1. Research Skills

2. Purpose To inform readers through synthesizing information
Synthesizing information means you collect it from various places and combine it with what you already know

3. Primary and Secondary Sources
You should try to use primary sources whenever possible
Primary sources are firsthand accounts of events / facts
Examples of primary sources include diaries, journals, letters, and autobiographies
Secondary sources are secondhand accounts of facts. Examples of secondary sources include biographies and encyclopedias

4. ALL sources, whether primary or secondary, need to be evaluated by the researcher. It is your job to determine whether the source is good or not.

5. Evaluating a Source – the 4 R’s
Check to see if a source meets the following four criteria:
1. Relevant – does it relate to the topic? Check the index / table of contents / skim the information to see.
2. Reliable – Is the author an authority or an expert? Is the source a real news or information source vs. an individual?
3. Recent – is the information up-to-date?
4. Representative – are both sides represented, or is the source neutral? Avoid sources that show a bias in one direction or the other.

6. Since anyone can publish a web page, it’s extra important to evaluate websites. In addition to checking for the 4 R’s, check the domain of the website URL. This doesn’t always work, but it can help in many cases.

7. Common Domains and What They Mean
MEANING
RELIABLE???
.edu
Educational institution
Usually.
.gov
Government body
Yes.
.org
Nonprofit organization
Sometimes. Some organizations will be trying to promote a cause
.com
Commerical enterprise (business)
Often not. Evaluate very carefully!!!
.net
Organization offering Internet services

8. MLA Citation Practice
Get out a piece of paper and write “Works Cited” at the top.
Use the MLA Citation rules to create citations for each example.
Try your best! This is hard, it’s ok if you don’t do this perfectly.

9. Example 1 Author: Rodman Philbrick Title: Freak the Mighty
Publication City: New York
Year of Publication: 1993
Publisher: Blue Sky Press
Medium: Print

10. Example 2 Webpage title: Mrs. Garrison’s English Class
Website: mrsgarrisonenglish.weebly.com
Date of access: March 6, 2015

11. Example 3 Magazine: Time Magazine
Article Title: “Why the Circus is Saying Goodbye to Elephants”
Author: Tessa Berenson
Date: March 1, 2015
Pages:

12. Works Cited
Philbrick, Rodman. Freak the Mighty. New York: Blue Sky Press, Print.
“Mrs. Garrison’s English Class.” Mrsgarrison
english.weebly.com. 15 March 2015.
Berenson, Tessa. “Why the Circus is Saying Goodbye to Elephants.” Time Magazine. 01 March 2015:

13. Example 4
Cite your Reading RIOT book, if you don’t have your book with you, you may work with a partner at your table.