Destiny Library Book Search

Search engines – Tools to search the web

• Google
• Yahoo!   
• Ask

Search hints:  Try using …“parenthesis”, + (plus sign),  - (minus sign) or Advanced search options

Databases - Magazines, Newspapers, Reference

• ACCESS PA /  Power Library:  To access from home, you must have a public library card.

            Berks County Library System

            Montgomery County Library System

          InfoTrac - A database that includes reference books, academic journals, 
               newspapers, multimedia for all subjects.  
               Please note:  If accessing Info Trac from home, please contact your 
               librarian for a password. 

• CIA World Factbook
• Internet Public Library
• Maps
• Reference Desk
• New York Public Library 

Copyright Guidelines – Plagiarism Prevention

What is copyright?  Why should I care?

• Copyright is the legal guarantee of the creator of a work to publish, print, perform, copy, and distribute his/her work. 
• Copyright applies to all media:  print, audio, video, images, and text. 
• Whenever gathering information from any source, including the Internet, be very careful in choosing items. 
• Copyrighted materials may be used, if you provide proper credit. 
• Do not assume that everything on the Internet is part of “public domain”.

Always give credit to your sources!

What is plagiarism? Why should I care?

• Plagiarism is taking ideas of someone else and presenting them as your own.  This could be an idea or statement from a book, magazine, TV show, or website. 
• When citing anyone’s ideas, judgments, or inferences of others, you must attribute the information to the original author.       

Plagiarism, of any kind, is cheating.

Here is how NOT to plagiarize…

• Identify and evaluate your sources of information; give credit to each source.
• Analyze and synthesize the information you read.
• Be organized in your note-taking.
• Read, think, write.  Remember, the point of research is to understand the        information and formulate your own ideas.
• Cite, correctly, any exact or paraphrased statement to the original author.
• Be careful when you cut and paste. It is a form of plagiarism.
• Manage your time wisely. 

Website Evaluation – Questions to ask!

Use these questions to determine if your source of information is a high quality resource for your research.  More “yes” answers will yield a higher quality of information.

• Authority/Credibility – Who created the site?

Is it clear who is responsible for the contents of the page?

Is there a link to information about the author or the sponsor?

What is the domain name?  Does it end in .gov, .edu, .org, .net?

• Accuracy – Is the information accurate?

Are the sources for any factual information clearly listed so they can be verified in another source?

Is the information free of grammatical, spelling and other typographical errors?

If there are charts and graphs, are they clearly labeled and easy to read?

• Objectivity – Is the purpose of the site clear?

Does the page make the purpose of the website clear, including any bias or viewpoint?

Is the information free of advertising?

Can you distinguish the facts form opinion

• Currency – Is the information current?

Are there dates on the page to indicate:  When the page was written?  When it was first placed on the Web?  When was the page last revised?

• Relevancy – Is the information useful?

Is the information provided on the page useful for your research topic?

Is the content of the page written at a level that you can understand?

Is the site organization easy to navigate?

Does the site include other links to additional information on your topic?

Works Cited – MLA

Boyertown Area Senior High - MLA – adopted from MLA, 7th ed. revised 02/01/2010

Bibliography Guide in MLA format - Click HERE

   Purdue OWL - Purdue University's Online Writing Lab