1. Hyponym – a word that describes things more specifically (Niagara Falls is a hyponym for waterfall); narrows a search
2. Hypernym – refers to broad categories or general concepts (car/airplane are hypernyms for Ford/Boeing 747)
3. Are there words with multiple meanings?
4. Stop words: more words do not get better results – these words - a, an, and, the, at, have, not, of, are, as – clutter a question
5. Word order: put most important words first
6. Spelling counts; you must spell your search terms correctly.
7. Be specific: use specific search terms

Research means:

Finding information based on your questions or assignment

1. Read the information. Decide if it is correct and if it answers your questions.
2. Take notes in your own words to answer your questions.
3. Use the information from your notes to complete your assignment.

Intellectual Property - sentences and ideas written by an individual

Plagiarism - Using someone else's ideas as your own -- stealing intellectual property This is illegal. It could result in the lowering of your grade or possibly failure.

Student Responsibility

• Follow the checksheet dates provided by the teacher
• Use the resources provided on the library page or on the teacher assignment
• Take notes in your own words
• Keep a list of the sources you use Hand in YOUR OWN work.
• Your teacher should give you explicit directions for the assignment and a rubric. Make sure you understand the assignment and follow the rubric.

If you need help finding good information, ask your librarian.
Website for evaluating online information: http://21cif.com/tools/evaluate/