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ENGL 105: Valenzuela: In-class exercise

We will use the links on this page for our in-class discussions with a reference librarian on Oct. 20.

Harvesting More Search Key Words and Phrases

One of the best strategies for finding good key words / key phrases to use in your searches is to start with the language in the written pieces you already have. 

Imagine that you decide to write your essay on anti-racism in schools. A quick. search in Google with that exact phrase pulls up a lot; these 3 titles happen to catch your eye.

Click on any of these links:

Read it quickly (skim).

Can you identify any additional key terms or phrases? Are they more specific, or more general?

Evaluating What you Read

Learning to read critically is one of the most important skills in our education. - and the questions we use to interrogate what we read are our tools. The P. R. O. V. E. N. list that's explained in this research guide ( tab for Evaluating Sources)  is one toolkit for critical evaluation;  another one you. may have seen is called the CRAAP test.

Continuing with the same topic (anti-racism work in  schools), Click on any of these links:

As you read, see if you can find out (or figure out):

  • Who is the author? If no author is listed, what organization takes responsibility for this?
  • Is the author or organization an expert on this topic, or is it published in an academic or professional journal? (If so, what's their expertise / profession / specialty?)
  • Whose voices are expressed in this writing, whose point of view?
  • (Bonus - see if you can find out more about this author, organization, website or journal. Do they focus their writing on a particular topic?)