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​Media Studies: Pass It On
Social Media as a Global Flow of information​
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​BEFORE YOU START ...

A quick way to find out more about your topic is to do an internet search ... BUT remember to think critically about which websites you use. For example, JStor is definitely more reliable than Wikipedia. Wikipedia has great coverage of many topics, but you need to be aware that this information is contributed to by lots of different people and now results in a lot of circular reporting. If you are using this site, it always pays to check the information against that on other reputable and authoritative sites.

Remember you need to produce your own work and say (cite) where it came from. Plagiarism is an automatic NA grade.

Where do I start?


​You will need to use a variety of resources to complete this assessment task.

​This includes both primary and secondary sources.

​We will focus on finding quality SECONDARY sources here on this page.​

​What skills will you need for research?

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The first requirement is using the right language and Boolean operators to create a focused non-time-wasting search. 

'Decoding' and 'unpacking' simply means you start by READING THE QUESTION from beginning to end, once, maybe twice, fully. This will help you understand everything that you will need to do for this task.
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Then, you decide what the main words (keywords) in the question are. These words tell you what your answer should be about. Once you know what to look for you can move on to break down the question. Here is an example:
PictureSource: markedbyteachers.com

​Identifying the keywords will also help you find information in books (via the index), in databases and on the internet. It will help you to avoid putting your whole question into a search engine too!

Whole questions often elicit Quora-type results which generally do not pass an authorship/expertise test, and rarely contain verified facts.
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Your second step is to decide WHERE TO LOOK to gather information to help you answer your question(s). A huge amount of time is spent in this 'finding stuff' phase. This is the enemy of the researcher and can spiral out of control. You will have a deadline so don't get caught here for too long!

Instead, you should only be finding relevant stuff, not just anything that is vaguely related to your topic.
There are plenty of great places to look for information. Here are some of the best:

Books

Firstly, books. There are pros and cons to using book information.
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Pros include:
  • it is edited, verified information written by experts. It has therefore already been evaluated as an accurate source for you to use.
  • it contains information not available on the open internet because experts expect to get paid for their information. It's their job, after all!
  • you need to write your assessment in your own words and books can help by not being so available to cut and paste from.
Cons include:
  • once it is published, it can't be updated, so you will need to check its currency.
  • sometimes books simply are not written about your subject so you will need to rely on other sources
  • books are limited to one place so you will need to photocopy/scan and email to yourself anything you need in order to work from home
Click here to see if we have any books or eBooks useful for your topic. Use your main keyword(s) to search.

Databases

Now, databases. There are also pros and cons to using database information.
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Pros include:
  • it is edited, verified information written by experts, just like books.
  • it contains information that is not available on the open internet.
  • It is available from anywhere at any time. Within the school it is password-free; from home you will need a password. This is: cashmere and 12cash
Cons include:
  • sometimes there are simply no articles written about your subject so you will need to rely on other sources
  • sometimes you will find opinion articles and you will need to assess these for bias.
Click here to see the databases we have at CHSL. Use your main keyword to search. Through this CHSL site we also give you access to online encyclopedias such as Britannica (School edition).

