Kids' Research

The Internet can be a wonderful source of information. It can also be a disorganized tangle of useless, inaccurate, and irrelevant information. If you need to do a report, or obtain specific information for an assignment, especially on topics which are not current, you may save time, and frustration, by first going to a print source at your library.

When you use the Internet to gather information for reports or assignments, you need to educate yourself about the quality of Web sites. Who is sponsoring them? Are they selling something? The URL may give some clue: .edu denotes an education site, .org an organizational site, .gov a government sponsored site, .com a commercial site. ~ means a personal home page. This can belong to anyone offering inaccurate information, or to an expert in a particular field who has a personal site on a huge network.

Knowing specific sites, which provide information for educational purposes, will save you time and frustration. Using safe search engines, will lead you to sites to assist with assignments. A link to some of those sites is on the bottom of this page.

Before You Start Review these Sites:
Acceptable Use Policy and Internet Agreement Form SSISD
A Student's Guide to Research with the WWW comprehensive, with lots of useful information.
Classroom Connect's hints for searching the Internet
Boolean Searching How to
The Boolean Machine
What is Plagiarism?

Evaluating a Web Page for an assignment:

Once you locate a site, ask the following questions:

Load Time:
Does it load rapidly?
If the site is heavy with graphics, are you informed that it will take time to load?
Authority:
Is the name of person responsible for the site listed on the home page?
Can you contact the author by email, snail mail, phone?
Is there a bibliography of references used to compile factual information?
Are the qualifications of the author listed?
Is the sponsor of the site clearly stated?
Accuracy:
When factual information is presented, are the sources cited?
Can this same information be verified in other sources?
Is the spelling and grammar correct?
Is the individual, or group who is offering the information, qualified to do so?
Audience and Purpose:
For whom is this information intended?
Why is the site in existence?
Currency:
Is the date of publication listed?
Is the date of the last update noted?
Is the date listed relevant to the topic, or will it affect the usefulness of the information?
Usefulness:
Can you read and understand the information?
Is text enhanced with graphics and visuals which make the topic easier to understand?
Is sound provided to embellish understanding?
Is the information recent and relevant?
Is there enough depth to the information to meet your needs?
Does the site lead you to other similar, and useful, related sites?
Is it interesting to explore, and are you learning something?
Can you get the same information faster in a print source?
Bias:
Is this site selling something along with providing information?
Is what they are selling clearly stated, and does it effect the quality of the information?
Is this site offering more than one point of view on a controversial topic?
Is the sponsor and their bias clearly identified?
Layout and Navigation:
Can you figure out how to use the site?
Is it free of clutter, unrelated graphics, commercials, and distracting, moving things?
Does it use meaningful graphics to draw attention to areas of interest or clarify concepts?
If it has sound, do you have the option of turning it off?
Are navigation buttons clearly labeled?
Are the same navigation buttons used in the same place on all
pages, so once you learn their system, you can navigate easily?
Can you get back home with ease?
Can you get out of a frame, if you are trapped in one?
If the site is large, does it have a site map/ table of contents?
Can you get to the information you need within 3 clicks of the mouse?
Can you easily identify which items are hyperlinks?
Do the links work?
Are the text labels for subjects relevant and easy to understand, or meaningless terms?
Is there some order, organization and logic to the way the main pages lead you to other related pages?
Appearance:
Is the site attractive, inviting, and does it make you feel welcome?
Does the background stay in the background, and not compete for attention?
Is there so much other "stuff" that you get distracted and forget why you visited?
Is the text in high contrast to the background (dark on light or light on dark)?
Does the size of the text, the font type and color of the text make it easy to read?
Is the information presented in easy-to-understand segments?
Is the information broken up by subtopics?
Is the information displayed within the size of your monitor screen,
so you do not have to scroll sideways?
Is there a left margin and ample white space on pages with lots of text?
If photographs are included, do you have the choice of making them
larger?

If you cannot understand what you are reading, if the site is full of clutter, and confusing to use, do not waste your time.
If the person or organization offering the information is not clearly identified, and their sources not documented, go somewhere else.
Whenever possible, go to the experts in the field.
In general, if you must leave your name, address, email or the site charges for the information, exit quickly.
If anything sounds too good to be true, it is!
You may not take credit for information you find on a site when you copy and paste that information into a word processing program, don't cite your source, and place your name on the report. This is plagiarism, not research.

