research

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/10/201027105337.htm

easy to understanding

NAME_____________________________ LAB PARTNER’S NAME__________________________

CHEM 1001 Lab #1A – Intro to Information Literacy Page 1 of 6

Lab #1 – Part A
Introduction to Information Literacy: Google Search Evaluation

Objectives:

In this exercise you will learn how to:
1. The information literate student defines and articulates the need for information.
2. Use Google to search for information more effectively
3. Practice searching for information to help you answer a scientific question
4. Practice website evaluation based on Currency, Relevance, Authority, Accuracy, and

Purpose (CRAAP)
Introduction:

We are currently in the “Information Age”, and a well-developed set of skills for finding, retrieving,
analyzing, and using this abundant information will be essential to your success in any field. These
skills are also vital to our continuing quest to become scientifically literate citizens. In today’s lab
exercise you work with a partner to improve your web search and information evaluation skills.

Procedure Part 1:

1. A research question was assigned to your group and you performed a preliminary Google
search in an attempt to answer the question.

2. Now, your TA will play an introductory video prepared by DU’s Prior Science and Engineering
Librarian. Take notes, paying special attention to the various strategies that she uses to refine
her search – you will need to use these strategies to complete the laboratory.

3. Using your notes from the video, work with your partner to conduct new Google searches. Try
and compare at least 5 different search strategies demonstrated in the video, and record your
results in the space that begins on the next page. For each search strategy, record:

• Your search strategy (what did you put in the search box?)
• The search results (# of results, and information about the first two websites returned)

Procedure Part 2:

1. When you have completed your 5 different search strategies, discuss your search strategies
and results from Part 1 with your partner and work together to determine the search strategy
that you think will be the most useful for helping you answer your research question. This will
be your “optimum strategy”

2. Repeat this “optimum” search and this time record the titles of the first five web sites returned
by Google when using this strategy.

3. Explore each of these first 5 websites, and evaluate each of them based on the Evaluation
Criteria presented in the introductory video and described in the CRAAP Test Handout on the
last page of this document.

4. Based on these criteria, choose one website from your list of five that you feel is “most helpful”,
and one that you consider to be “least helpful”. For each of these, fill out the table on the last
two pages with the details of your CRAAP analysis.

PROCEDURE

CHEM 1001 Lab #1A – Intro to Information Literacy Page 2 of 6

5. Work with your partner to prepare a presentation for the rest of class. Your group presentation
should be about 3-5 minutes long, and should include:

• A description of your research question
• The “optimal” Google search strategy that you applied
• A brief description of the “most helpful” and “least helpful” source that you found
• A brief explanation of how you assigned these websites as “most helpful” and “least

helpful” based on the CRAAP evaluation criteria, found on the last page of this packet.
PART 1 –
Write Your Research Question Here:

Search Strategy #1: _____________________________________________________________
– Number of Results: ___________________
– Title of first two results (after the ads)
1.

2.

Search Strategy #2: _____________________________________________________________
– Number of Results: ___________________
– Title of first two results (after the ads)
1.

2.

Search Strategy #3: _____________________________________________________________
– Number of Results: ___________________
– Title of first two results (after the ads)
1.

2.

PROCEDURE

CHEM 1001 Lab #1A – Intro to Information Literacy Page 3 of 6

Search Strategy #4: _____________________________________________________________
– Number of Results: ___________________
– Title of first two results (after the ads)
1.

2.

Search Strategy #5: _____________________________________________________________
– Number of Results: ___________________
– Title of first two results (after the ads)
1.

2.

PART 2:
Chosen “Optimum Search Strategy” #_______:

– Number of Results: ___________________
– Title of first five results (after the ads).
(Label one site as “most helpful” and one as “least helpful”)
1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

PROCEDURE

CHEM 1001 Lab #1A – Intro to Information Literacy Page 4 of 6

Website Evaluation Rubric
Make notes about the following questions for your “Most Helpful” and “Least Helpful” website.

Evaluation Criteria Most Helpful Website: Least Helpful Website:

CURRENCY
When was the information
written or updated?

