Research @ Towers LibraryGr 9: Science Fair

Finding and citing resources

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Objectives

• To know how and where to look for valid reliable information

• To be able to cite references properly

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Science Fair project

• You need to:– Ask a question – Do background research – Construct a hypothesis – Test your hypothesis by doing an experiment – Analyze your data and draw your conclusion – Communicate your results – Evaluate the success of your project

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Why do background research?

To:– find out more about your topic– help find ideas about which variables to test– predict what might happen in the investigation

when making a hypothesis– enable you to interpret the theory and explain the

results to others – especially a science fair judge!

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First of all: Choose a topic

• Think about …– What really interests you? – Browse widely for inspiration: newspapers,

science magazines, science on tv, YouTube– Find something different or unique

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Then … develop a research plan

• Determine the keywords for your research question, e.g.,

Does whole-wheat bread go mouldy faster than white bread?

• Ask who, what, why, when, where and how questions about your main key word (variable).

• Create a research plan (See Science Buddies website http://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project_background_research_plan.shtml).

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Next step: find background info …

• Books and periodicals• Reliable websites• Databases via Towers Library or via your local

library• Other people: your science teacher, your

parents or family, a professor or expert• Your librarian

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Tips on how to look …

• Use keyword searching, e.g., mould• Phrase searching, e.g., “Science Fair”• Truncation, e.g., Scien*• Boolean logic: AND, NOT, OR• Bread AND mould • Mould OR mold

• Use synonyms, e.g., • mould, mildew, fungus• Use the tilde symbol before keyword, e.g., ~ mould

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Where to look …Towers Library online databases

I’ll show you first …On the Towers Library web page, there are several

science databases:Access Science Scientific AmericanAlso try searching within Knowledge Ontario: e.g.,

Gale Power Search

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Databases really help you save time!You can find information in the database and links

from the database to other articles, images and trustworthy websites.

Get organized:• Make a research folder in the database to save what

looks interesting and useful. OR• Make notes – start a OneNote folder for your

project.• Use the citation help and save citations.

• No luck? Try using different search terms – make sure you note the ones you’ve used.

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Your turn now …• First, a suggestion: make a notes page and divide it into the

sections of your project.• Then, go to Towers Library online. • Start with Britannica or World Book and try a basic search

for your topic. • Can you find images? web-sites? What else?• Do you see how you can collect and organize your research?• Don’t forget all those tips: save, cite, links, etc.• No luck?

• Try different search terms.• Try different databases. • Try Advanced Search.

Next … the Web. Let’s talk about the surface web vs the deep web

• Deep Web: Regulated information embedded within databases, e.g., ProQuest – password protected and paid subscription. They will save you time and give you high quality information.

• Surface Web: Free unregulated information easily accessible by all search engines

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Let’s look @ the shallow unregulated web

Can you trust the web resource?• Don’t forget – anyone can publish on the web.

• What should you look for?• Authority• Objectivity• Accuracy

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Authority

• Ask questions:• What is the purpose of the webpage?• Who is the author? • Is the person or organization an expert? Look

closely at the URL: gc gov edu• Is it an official web site or a personal web page?

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Objectivity

• Is the site intended for a particular audience?• Does the site contain advertising or does it

have sponsorship?• Again … what's the purpose of the site?• If there is an issue, are both sides presented?

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Accuracy

• Currency - is the work up-to-date? • Are there errors or typos? • Do hyperlinks work?• Is the site easy to navigate?

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Why not Wikipedia?

• Michael Scott on Wikipedia• You are doing scholarly work and need to be

sure you’re using high quality resources• Wikipedia …• can be factual but it’s not necessarily reliable• can be out of date• can be wrong: no peer review • Wikipedia has a disclaimer that notes: WIKIPEDIA MAKES NO GUARANTEE OF VALIDITY

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Science search engines

• Instead of Google, try science-focused search engines. Remember … these still require good website evaluation skills:

• Infomine• Intute• Scirus• SciNet

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Your turn

• Keeping in mind all you’ve learned about searching the web, with your partner, find a credible web-based resource for your project.

• Share your website with the rest of the group. Why do you think it’s a good source?

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Other useful web resources

• Discovery Education Science Fair guide http://school.discoveryeducation.com/sciencefaircentral/

• Ontario Science Centre http://www.ontariosciencecentre.ca/resources/sciencefairlinks.asp

• Science Buddies http://www.sciencebuddies.org/index_A.htm

• Mad Sci Network http://www.madsci.org/• Scitable http://www.nature.com/scitable

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Web directories

• Directories can be useful:• ipl2 The Internet Public Library (a great resource)• Yahoo! Directory

How do I cite sources?

• Make sure you write down all your sources as you find them!

• The databases in Towers Library can give you the citations for the sources you've used.

• Don’t forget you also need to cite images.• Use an online guide, e.g., APA• A simple and useful way of building your

references is www.bibme.org or http://www.easybib.com/

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Reference page: Citing a web page

• Discovery Education. (2011). Science Fair Central: Getting Started. USA. Retrieved November 20, 2011, from http://school.discoveryeducation.com/sciencefaircentral/Getting-Started.html.

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Reference page: Citing an image

Science Photo Library. (2011). Bread Mold. Photograph courtesy Dr. Jeremy Burgess. Retrieved November 20, 2011, from http://www.sciencephoto.com/media/14359/view

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Reference page: citing from an online database

Li, X. (2010). Umami taste receptor. In AccessScience. Retrieved from http://www.accessscience.com/content.aspx?id=YB100222

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BibliographyDiscovery Education. (2011). Science Fair Central: Getting Started. USA. Retrieved November 20, 2011, from http://school.discoveryeducation.com/sciencefaircentral/Getting-Started.html.

Li, X. (2010). Umami taste receptor. In AccessScience. Retrieved from http://www.accessscience.com/content.aspx?id=YB100222

Science Photo Library. (2011). Bread Mold. Photograph courtesy Dr. Jeremy Burgess. Retrieved November 20, 2011, from http://www.sciencephoto.com/media/14359/view

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And don’t forget …

• You can join the Aurora Public Library if you live in Aurora – including if you live at the School.

• Or join your local public library.

Finally …

• If you need help … come and see us in the library.

• Good luck with your project!

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