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Research Strategies

Manage your research strategy, use databases more effectively, and understand how the library is organized -- it's all here.

About the COTR Catalogue

 

The online library catalogue functions as a database that includes records describing the resources held by the College Library.  These records are searchable in a variety of ways.

Evaluating Websites

 

Finding credible web resources for your research papers can be challenging and frustrating.  You need your information to be accurate, and from reputable sites and authors to include in your courses, assignments, and papers.

Search the Internet

 

The Web has increasingly become an important discovery tool.  Search engines like Google, Yahoo, YouTube, etc. contribute to the  discovery of books, government documents, news, theses, dissertations, maps, statistics, video, images, etc.

Google can be a good search tool for research, if used properly. Be aware that Google retrieves web pages indiscriminately and the results list is based on your previous search practices, therefore not appropriate for use in your college assignments.

As a result:

  • Authorship and ownership is difficult to evaluate.
  • Most sources are not considered scholarly, nor appropriate for your work.
  • The best information is often hidden from Google (in the “deep web”), or requires payment.

Learn more about Google from this Research Guide created by your College Librarian.

Popular websites, like Wikipedia orAbout.com or Wikihow.com can be useful for personal use, but  not accepted as appropriate sources of information for your college assignment research.  You might use such sites to get a quick overview of a topic; however, be sure to find other sources to cite in your assignments.

About Databases

 

Why use library databases?

  1. All articles have been edited and reviewed.
  2. Everything is acceptable for your research at College of the Rockies.
  3. Faster searching AND results that can be more trustworthy than information found on the open Internet.
  4. Very few scholarly resources are free or available on the Internet. Never pay for articles—come to the library and ask for help.

Database tips:

  • Searching library databases is a quite different from searching Google
  • Canadian Newsstand and CBCA are the best databases for Canadian content.
  • Add individual countries as a geographic limiter when searching for specific country information.
  • Remember to try synonyms, plurals, similar concepts, narrower or broader terms.
  • Use Boolean operators for limiting your search.