4. Wikipedia Woes and Google Gaffs
What are the pros and cons of so
much information being online?
What do you do to be sure you’re
finding credible resources?
Which criteria did you like best
from the “Spotting Bad Science”?
Why?
Why is it important to support your
argument with valid sources?
Why do you think there is a
difference between what scientists
and the public think?
Brumming, A. (2015) A rough guide to
spotting bad science. Compound Interest.
http://www.compoundchem.com/2014/04/0
2/a-rough-guide-to-spotting-bad-science/
Pew Research Center. (2015) Chapter 3:
Attitudes and beliefs on science and
technology topics. Public and Scientists’
Views on Science and Society.
http://bit.ly/pewreport2015sciencevpublic
5. Today I Learned (TIL)
In Reddit people share “headlines” in TIL format
Which resources are “good”
Which resources are “bad”
How do you know?
8. Check for CRAP
Currency
How recent is the
information?
Can you locate a date
when the resource was
written/created/updated?
Based on your topic, is this
current enough?
Why might the date
matter for your topic?
Guidelines for CRAP provided by the Jean and Alexander Heard Library
http://www.flickr.com/photos/helloeveryone123/3937374193/si
zes/m/in/photostream/
9. Check for CRAP
Reliability
What kind of
information is included
in the resource?
Does the author provide
citations & references
for quotations & data
Where am I accessing
this information?
Guidelines for CRAP provided by the Jean and Alexander Heard Library
http://www.flickr.com/photos/schnappi/5930145952/sizes/l/in/photostream/
10. Check for CRAP
Authority
Can you determine who
the author/creator is?
What are their
credentials (education,
affiliation, experience,
etc.)?
Who is the publisher or
sponsor of the
work/site?
Is this publisher/sponsor
reputable
Guidelines for CRAP provided by the Jean and Alexander Heard Library
http://rantchick.com/a-doctrine-on-respect/
11. Check for CRAP
Purpose/Point of View
Is the content primarily
opinion?
Is the information
balanced or biased?
What is the purpose of
the information? Is it to
inform, teach, sell,
entertain or persuade
Guidelines for CRAP provided by the Jean and Alexander Heard Library
http://www.flickr.com/photos/cogdog/5484085301/sizes/m/in/
photostream/
12. Which words?
Take a look at these pictures.
What do you see?
Go here and fill in a word to
describe each picture
A
D C
B
13. Keywords are critical!
Sample topic:
Can air pollution regulation affect climate change?
First, break the question down into key concepts:
Concept #1: air pollution
Concept #2: regulation
Concept #3: climate change
14. More on keywords…
Expand your list to include synonyms then add
to it once you have done some background
reading.
Can air pollution regulation affect climate change?
air pollution regulation climate change
smog
carbon dioxide
ozone
Clean Air Act
Clean Power Plan
National Ozone Standard
global warming
greenhouse effect
15. Putting it all together…
Can air pollution regulation affect climate change?
“air pollution” OR “carbon emissions”
AND
regulation OR “Clean Air Act” OR “Clean Power Plan”
AND
“climate change” OR “global warming”
air pollution regulation climate change
smog
carbon emissions
ozone
Clean Air Act
Clean Power Plan
National Ozone Standard
global warming
greenhouse effect
16. Create keywords
Complete Part 1 of your worksheet
Write your research topic on your worksheet
Pass it to a group member
Group member fills in key concepts and synonyms
Give the worksheet back to the original owner
17. Potential Topics
What role do chlorofluorocarbons play in climate
change?
What do global circulation models predict for the
future?
How is human health altered by climate change?
What are environmental refugees and how can we help
them?
How long will our fresh water resources last?
18. Improve Google
Advanced Google
searching
Duck Duck Go
Gred Laden Climate
Change search Engine
Intergovernmental
Organization Search
Engine
Try these alternative search engines
19. Find a website resource!
Use your keywords in Google
Use your keywords in one of the Google alternatives
Pick the most interesting result from both
Enter your results here:
http://padlet.com/lputnam/hkw40fhdz8es
Enter your name, search string, and a link to the website
20. Take a look at the results
Assess the results posted with the CRAP assessment
What problems did you have ….
Coming up with keywords?
Searching for a website?
21. Thanks for listening!
Fill out Part 2 of your paper worksheet
Fill out 3 TIL statements about your library session today
Hand the worksheet in to the librarian
Next library session:
Pre-class reading and prepare for discussion
Use your keywords to find books/articles
22. Questions?
Feel free to contact me:
Laksamee Putnam
lputnam@towson.edu
410.704.3746.
Twitter: @CookLibraryofTU
Or any reference librarian:
Visit Cook Library Reference Desk
410.704.2462.
IM – tucookchat