material listed on the site.
Review the site and, if products are being sold, assume the site is not useful.
Use this checklist to answer the questions 23-25.
23 of 25
Evaluate this website using the checklist given above. Is this author of this site credible?
Yes, because there is "edu" in the URL and it is very well written indicating authority.
Yes, the author is a member of the Iroquois tribe and can, therefore, write intelligently on this topic.
No, because this is a personal site, the author's credentials are not listed and there are no verifiable sources cited.
No, because there is no homepage link on this site.
24 of 25
Evaluate this website using the checklist given above. Is the author of this site credible enough to use in a research essay?
Yes, because there is "edu" in the URL and it is very well written indicating authority.
Yes, because the author is an AP Biotechnology Writer.
No, because the author's credentials are not verifiable, no contact information is provided and no verifiable sources are cited.
No, because there is no homepage link on this site.
25 of 25
Evaluate this online article, using the checklist given above, and choose the best response listed below:
This article appears to provide relevant information, however, there are too many ads linked to this site to make this article credible.
The article given on this website does not provide recent information, the website contains too many links and appears unreliable.
The content given on this website might be biased, but it appears to provide relevant, up-to-date information.
The content given on this website is outdated and the sponsoring organization is too biased to provide relevant information."