Inquiry Process Toolbox

Tools for teacher and students to use during the inquiry process

 

 

Step 2 Use various information resources from reputable sources to begin answering your questions to the inquiry focus.

Internet Search Skills

​Research does not always start with the Google.

Other sources of information are:

  • Non-fictions textbooks.
  • Online Databases.
  • Interviewing experts.
  • Conducting an experiment.
  • Field work.

Create a list of key words from your initial searches as this will help you when searching different databases. 

  1. Underline the key words of the question(s)
  2. If searching the internet use:
  3.  BOOLEAN style search 
AND Italy AND Cooking Results contain ALL of the search items
OR Cars OR automobiles Results contain ANY of the search items but not necessary all of the items
NOT 'Hot drinks' NOT coffee Results exclude the second search item

2. Using Truncation and wildcards

* librar* Results will contain all variations of the word: library, librarian, librarianship
? wom?n Results will contain woman and women
# col#r Results will contain colour and color

Internet Information Sources

Google Web Search

Interviewing

Expertvillage. (2008). Interviewing for research projects: preparing interview questions [video file]. Retrieved June 06, 2015, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=9&v=tRT7VrbP-As

Expertvillage. (2008). Interviewing for research projects: closing the interview [video file]. Retrieved June 06, 2015, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=1&v=OOe4eN8Ipk8

Storing information so that you can find it again

Curation sites enable you to organise and categories or online information:

  • Pearltrees - A visual and collaborative curation tool
  • Pinterest - An online pin up board.
  • Symbaloo - Collate all your favourite websites in one place.
  • Evernote - Note taking app

Information Curation Sites

Encyclopaedia Britannica

Scootle

EBSCO Database

Trove

ABC Splash

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