Part 1a. (Self-Assessment):
1a. Reflect on your past experiences with information retrieval and searching in the context of a research assignment. 250-500 words. Consider the following components below to develop your response.
Possible components to include in your response:
1. What research tools do you usually turn to (e.g. search engine, library collections, specialized databases, or people)? Do you usually get what you want immediately? On average, how long do you spend choosing sources? At what point do you usually stop searching?
2. When you perform a search using various types of search engines, what methods do you usually use—browsing, keyword searching, or both? Do you use any “search tricks” to get better results (boolean operators, subject headings, etc)? How effective have your methods been?
3. What makes a source "good" for your a research paper?
4. What are your strengths and weaknesses when it comes to researching?
5. Have you encountered any frustrations during the search process? What do you think the reasons have been? What methods have you used to solve the problems?
Part 1b. (Topic Selection & Development of a Search Strategy):
*should be answered in a few sentences or bulleted lists*