Don't forget to "cite the site where you sighted the stuff" so that the author gets proper credit.
See Librarian for the citation format.
What is Plagiarism?
California's Velcro Crop Under Fire a wonderful example of a bogus article which looks authentic

The following worksheets were developed by the district librarians/media specialists. They are based upon a form from "Flip-It! An Information Skills Strategies for Student Resources" by Alice Yucht, 1997 Linworth Pub. These forms are standard in all the schools. If you are doing any reports, highlight the section you need and print out the sheet/s. Or, click on the print copy version. Remember to record the information for each source as you work.

_____________________________________________________________________
Bibliography Sheet #1: Citing a Book
____________________ , _______________________ .
Author’s name ( last name first )
__________________________________________ .
Title of book ( underlined )
____________________ : _____________________ ,
City where book was published Publishing company
_______________ .
Copyright date

Example of a book citation:
Sachar, Louis. Holes. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux,, 1998.

Example of a book citation with two authors:
Berenstain, Stan and Jan Berenstain. The Bear Scouts. New York: Random House Beginner Books, 1967.

Example of a book citation with three authors:
Dow, John, et al. Myths Revisited. New York: The Viking Press, 1992.

Bibliography Sheet #2: Citing an Encyclopedia Article
____________________________ , ___________________
Author’s name, if given ( last name, first )
"__________________________________________________ ."
Title of article ( in quotation marks )
________________________________________ .
Title of encyclopedia ( underlined )
___________________________.
Copyright date or date of edition.

Example of signed encyclopedia article citation:
Spinard, Hyron. "Mars." The World Book Encyclopedia. 2000.
Example of unsigned encyclopedia article citation:
"Chocolate." The New Book of Knowledge. 1999.

Note: If author’s name is not stated, leave first line blank and start citation with title of article.
Note: MLA citation does not include the volume number or page numbers, however for the sake of finding the information again, including them in the draft sheet is recommended

Bibliography Sheet #3: Citing a CD-ROM Encyclopedia
____________________________________ , __________________ .
Author’s name, if given ( last name first)
"__________________________________________ ."
Title of article ( in quotation marks )
_______________________ . CD-ROM .
Title of CD-ROM ( underlined ) Format
_________________________ , _____________ .
Publishing company Copyright date
Example of a signed CD-ROM encyclopedia article citation:
Clench, Mary. "Bird." 1999 Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia. CD-ROM.
Grolier Electronic Publishing, Inc. , 1999.
Note: If the author of the encyclopedia article is not stated, leave the first line blank and start the citation with the title of the article.
Example of an unsigned CD-ROM encyclopedia article citation:
"Trees." Encarta Multimedia Encyclopedia. CD-ROM., Microsoft, 1999.

Bibliography Sheet #4: Citing an Interview
Interview Conducted by You
______________________________________ , ______________________ .
Name of person interviewed ( last name first )
_____________________________ .
Kind of interview ( personal or telephone )
_______________________ .
Date of interview ( Day Mo. Year )

Example of Interview citation:
Gutman, Dan. Personal Interview. 3 Dec. 1998.

Bibliography Sheet #5: Citing a Magazine Article
________________________________ , ________________________.
Author of magazine article ( last name, first )
"__________________________________________________________ ."
Title of article ( in quotation marks )
_______________________ _________________________ :
Name of magazine ( underlined ) Date of publication ( Day Mo. Year )
_________________ .
Page numbers

Example of a signed magazine article citation:
Doubilet, David. "Coral Eden." National Geographic January 1999: 2-29.

Note: If the author of the magazine article is not stated, leave the first line blank and start the citation with the title of the magazine article.

Example of an unsigned magazine article citation:
"Computers for Fun and Profit." MacClassroom September 1997: 12-13.

Bibliography Sheet # 6: Citing an Internet Web Site
__________________________________ , ______________________ .
Author’s name, if known ( last name first )
"_______________________________________________________ ."
Full title of item, in quotation marks
___________________ . __________________________________________
Date of last revision , if found http address / file name
( _________________________ ) .
Date of web site visit in parentheses

Example of web site citation:
Arnett, Bill. " The Nine Planets." 2000. http://www.seds.org/billa/tnp/
(Jan. 11, 2000).

______________________________ , _______________.
"_________________________________________________."
Author’s name, if given (last name first) Title of article (in quotation marks)

__________________________________ ________________________________:
Title of magazine (underlined) Date of issue (followed by colon)

_______________ . Online. ________________________________.
Page(s) Name of index/full-text service (ProQuest, Electric Library, etc.)

Example of a signed online full-text citation:
Graham, Rex. "Astronomers detect galaxies’ hidden masses." Astronomy April 2000:28-30. Online. Electric
Library. (March 28, 2000).

