Exercise I

1. Write the topic you will be researching this semester in the space provided.(e.g. Are poinsettia plants dangerous for my cat?)

2. Find some information on this topic using whatever strategies and sources you would normally use. (Wikipedia, blog postings, asking your mom, calling your neighbor who works at a vet clinic, etc.)

3. Write down where you looked and what search you used.(e.g. Went to Google and searched [pet health information]. From there I chose www.petmd.com (Links to an external site.) and typed [cats poinsettia] into the search box.

4. Choose one information source that you find and write down the URL or other finding information (article citation, etc.) and summarize what information it gives on the topic and why you would OR would not use the information you found.

5. Describe your experience in a few (2-5) sentences . (e.g."I found what I needed right away. It was quick and easy to find trustworthy information"; "I searched for half an hour and never did find exactly what I wanted. The search terms I used brought up to many irrelevant things")

Exercise 2

1. Use the same topic you selected for Exercise I and write it in the space provided.(e.g. Are poinsettia plants dangerous for my cat?)

2. Choose one finding tool (article database, encyclopedia, etc) from the list on the LibGuide (Links to an external site.). Write it down and explain why you chose this source to look for information on your topic

3. Write down the search you used.

4. Choose one information source that you find and write down the URL or other finding information (article citation, etc.) and summarize what information it gives on the topic and why you would OR would not use the information you found.

5. In one paragraph, compare this search to the one you did in Exercise I. Was it easier or harder and why? Did it take more or less time? Was the information you found more or less trustworthy and why? Was it more or less useful for your purpose and why?