LibGuides: What is good research?: Home

Information Search Process

(NSW Government - Education, 2021)

Websites

NSW Government - Education : The Information Process
Scroll down to the Information Process diagram and directly below this you will find useful information on each of the headings - Defining; Locating; Selecting; Organising; Preparing and Assessing.
Costello, Cathy : The Research Process
Contains information on how to Initiate research; Locate information; Select relevant and reliable information; How to Organise this information; How to Present your research; and how to assess your learning from this process.

Websites - Evaluating webpages

Caulfield, M : SIFT (The Four Moves)
Describes the SIFT method of checking websites; under the headings of Stop; Investigate the source, Find better coverage; and Trace claims, quotes, and media back to the original context.
Monash University Library : Evaluating web pages
Under the headings of Why evaluate web pages; and Analysing a web address/URL
Nemours Children’s Health : 5 Ways to Make Online Research Easier
Deescribed as, "Here are 5 ways to make researching online as easy and effective as possible".
Stark State Digital Library : How to Evaluate Websites
From the introduction; "To help determine if you are looking at credible, quality information whether it be online or in a book or magazine, consider the "Five Ws" Who, What, When, Where and Why."

SIFT Method of Website Evaluation

SIFT is a helpful acronym for initially evaluating source credibility. SIFT, developed by Mike Caulfield, stands for:

STOP. Ask yourself if you recognize the information source and if you know anything about the website. Are there any clues in the URL; .org or .com or .edu
INVESTIGATE the source.
Take a minute to identify where this information comes from and to consider the creator's expertise and purpose. Is this source worth your time? Look at what others have said about the source to help with you these questions.
(For example, a company that sells dairy products may not be the best source for information about the health benefits of drinking milk).
FIND trusted coverage.
Sometimes it is less important to know about the source and more important to assess their claim. Look for credible sources; compare information across sources and determine whether there appears to be consensus.
TRACE claims, quotes, and media back to the original context.
Sometimes online information has been removed from its original context (for example, a news story is reported on in another online publication or an image is shared on Twitter). If needed, trace the information back to the original source in order to validate it.

Modified from Mike Caulfield's SIFT (Four Moves), which is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

YouTube

(CTRL-F, 2018)

In-text Sources

CTRL-F. (2018, May 26). Online Verification Skills — Video 4: Look for Trusted Work [Video file].https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=wJG7kFmSOGE&feature=youtu.be

Fitz and Pirillo. (2007). Using the internet [Cartoon]. Flickr. https://www.flickr.com/photos/lockergnome/500471584

The Information Process ISP. (2021). [Chart]. NSW Government - Education. https://education.nsw.gov.au/teaching-and-learning/curriculum/school-libraries/teaching-and-learning

Cartoon

(Fitz & Pirillo, 2007)

Databases

Databases offer rich and often the most up to date information on any given topic. Your teachers will be impressed if you use a database like EBSCO to source your information. Remember to cite any articles you use from a database in your Bibliography.

Australia and New Zealand Reference Centre
For Username and Password details go to the Library Portal on your SEQTA homepage.
World Book Online
For Username and Password details go to the Library Portal on your SEQTA homepage.

Books @ your McAuley Library

A selection of books is usually available on topics studied on the curriculum at Mercy College and can be found either by doing an online catalogue search on the McAuley Library page (found on Seqta) or by looking at the LibGuide written on the topic. Remember: good research uses a RANGE of resource types - books, websites, online databases, encyclopedias etc.

ClickView

Access ClickView either through the McAuley Library page on your Seqta Homepage or at https://online.clickview.com.au/

Username: Your school email address eg scribb2@student.cewa.edu.au

To view an appropriate ClickView program and to take notes while viewing the program is a legitimate way of gathering information and may be used in the completion of your research task and cited in your Bibliography. Remember: using a range of resources, that is, resources other than websites, like books or ClickView, will result in better research.

Online Research Skills 17:52 mins

Online Databases 3:35 mins

Avoiding Plagiarism: Bibliographies 4:48 mins