It’s on the Internet….it must be true

Right?  Can’t you believe everything on the Internet?  If you answer yes to this question, I have some websites for you!  Check out the latest news on the newest way to travel to outer space.

Doesn’t that sound like fun?  I’d love to go.  I think my students should take up a collection and book me a ride for the end of the year.  What?  Do you really think the space elevator is real?  These websites look pretty slick.  They even have pictures.  You can even find information about the space elevator project on Wikipedia.  Just click and see.

Why can’t you trust Wikipedia?  even with footnotes?  If you’re still not sure, check out this Wikipedia entry about Hayden written by our very own FABULOUS librarian, Miss Bowman–at least the addtion to the notable residents.  Then check out the footnoot in the references.  Who wrote the article? (Hint:  Miss Hamilton got her information from an article written and submitted by…..Miss Bowman.)  Is it even about Hayden?

So, where can I go for information?  Our school has subscriptions to several online services that can help you out.  I have conveniently made links in this post and on the sidebar to the right (under Researching Authors).  You can also find links on the library page of our school website.

  • Grolier (go.grolier.com) is an online encyclopedia.  It’s a great place to start for background information.  In addition to articles, it has videos and images that you can use.  Your username is jcsc and your password is home.  Once you log in, type your author’s name in the search box.
  • Inspire (http://www.inspire.in.gov) is an excellent resource for Indiana residents.  Click on the Student Research Center to get information written for students.  Type in your author’s name (spell it correctly!) and clilck search. You can narrow your search by clicking on the links to the left.  The icons across the top narrow your search to type of publication.  You can read the abstract to help you find the best resources.  Once you find the information you want, you can even find the information to include in your citation.  Just copy and paste it into Citation Maker.

You will also need to do a Google search.  Remember:  GOOGLE IS NOT A SOURCE.  It is search engine that leads you to sources. Here are some tips to help you refine your search.  You do need to spell your author’s name correctly.