The Middle School Library Libguide has the resources and tools you need to do successful research. You will find links to the library catalog, the YIS databases, free online resources, and the Noodletools citation tool.
As you will be using the MISO method to carry out your research, your primary sources will be the interviews, surveys, and observations you made during your study. Your data will then allow you to put forward an argument. However, you will need to support your argument with additional sources that will help you strengthen your argument. These additional sources will be articles and studies you found in books, through a YIS database, or other online resources. These sources are called secondary sources and are critical to convince your audience. You will have to present all sides of an argument, using the evidence that supports your viewpoint, but also the evidence that might show your argument in a negative light. In your conclusion, you will then be able to show that despite the counter-evidence, your argument or proposal is still valid. This will show that you have done a thorough investigation and have behaved like a real scholar.
How reliable is your source? Determining who’s behind information and whether it’s worthy of our trust is very complex, especially when we are looking at websites. Who is behind the information presented on the website and what is the reason the website exists?
Here are some things you might consider when investigating a website:
1. Who is the author? Open a new window and search the author's name. Are they a real person and how knowledgeable are they?
2. What evidence is presented? Does it exist? Again, open a new window and do a separate search.
3. How old is the information? Is there more current information available? Use Search Tools" and set time limit.
4. Find other (trusted) coverage. Search for 2 more sites that present the same information.
5. Find the original source. Most stuff you see on the web is not original reporting or research. Instead, it is often a commentary on the re-reporting of re-reporting on some original story or piece of research.
Webpath Express is a search engine that leads you to reliable student-friendly websites. Educators have selected websites that cover subjects and topics generally studied at schools. This guarantees that the sources you find through Webpath Express are trustworthy and that the language used is at your age level. Find Webpath Express on the library catalog page.
