Tips & Tricks for Students Conducting Online Research
There is a lot more to efficient Googling than you might think: in a recent study on student research skills, 3 out of 4 students couldn't perform a 'well-executed search' on Google. When the success of your term paper hangs in the balance, using Google effectively is crucial, but most students surprisingly just don't know how.
Here are some crucial tips for refining your Googling, as well as some other great places to hunt down that last study you need for your thesis.
Search terms called 'operators' can help you get far more specific results than you would by only using generic search terms. Here are some of the most useful.
NYTimes articles about test scores in college, but not the SATs, written between 2008 and 2010.
site:nytimes.com ~college "test scores" -SATs 2008..2010
A report on the different air speed velocities of common swallows.
Don't ask Google questions. Think about how an answer would be phrased, and search for that (ie, never search for 'What is the air speed velocity...').
filetype:pdf air speed intitle:velocity of *swallow
For most projects you work on in college, simple Googling won't do the trick on its own. Enter Google Scholar, which exclusively searches academic and scholarly work - that is, the kind of work you'll need to be citing in your papers.
Papers about photosynthesis by Dr. Ronald L. Green and Dr. Thomas Buttz.
author:green photosynthesis "tp buttz"
Good for the quick word definitions. Just put define: in front of the word you want.
Example: define:angary
For quick math problems, don't worry about opening your calculator app. Just type the equation into Google using +, -, *, / and parentheses for basic functions.
Example: (2*3)/5+44-1
Easiest unit conversion ever. Just type what you're looking for in a sentence with the units you have and want.
Example: 54 pounds in kilograms
90% of Internet users don't know how to use Command + F to find items on a page. If you're one of those 90%, this section is for you.*
*As 70% of students use Macs, we formatted these tips for Mac users, but many of them will work for PCs if you press 'CNRL' instead of 'Command'.
The most important keyboard shortcut for research, ever. Press Command and F when looking at any document or web page, type in the word you're trying to find, and presto, all instances of the word are highlighted for you.
Sometimes online PDFs make for strained reading. Bump up the size a few notches with this simple command.
Command and + to zoom in
Command and - to zoom out
Doing rapid Google searches in a number of tabs can be fatiguing. Instead of mousing up to the address bar every time, just hit Command and L and it's already selected.
Research on the computer is always plagued by window and app clutter that grows as your work does. Use Command and ` (the key above tab on the left side) to cycle through windows in a certain application, or Command and Tab to cycle applications.
Sometimes, for whatever reason, you might need to capture the state of your screen, or an image from a document. Command and Shift and 3 screencaps your whole screen. Command and shift and 4 lets you draw a box around a specific area of your screen you wish to capture.
Google should never be your only research option. Most colleges' library web pages have links to wealths of resources at your disposal. This is where you can find access to scholarly databases such as JSTOR, which publish content that you can't access for free elsewhere.
Let's face it: we all use Wikipedia when conducting research. It's a great first resource to familiarize one's self with a topic, but using Wiki for a research paper is a deadly academic sin. But if you find a good wiki, check out the reference links at hte bottom for more credible sources.
This tip is applicable for both digital and traditional research. If you find a great book, study, or article, chances are it cites some other great resources. Always thoroughly explore the bibliographies of your research materials for leads, and look up everything you find that seems promising.
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