Research Tips From Your Public Library

With so much content available online, it can be difficult to distinguish between credible and not-so-credible sources. The term fake news has entered our vocabulary over the last few years but what does it mean? We hear a lot about coronavirus in the news but what sources are giving us accurate information? And now that many students are working from home to complete their studies, they are relying on online resources more than ever. For these reasons, I thought it might be a good time to share some research tips. Feel free to print the guide or refer back  to this page as needed. 

PARL's Guide to Research

Using the Library (when we are open!)

• You can find books, magazines, newspapers, and other print resources at the library. 

• Visit www.parl.ns.ca to search for books and other items.  Type the subject, title, or author into the search bar at the top right-hand corner of the homepage.When you find a book that looks good, you can click on the subject links to find more like it.

• If the book is not available in your local library, you can place a hold on it and have it sent to your local branch.

• Ask for help if needed!

Using the Internet

• There are lots of great resources available on the Internet but you have to know how to find them. Google can bring you back a million answers but they are not all right!

• The library website www.parl.ns.ca has some topical information especially for health and wellness, local history, and genealogy. Check out PressReader for a variety of digital newspapers and magazines from around the world. Visit NovaStory for local history and a collection of digitized local resources.

• Use this guide to make sure your information is credible.

Evaluating Your Sources

• Is the information current? Check the  publication date of the book or article. If using a website, has it been updated recently?

• Consider the source–  does the author or publication have a bias? Is the author an expert in this field? Do a quick search about them to find out more.Does the website represent a trustworthy organization? Read the “About Us” section if there is one.

• If using Google, do you see something like Ad.?  This is a paid advertisement so the source might not be without bias.

• Does the headline make sense? If it looks too crazy to be true it might be a joke or satire.

• Does the website address look like a valid site? An ending like .com.co can mean this is a fake news site.

• Are there spelling or grammatical mistakes?

• Does the author list other sources or can you find information to back up what you read? 

• Wikipedia is not the best source of information!!!

Let's Talk Copyright!

Found some good information? Using images in your project? Make sure you give credit to the sources. Not doing so is called plagiarism. Many images also have copyright protection so check to make sure you have permission to use them.

When in doubt, please ask a librarian, teacher, or parent. 

For more information about how to document your sources, creating a bibliography, visit our Write Stuff page on our website.