Bibliography Sheet # 8: Citing a videotape
_________________________________ .
Title of videotape (underlined)
_______________________________________ .
Director’s name (first last)
________________________________ , _____________________________ .
Production studio year produced

Example of citing a videotape:
Romeo and Juliet. Dir. Franco Zeffirelli. Paramount Pictures, 1968.

Bibliography Sheet # 9: Citing a newspaper
____________________________, _____________________ .
Author’s name (last name first)
"_____________________________________________________________."
Title of article (in quotations)
_____________________________________ , _________________.
Title of newspaper (underlined) Date of newspaper
Example of citing a newspaper:
Drake, Sylvie, "Artists in the Desert." New York Times, August 5, 1981.

Bibliography Sheet # 10: Citing a pamphlet
__________________________________________________ .
Title of pamphlet (underlined)
___________________________ :
City and state where published
______________________________ , _____________________________ .
Publishing Company year produced (if available)
Example:
Your State Capitol. Trenton, NJ: Office of Public Information.

Bibliography sheet # 11: Citing a poster
"____________________________________." ______________________________ :
Name of poster City published in
_______________________________ , _________________________.
Publisher date published
Example:
"Lenape Foods." Trenton, NJ: Afton, 1978.

Primary Format: Bibliography Sheet # 1: Citing a Book
___________________________________ , _____________________________ .
Author’s name ( last name, first name )
_________________________________________ .
Title of book ( underlined )
_________________ .
Copyright date

Example of a book citation:
Sendak, Maurice. Where the Wild Things Are. 1964.
Example of a book citation with two authors:
Berenstain, Stan and Jan Berenstain. The Bear Scouts. 1967.

Primary Format: Bibliography Sheet # 2: Citing an Encyclopedia Article:
_____________________________________________ .
Title of encyclopedia ( underlined )
_____________ . page ____________.
Date published (edition)

Example:
The World Book Encyclopedia. 1999. p. 234-36
____________________________________________________________
Permission is granted to reprint these citation forms for educational purposes, provided proper credit is given. Flemington-Raritan Regional School District Library Media Specialists.

Using the Dewey Decimal System to Help You Locate Resources

"The illiterate of the future will not be the person who cannot read. It will be the person who does not know how to learn."
-Alvin Toffler

The Dewey Decimal System was developed by Melville Dewey. It organizes information into 10 general subject areas. Each of these main sections is further broken down into 10 subdivisions and each subdivision broken again and again into smaller more defined subheadings within the main subheading. Different topics are assigned numbers, known as "call numbers". For example, "Animals" are located in the main category 500's and the subcategory, 590. Mammals are in 599. The major categories are listed below.
Melville Dewey published the Dewey Decimal System in 1876. He was a founding member of the American Library Association, founding editor of the Library Journal and founded the first library school at Columbia in 1887.

Dewey Decimal System

000 General Knowledge	Encyclopedias, Almanac, Atlas, Museums, Newspapers
100 Philosophy & Psychology	Death, Ethics, Superstition, Making Friends, Optical Illusions
200 Religion and Mythology	Individual religions, Myths
300 Social Science	Careers, Customs, Environment, Education, Families, Government, Manners, Money, Recycling, Holidays, Folklore-Fairy Tales, Fables, Legends, Tall Tales
400 Languages and Grammar	Foreign Language, Dictionaries, Sign Language, Braille, Codes
500 Natural Science and Mathematics	Math, Space, Chemistry, Physics, Earth Science, Biomes, Weather, Geology, Fossils, Dinosaurs, Plants, Animals
600 Applied Science, Technology	Medicine Human Body, Health, Engineering, Computers, Farming, Farm Animals, Pets, Manufacturing
700 Arts and Recreation	Crafts, Drawing, Cooking, Music, Games, Jokes, Sports
800 Literature and Poetry	Plays, Poetry, Shakespeare. Originally all Literature was here, then later it was placed in a separate section, Fiction.
900 History and Geography	Countries, States, Civilizations, Native Americans, Travel, History, Collective Biography. Biography was separated from the 900's and placed in a separate section.

Further breakdown of each category to 10 subcategories:
500 - Pure Sciences & Mathematics

510	Mathematics
520	Astronomy & applied sciences
530	Physics
540	Chemistry
550	Earth Sciences
560	Paleontology, Paleozoology
570	Life Sciences
580	Botanical Sciences
590	Zoological Sciences

Kids' Research:

Using the Internet for Research

Evaluating a Web Page for an assignment:

Using the Dewey Decimal System to Help You Locate Resources

Dewey Decimal System