Internet / AI

Finally, the internet/AI. Here are the pros and cons of using internet information.
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Pros include:
  • It is available from anywhere at any time, and is therefore hugely convenient!
  • It contains an enormous amount of information.
  • it is very easily searched using your chosen search engine.
Cons include:
  • you must EVALUATE every site on the internet before using it.
  • it contains so much information that it is sometimes difficult to find really good sites.
  • some search engines are better than others. Most search engines use algorithms to push certain sites to the top of the list.
If you are going to use AI for research, please make sure you are not using generative AI to WRITE your assessment. This is plagiarism. Instead, use Bing AI or ChatGPT to research your question. You MUST ask the AI to 'cite your sources' in the questions you ask. AI sometimes 'hallucinates' and makes up answers; this will help prevent misinformation for you.
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Your third step is to begin EFFECTIVE and EFFICIENT SEARCHING.Use the internet itself to help you turn the 'fire-hose' of information into a relevant 'trickle'.
There are many features that are common to all search engines that can help refine a search effectively and efficiently.
Creating search strings for digital information is an extremely effective way of focusing your search..
The not-so secret language of the internet (below) can help you find what you need.
Here is our example question:
  • "Discuss the issues of gender inequality in the Pakistani education system"
If we wanted some information about how many girls actually attend school in Pakistan, our keywords could include:
  • Pakistan
  • education
  • women / girls
  • statistics
The search string would then look like this:
  • Pakistan and education and (women or girls) +statistics -wikipedia
This elicits 76 results as opposed to around 6,340,000 results if you didn't use the tools described above.

Generally, sites can be grouped the following way:
  1. .edu = education site and therefore usually pretty reliable
  2. .gov or .govt = government site so (depending on the country and their government!) they are usually reliable
  3. .org = organisation and usually not-for-profit, therefore less likely to be trying to sell you something
  4. .co. or .com = commercial site. These sites need the most evaluation as they are the easiest sites for just anyone to create
You can use this to your advantage by adding site:.govt or site:.edu to your search string. This will focus you in on quality sites.
Once you find a great site, add related: to the front of it to find others like it.


So now you have found some books, database articles and internet sites, the fourth step is to EVALUATE them.You will need to evaluate your sources. This includes books, database articles and internet sites.
Here at CHSL we teach the CRAP test for digital sites to all Y9 students each year and refresh other classes as needed. There are alternatives such as the CRAAP test, CAMPER, CARS.
  • Currency - is it current enough for your assessment task?
  • Reliability - does anything about this information look weird or wildly inaccurate? Does it fit with what you already know?
  • Authority - who wrote it and are they experts?
  • Purpose/Point of view - is the site there to impart information or to sell you something? Is it fact or opinion (bias)?
Books should be checked for CURRENCY (the publication date is on the reverse of the title page) but automatically pass the R. A. and P. as they have an editor.
Database articles should be checked for CURRENCY and POINT OF VIEW (bias) only as they too have an editor.
Internet sites must be checked for CURRENCY, RELIABILITY, AUTHORITY, PURPOSE & POINT OF VIEW as there is not necessarily an editor for internet sites.


The fifth step is to FIND RELEVANT INFORMATION within your evaluated and tested sources.Finding relevant information relies on two things:
  1. keeping the question in front of you at all times, so that it can be referred to often
  2. using good skimming and scanning techniques
By keeping the question in front of you at all times, you are constantly able to refer back to it. This will mean you waste less time in searching for information you don't need.
Ways to help with this are:
  • create a document (Google doc, Google slides, PowerPoint, Word document etc.) and put the question at the top
  • alternatively, break down the question into smaller parts and use these as headings throughout your document. This will help you track your progress and also help with your planning.
Skimming and scanning: the more familiar you are with the text, the more you can get out of it. One of the most effective methods for beginning the kind of thoughtful reading necessary for your assessment task is to get a general overview of the text before beginning to read it in detail.
By first skimming a text, you can get an overall sense of what it is about. Skimming can also help you make decisions about where to place your greatest focus when you have limited time for your reading.
  1. read carefully the introductory paragraph, or perhaps the first two paragraphs. As yourself what the focus of the text appears to be, and try to predict the direction of the coming explanations or arguments.
  2. Read carefully the first one or two sentences of each paragraph, as well as the concluding sentence or sentences.
  3. In between these opening and closing sentences, keep your eyes moving and try to avoid looking up unfamiliar words or terminology. Your goal is to pick up the larger concepts and something of the overall pattern and significance of the text.
  4. Read carefully the concluding paragraph or paragraphs. What does the author’s overall purpose seem to be? Remember that you may be mistaken, so be prepared to modify your answer.
  5. Finally, return to the beginning and read through the text carefully, noting the complexities you missed in your skimming and filling in the gaps in your understanding. Think about your purpose in reading this text and what you need to retain from it, and adjust your focus accordingly. Look up the terms you need to know, or unfamiliar words that appear several times.
Scanning is basically skimming with a more tightly focused purpose: skimming to locate a particular fact or figure, or to see whether this text mentions a subject you’re researching. Keep a specific set of goals in mind as you scan the text, and avoid becoming distracted by other material. You can note what you’d like to return to later when you do have time to read further, and use scanning to move ahead in your research project.
Adapted from: http://advice.writing.utoronto.ca/researching/skim-and-scan/


