Lesson 3 Assignment

Beginning Database Features and Searching

I. Research Log Entry (due Monday, February 5, 2007)

Go to your blog and create an entry. This entry should answer the following questions:

1. What was discussed today in class?

2. What points were particularly important to you and why?

3. How can you use the techniques discussed in class today?

4. What ideas and thoughts do you have about this search strategy?

II. Research Log Entry (due Thursday, February 8, 2007)

As you go through your classes this week, think of a NEW topic related to your cluster. Formulate a complex question to explore your topic, making sure that you have multiple concepts embedded in your question and that the question isn’t just seeking facts.

Using your final question, choose search terms and conduct a search in Academic Search Premier. Examine your results list. How many results do you have? Too many? Too few? About right? Create a second Resource Log Entry that answers the following:

Think about your process as you conducted your search. Include these elements:

1. What was your final question?

2. What terms did you use to conduct your search? Did they work or not? Why?

3. Did you need to try alternate terms? If so, what terms did you choose? Did your new terms work any better?

4. How would you evaluate your final results? Did you have too many, too few, or just about right? What number do you think is appropriate and why?

5. How well did your results answer your question? Comment on whether all or some or none of them answered your question.

6. How do you use Boolean operators to refine or manipulate results?

copyright Aline Soules 2007

under Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 United States

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/us/