Contextualized Online Search and Research Skills

Contextualized Online Search and Research Skills

The ability to find, evaluate, and use internet information effectively within a specific purpose, need, or context.

Research

A careful, organized process of seeking answers or solutions to questions and problems.

Personal Research

Informal, self-directed information gathering to satisfy individual needs or solve everyday problems.

Professional Research

Systematic investigation conducted in academic or workplace settings to solve problems or add to knowledge.

Original Research (Primary Source)

Research that collects first-hand data through interviews, surveys, observations, or experiments.

Scientific Research

Methodical study that explains natural or physical phenomena using the scientific method.

Humanities Research

Inquiry that interprets culture, society, behavior, or history through analytical and critical methods.

Artistic Research (Practice-Based Research)

Creative investigation where artistic practice is both the method and the outcome for exploring ideas.

Currency (Website Evaluation)

Measures how up-to-date the information on a site is.

Security (Website Evaluation)

Assesses whether a site protects user data and avoids requesting unnecessary personal information.

Scope (Website Evaluation)

Judges whether a site’s content is sufficiently in-depth and comprehensive.

Authority (Website Evaluation)

Considers who wrote the content and their credibility or qualifications.

Check Your Sources

Research skill of evaluating currency, security, scope, and authority of websites.

Ask Good Questions

Entering specific, well-phrased queries—often with operators—to give search engines clear context.

Go Beyond Surface

Persistently consulting multiple sources instead of relying on the first search result.

Be Patient

Willingness to synthesize scattered information and keep searching when answers are not immediate.

Respect Ownership

Avoiding copyright infringement by properly citing or seeking permission for online content.

Use Your Networks

Leveraging reference lists, social media, and forums while still critically evaluating credibility.

Quotation Marks (" ") Operator

Returns pages containing the exact phrase inside the quotes.

Parentheses ( ) Operator

Groups terms to control how AND, OR, and NOT are applied in a query.

Plus Sign (+) Operator

Forces inclusion of a specific word—often an article or preposition—in search results.

AND Operator

Narrowing operator that shows only pages containing all specified terms.

OR Operator

Broadening operator that finds pages containing any of the listed terms.

filetype: Operator

Limits search results to a chosen file format such as PDF, DOCX, or PPT.

Advanced Search

Using built-in filters and tools to refine and narrow results for greater relevance and efficiency.

Google

The world’s most widely used search engine for locating online information.

Google Scholar

Search engine that indexes scholarly articles, theses, books, and conference papers.

Internet Archive

Non-profit digital library offering free access to archived websites, multimedia, and academic materials.

EBSCO

Subscription-based digital library providing premium academic resources not usually available publicly.

JSTOR

Digital library of academic journals, books, and primary sources operated by the non-profit ITHAKA.

Verification of Online Source Materials

Process of checking the reliability, accuracy, and credibility of internet information.

Written by Experts (Verification Criterion)

Content authored by qualified professionals, researchers, or academics.

Focus on a Particular Field (Verification Criterion)

Material that is specific, detailed, and discipline-oriented rather than general.

Intended for Others in that Field (Verification Criterion)

Information targeted at professionals, students, or practitioners in the same area.

Proper Language and Technical Vocabulary (Verification Criterion)

Use of formal writing and accurate technical terms related to the subject.

Advantages of Online Search

Speed, accuracy, breadth of information, comfort, flexibility, and time savings.