General+Research+Resources

= Quality Sources of Information =
 * ===**IB guidelines state you should use multiple sources from a variety of places**===
 * ===**Why? – because each specializes in a different type of information.**===
 * ===**It's best to check sources in the following order (from well established knowledge to most recent)**===

Your Library has all of the sources of information mentioned below, available to you. Search the online catalogue or ask your Librarian media type="custom" key="28686876"

**Encyclopedias (Print and Online)**
Encyclopedias contain very established knowledge that’s usually at least 5 yrs old. Encyclopedias are good for getting an overview, setting definitions, finding facts and jotting down key words for database searches. You can include online encyclopedias like Wikipedia at this stage of your research.

**Books**
– established knowledge that has been well researched. It usually takes about 2 yrs to write a book. - good for reading fully developed ideas based on research or investigation. - search the ISL Upper School library catalogue for books: [] - search the London Library, where a 15-mile long collection of excellent books is available for overseas lending. Contact your Librarian if you see anything you need.

**iTunes U**
Over 750,000 high quality audio and video learning resources from the world’s leading education institutions: [] or available from the App store.

**TED Talks**
[]

**eBooks**
- check out the previews or full books on Google Books. - There are other places to look for free ebooks - Book Free Spot, Calibre - Questiaschool and Ebscohost (yes we are subscribed) also carry many e-books.

**Research Journals**
– current scientific research (usually 6months-2yrs old); this is how ideas become established. Good for collecting hard data and analysis. - ISL is subscribed to several high quality, large databases geared towards assisting High School students with their research.

**Magazines, Newspapers & News Websites**
– Click here for a list of newspapers and magazines online via ISL Library. - Great news websites: Google News & Newslookup & Paperboy (lists of newspapers by country)

**Information you Can Trust: [|ipl2]**
Searchable, and organised by subject. A directory of authoritative websites.

**Google Scholar**

 * "** **Google Scholar** helps you find relevant work across the world of scholarly research." Quite often you will only find an abstract, or short summary of the article. If you find an abstract for an article that you think would be perfect for your research, try to find it in one of ISL's databases or email your Librarian, who can help you locate the full article for you.

=**The Deep Web**= They are compiled by experts so the quality is very high. They are available on the internet but hidden on secure servers. They are invisible to search engines so you must go to them and search them personally. It's approximately 70% of the internet, it's called the Hidden Web, it's also called the Deep Web - and you need to find it if you want to do a good essay. [|****Jurn****] The best for History, Economics, Geography - it collects academic journals on the Humanities. Kinda like R, but open and free. It has Sciences & Maths too, but Humanities is its strength. ****DOAR**** The sister site to DOAJ. It searches university repositories for collections of theses, articles, and other web stuff. [|****Europeana****] A digital archive - European museums have joined forces to scan and store Europe's cultural heritage. Heaps of books, articles, art, objects, etc - for free.
 * Did you know that 70% of the internet is invisible to Google?** Databases inside universities, statistics from governments, private collections of web stuff, research for corporations, papers written by large organisations - you need them for your essay - most are invisible to Google, Yahoo, et al.
 * This is where you find the "hidden" information sources on the Deep Web:**
 * [|DOAJ]** Database of academic journals of all types. It searches 2500 free academic journals online.
 * [|TROVE]** Australian & New Zealand digital theses online for free. Check that the //Available Online// box is ticked. A thesis is like a mega EE done at university.
 * DPLA** Same as Trove and Europeana but newly released for USA - The Digital Public Library of America brings together the riches of America’s libraries, archives, and museums, and makes them freely available to the world.

More Academic Databases
- Some are by subscription and some are free - please see a list here: [] Search for your discipline (e.g. Music or Science), then check to see if there are some free databases available for you.

= Primary Sources/ Experts = - Many experts in a field of knowledge are happy to share their expertise with young scholars via e-mail, video-conferencing or in person. Be prepared with specific questions or an interview guide so as not to waste time.

Search the World Wide Web LAST. By the time you've searched the above you've become well acquainted with your topic and can spot relevant and reliable information on the web. Here's a short video to help you speed up your Google Search: [|Google Power Search Tips]
 * World Wide Web - Internet Search **

Ask an information expert - Your Librarian
Having trouble finding a specific article or primary source document? Have you searched all the places mentioned above? Then ask your Librarian for help.