Planning & Running an

Information Search

Research uses the same skills you’ve developed for finding information or things throughout your life: the main

difference is that you need to double-check the answers you find.

Plan

 

Run the search 

Retrieve results

 

Evaluate the results

 

Save the results

 

Modify and re-run the search

 

Research can be modelled as a cycle

You can begin your search in places other than Google

(Like the Library or our website…)

Anywhere you find information is a source. But some sources are less

reliable than others…

Think about the question/s you need to answer, and how else they could be asked.

This gives your work a good foundation.

Plan where you’re going before you set off on your search

Even when you plan your search well, expect to find the unexpected!

Image credits• Ducks - http://www.flickr.com/photos/takenby/70040307/sizes/l/in/photostream/• Flag - http://www.flickr.com/photos/lorenia/2494203842/sizes/l/in/photostream/• Plane - http://www.flickr.com/photos/vnvlain/741874167/sizes/o/in/photostream/• Traffic lights - http://www.flickr.com/photos/drdul/209802509/sizes/z/in/photostream/• Seagulls - http://www.flickr.com/photos/70121902@N00/563868713 • Sunflower- http://www.flickr.com/photos/40422902@N00/39221095 • Field - http://www.flickr.com/photos/26887305@N00/96056080• Floor - http://www.flickr.com/photos/23069082@N00/649907302• Images found via http://labs.tineye.com/multicolr

Content adapted from slides produced by Central College Nottingham © 2013.