Finding+information

The Internal Assessment requires independent research in to a topic that interests you. Your first port of call should be your school library, your local library or a university library because there is no substitute for a book written by an historian.

Be mindful when using online sources. For your IA, you should only use reputable and authoritative sources. Some online sources fit that bill but always be judicious and critical in using websites. You should not rely on websites as your key sources for B, C and D. That doesn't mean that you can't cite online material, you just have to critically evaluate the websites that you do use.

You can read Wikipedia articles but never ever ever cite Wikipedia in your IA. If the information on Wikipedia is good, look at the original sources and references at the bottom of the article and locate those sources in the library and online. Check the info, ensure that the source is reliable, cross check the information and then cite the original info.

Your key information should come from reputable books and peer reviewed academic articles.

What you need to find:

 * Look for a broad range of relevant, authoritative sources which help you answer your research question. Aim for a minimum of 6 - 8 high quality sources.
 * You will evaluate two significant sources in Section C (OPVL). These two have to be central to your argument and you should be able to explain why that is so. It is preferable to have two contrasting sources: Preferably two opposing view points and or/one primary / one secondary.

**Online research methods** When using online research methods, it is important to use sophisticated and efficient search queries.A lot of the information below is about finding reputable and authoritative resources. "Just googling it" just doesn't cut it.

> Some schools give online access to University libraries. If not, then you can sign up for free with most State Libraries or even some University libraries. > >
 * **State and University libraries**
 * ** Scribd. ** Give it a go. Yes, they do charge money, but you can get a 7 day free trial, a day pass for $9.00 or you can go all the way and pay monthly ($4 a month). A lot of books and articles are available through Scribd so I believe it is good value to sign up if one of your key books can be found online.


 * See a collection of online books here.

> Use JSTOR (short for Journal Storage) and other online academic databases. This is your best bet for high quality, peer reviewed articles. Ask your teacher about how to gain access to these databases (Your school library, state libraries or university libraries)
 * ** Peer reviewed articles. **

> **I**t is so much more efficient to use the “Search Options”. Choose “Google eBooks” to get all the books that can be read online. Save books to your library so you don’t “lose” them. Take screenshots of significant pages or quotes.
 * **Google Books, use Search Options.**

You will probably find yourself at University in the not too distant future. You will be doing a lot of reading, writing and researching there, so you might as well become better and more sophisticated and at organizing yourself online.
 * **Evernote**

The two best tools for that are Diigo and Evernote. You can use both or just one. Here are some videos and links which explain it all: http://ycisibcore.wikispaces.com/Research+Tips+and+Tools

> Stand on the Shoulders of Giants. This is a great way to get more authoritative results. See image below. Again, use your [|effective search queries to get the best results].
 * **Google Scholar.**

I have found the best History books in charity shops, so do not walk past one without having a quick look at the History section. In Australia, the Brotherhood of St Lawrence Charity has opened up an online bookshop. There is an impressive range of History books here: [] and best of all, free shipping! World of books (Australia) also offers free shipping: []
 * **Charity shops and Secondhand books:**

Amazon is always great for cheap second hand books, but recently I have started using “ Bookdepository ” for textbooks and other books. Again, you can’t beat free shipping.

If you have a larger device like an iPad or Tablet / Kindle or Kobo, getting your books as a digital text is a good option too. Some school libraries have an EBL (Electronic Book Library). Many university and state libraries offers similar services.
 * **Ebooks:**

>
 * Some ** search basics: ** Use “quotation marks to find a complete sentence”. Add things like filetype:doc or filetype:pdf to find more specific material. Adding site:.edu to your "search queries" is also a good way to access information from university websites. [|For more, read here].
 * Best trick: Take a sentence from a book you are looking for and Google that sentence using quotation marks. You can even add filetype:doc or filetype:pdf. You’ll be amazed to find that many books are online.


 * ** Better Google searches: **

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