When I need information, I usually turn to Google as a first step. From there, I try to find publications, either in journals or books, that are pertinent to the topic at hand. If I’m aware that someone I know is well-versed in the topic I’m doing research on, I reach out to them as a guideline, or if I need clarification.
I believe that the validity and quality of information depends on the topic being researched. If it is something in the realm of politics, religion, or other topics that can have many varying perspectives, there isn’t necessarily a proper way to validate what I have found. However, when it comes to data-based research topics and scientific findings, I tend to look into the work referenced within what I found, whether it is peer-reviewed or not, and how recently the work was published. If the references are valid, the work is peer-reviewed, and the work was published within the last 5-10 years depending on the topic, I tend to deem it as reliable, quality information.
When I find good information, I tend to save it in a Word document. I keep these documents organized on my hard drive, divided into folders according to the research topic. I personally find this method to be very efficient, as I’ve been operating in this manner since high school, but after reading posts made by my peers, I will certainly look into programs like Zotero.
To conduct research about certain topics, I use Google as my main tool. I will also use online libraries and hard copy books when needed. Again, through reading posts from my peers, I can see that there are many tools I’ve never heard of that seem to be very effective. I will certainly be looking into them.
References
Wix. (2023). Library [Image]. Wix. https://www.wix.com
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