Step 6 is the time to PLAN your work and TAKE CLEAR NOTES.Take the ideas you found in your skimming and scanning and start planning. Use mind maps (if they work for you).
Try this GoConqr tool to create your mind map. You can sign in with Google (which means one less password to remember!). It takes a few minutes to set up but, once you have, you can easily create free mind maps that help you plan your work. Look at the example below:
So you have your plan, now you need some detailed notes so you can complete your assessment task.
Successful strategies for note-taking are:
  • know what kind of ideas you need to record: focus your approach to the topic before you start detailed research.
  • read with a purpose in mind, and you will be able to sort out relevant ideas.
  • review the commonly known facts about your topic, and also become aware of the range of thinking and opinions on it. Review your class notes and textbook and browse in an encyclopaedia or other reference work.
  • make a list of the subtopics you would expect to find in your reading. These will guide your attention and may come in handy as labels for notes.
  • look for: facts and theories that help answer your question, and other people’s opinions about whether specific answers are good ones.
  • copy out exact words only when the ideas are memorably phrased or surprisingly expressed—when you might use them as actual quotations in your essay.
  • compress ideas in your own words. Paraphrasing word by word is a waste of time. Choose the most important ideas and write them down as labels or headings. Then fill in with a few subpoints that explain or exemplify.
  • find your own words for notes in the margin (or on “sticky” notes).
  • use a highlighter (or a range of idea-specific colour-coded highlighters) and annotate what you highlight.
  • save bother later by developing the habit of recording bibliographic information in a master list.
  • try as far as possible to put notes on separate cards or sheets. This will allow for grouping and synthesising of ideas later.
Adapted from: http://advice.writing.utoronto.ca/researching/notes-from-research/
Gale Powersearch - abbo55004
Use POWER SEARCHING via GALE. Think about some of the search terms you have decided on during your planning.

​This is a widget. You can put your search terms straight into it.
Use JStor to find information on your topic. You will need to log in with your Google School account to access these articles.

Think about your search terms before you begin. ​
Use Carrot2 to find information on your topic. Click on FOAM TREES to see a visual representative of your search.

Think about your search terms before you begin. Use "quotation marks" to keep your search terms together in the search.​
Use Google News to find information on your topic. This just finds news for you rather than going through a full Google search.

Think about your search terms before you begin. Use "quotation marks" to keep your search terms together in the search.​

The CRAPP test and research 'moves'​ ...

The second requirement is assessing the information you have gathered and making sure that it is appropriste and good enough for your research.

Referencing using APA style:

​Here is your exemplar APA bibliography ...

It includes format templates for:
  • websites
  • books
  • journal articles
  • visiting speakers
Use CiteThisForMe as your referencing tool. It uses a Chrome Extension. Or you can use the built-in APA referencing in Google docs.
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  • An interview is not considered recoverable data, so no reference to this is provided in the reference list. You should, however, cite the interview within the text as a personal communication.
    Examples:
    (J. Smith, personal communication, August 15, 2009) - in-text
    J. Smith (personal communication, August 15, 2009) - quote weaving
Below is the guide from Wellington University if you get stuck. Also, Library Staff are here to help you, too.
Thank you for visiting Cashmere High School Library.