Finding Sources Introduction Primary and secondary sources Searching for sources Search engines Online databases Blogs Talk About It Your Turn Tech Tools in this presentation LOC Online Catalog Advanced Google Features Online Library Catalogs Technorati Online Databases
Introduction Searching for sources is an exploration to find essential information for your research project.
Primary and secondary sources A primary source is an original creation by someone who observed or participated in an event. A primary source might be any of the following. Autobiographies Interviews Photographs E-mails Diaries Letters For example, primary sources about the internment of Japanese Americans during WWII might include the diary of an internee historical photographs Amache Relocation Center Colorado, 1942.
Primary and secondary sources Primary sources are essential to research. Additional examples include Original artwork Videotape Poetry Speeches Newspaper articles Poems, Articles objects, such in pieces as newspapers, those of creative written journals, by and writing, children magazines or any Japanese- that firsthand present information American firsthand such internment information. as a speech camps. or videotape. San Tanforan Francisco Assembly News Center March by 2, Hisako 1942 Hibi
Primary and secondary sources A secondary source writes or talks about a primary source. Here are some examples of secondary sources. Essays Articles Critiques Biographies Reviews Histories A book written by a historian.
Primary and secondary sources Secondary sources can be helpful if you are interested in securing varied viewpoints. For example, this book compiles the reflections of many different people on the internment of Japanese Americans.
Primary and secondary sources The Library of Congress contains many digital primary source materials in its online archives, including photographs and audio and video recordings letters, manuscripts, diaries, journals, newspapers, speeches, interviews, and memoirs documents produced by government agencies such as the Office of the President
Primary and secondary sources The Library of Congress also contains secondary sources that synthesize and interpret primary sources. For example, this speech by Representative Michael M. Honda of California commemorates the life achievements of a Japanese-American internment camp detainee.
Tech Tool: LOC Online Catalog The Library of Congress online catalog is a database of records of the library s vast collection of materials. The main search page includes links to basic and advanced search pages catalogs of audio and visual holdings
Tech Tool: LOC Online Catalog To conduct a basic search of the LOC online catalog, click Keyword and enter one or more search terms related to your research topic. Use quotation marks to search for an exact phrase. Click Begin Search to display the search results.
Searching for sources In your search for information, you will undoubtedly use both print and digital sources. The use of traditional sources available in print and microfilm Print sources continues to be a foundation for Almanacs research. Atlases Bibliographies Biographical sources Dictionaries Directories Encyclopedias Handbooks Indexes and abstracts Yearbooks
Searching for sources Digital resources refer to any source of information that can be accessed using a computer. Many sources, such as letters, maps, historic documents, and other primary material traditionally presented in printed form, have been digitized and now are available from free Web sites or subscription services on the Internet. CD-ROMs, diskettes, and other media Digital image, audio, and video resources Web sites E-journals and books Databases
Tech Tool: Online Library Catalogs Your school or local library probably has an online catalog of its collection. Searching for sources in an online catalog allows you to: search for resources in many ways, such as by subject or keyword determine whether resources are available add resources to a list for easy reference
Tech Tool: Online Library Catalogs You can use online catalogs to search for sources from public and university libraries around the country. You can then request sources through interlibrary loan. To request a resource through ILL, you will need to enter basic information about yourself the resource the pickup location
Tech Tool: Online Library Catalogs WorldCat.org provides free access to a view of WorldCat, an online catalog of library content and services. You can use WorldCat.org to search for resources in over 10,000 libraries worldwide. Click any entry in the search results for additional information about the resource and a list of nearby libraries where you can find it.
Search engines The Internet offers a wide variety of search engines. No one search engine gives access to all the information you might want. Become familiar with various search engines and their features. (webfetch) 2008 InfoSpace, Inc. All rights reserved. (dogpile) 2008 InfoSpace, Inc. All rights reserved. (Altavista) Reproduced with permission of Yahoo! Inc. 2008 by Yahoo! and the Yahoo! logo are trademarks of Yahoo! Inc. (Yahoo!) Reproduced with permission of Yahoo! Inc. 2008 by Yahoo! and the Yahoo! logo are trademarks of Yahoo! Inc.
Tech Tip Search engine operators It s easy to type your search terms into any search engine, but using some keyboard features can help you refine your search. The AND operator instructs the search engine to search for both keywords you specify. The OR operator tells the search engine to search for either word. The NEAR/ADJ operators look for keywords in proximity to another keyword. ADJ stands for adjacent and will return fewer hits than NEAR.
Tech Tip Search engine operators You can also use keyboard features to exclude search terms or isolate certain keywords. The NOT/- operators exclude documents containing a specific keyword. Put NOT or - in front of the word you want excluded. Parentheses set up groups of operations that must be performed before other parts of the operation can be completed. Use parentheses to isolate parts of a query. Sub-queries included in parentheses are processed before all other parts of the query.
Tech Tool: Advanced Google Features Google Advanced Search allows you to refine a query by filling in special fields or using a series of drop-down menus. You can find results containing all of your search words an exact phrase at least one of your search words no specified words
Tech Tool: Advanced Google Features In addition, you can use the Advanced Search page to limit your search by Language File Format Domain (find results from a particular site or domain you select) Date (find results updated in past 3 months and so on)
Online databases Other places you can look for sources of information include online databases. A database is an electronic filing system from which a computer can quickly select and secure desired pieces of information. Your school or district might provide subscriptions to online databases. Databases can contain both information that cannot be found through search engines and resources that are particularly beneficial for research.
Tech Tool: Online Databases EBSCO provides online access to more than 150 databases and thousands of e-journals. ProQuest is a group of databases that cover a wide spectrum of topics from genealogy to the latest scientific breakthroughs. ERIC provides free access to more than 1.2 million bibliographic records of journal articles and other education-related materials. ERIC is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education.
Tech Tool: Online Databases MEDLINE is the National Library of Medicine bibliographic database covering the fields of medicine, nursing, dentistry, veterinary medicine, the health care system, and the preclinical sciences. MEDLINE contains over 16 million references to journal articles in life sciences. LexisNexis Scholastic Edition gives students experience searching for vital source material in four areas: news, legal research, legislation, and statistics.
Blogs A blog is a Web site that offers commentary, news, or more personal online journaling. A typical blog combines text, images, and links to other blogs, Web pages, and online media related to its topic. Most blogs are interactive and primarily textual, although some focus on art, photographs, sketches, audio, and music.
Blogs Blogs can be useful sources of information, especially if you want to include a firsthand account as a source in your research. Blogs often reflect the personality of the author. Blogs serve as discussion communities about particular issues. Blogs provide a regularly updated online journal of information and opinions.
Tech Tool: Technorati Technorati is a blog search engine that organizes and ranks millions of frequently updated Internet pages. You can perform a general search of your topic on Technorati s home page but expect a long list of results. Blogs Posts Japanese-American internment
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