Do the links work?

Does it matter to your
research if the information is
current? Is older information
also useful?

RELEVANCE
Does the information answer
your question?

Is it entirely about your topic
or are there just a few
sentences about your topic?

Is the information geared
toward your level? Is it too
advanced or too elementary?

AUTHORITY
Who is the author/creator? If
there is no specific author,
which organization
sponsored the page?

Does the author have a
background that would
suggest knowledge of the
topic?

Is contact or biographical
information provided?

PROCEDURE

CHEM 1001 Lab #1A – Intro to Information Literacy Page 5 of 6

Evaluation Criteria Most Helpful Website: Least Helpful Website:

ACCURACY
Where does the information
come from?

Is it backed up by evidence
or just opinion?

Is it substantiated in other
sources?

PURPOSE
Why was the information
written? To inform? To
persuade? To sell?

Are the intentions of the
article made clear?

Is the information presented
objectively? Are there any
biases present?

The CRAAP test was developed by CSU Chico

1. NAME: Wenjia Zhang
2. LAB PARTNERS NAME: Carter Allen
3. Write Your Research Question Here: Should you stop eating acidic foods to prevent heartburn?
4. Number of Results: Searched topic through google “Acidic foods cause heartburn”
5. Title of first two results after the ads: 292,000
6. Number of Results_2: Searching “Heartburn acidic food”

7. Title of first two results after the ads_2: 32,500,000
8. Number of Results_3: Searched “heartburn acidic food” with time filter for 2000-2020
9. Title of first two results after the ads_3: 3,580,000
10. title 1-1: What causes heartburn (Acid Reflux) ?
11. title 1-2: 11 Foods that can cause Heartburn – Healthline
12. title 2-1: List of the Best and Worst Foods for Acid Reflux
13. title 2-2: 7 Foods to add to your diet for Acid Reflux – Healthline
14. title 3-1: Acid Reflux Diet: Grocery Lists, Recipes, and More
15. title 3-2: Foods that Reduce Heartburn (Acid Reflux) – News Medical
16. Number of Results_4: Searched “acidic food side effects”

17. Title of first two results after the ads_4: 48,600,000
18. Number of Results_5: Searched “heartburn cause”

19. Title of first two results after the ads_5: 20,400,000
20. Chosen Optimum Search Strategy: 1
21. Title of first five results after the ads: 292,000
22. title 4-1: Acidic Foods: What to limit or avoid – Healthline
23. title 5-1: What effect do acidic foods have on the body?
24. title 51-1: Heartburn – Symptoms and causes – Mayo Clinic
25. title 5-2: Heartburn: Causes, symptoms, and treatments – Medical News Today
26. Text11: What causes heartburn (acid reflux)? “Most helpful”
27. Text12: 11 Foods that can cause heartburn- Healthline
28. Text13: 7 foods to add to your diet for acid reflux – Healthline
29. Text14: Top 10 Heartburn Food Triggers: Coffee, Grapefruit, Garlic, Tomato, and More
    “Least helpful”
30. Text15: Common Heartburn Triggers: Fatty Foods, Alcohol, Citrus, and More – WebMD
31. Text16: 2008

    Yes

    I think that there is very little information in this article that I can learn from, and it has not contributed much to my research.

32. Text17: a small part of

    Just a few sentences can use in my topic

    I can understand clearly by myself.

33. Text18: Denise Mann

    Denise Mann is a freelance health writer in New York. Before joining WebMD, Mann worked for the Medical Tribune News Service for three years.

    Yes, there is the website’s Facebook and Twitter.

34. Text21: 2018, Feb 17th

    Yes
    All the information are useful. This article was published in 2018, this information is still very valuable for reference.

35. Text22: Yes, Especially in the first two paragraphs of the article, it is very helpful for me to research the question. But at the same time, I also need a lot of other information.
    I think a large part of the article explains the topic I am researching.
    For the information in the article, I can fully understand it myself.
36. Text23: Cedars-Sinai Staff

    Cedars-Sinai’s blog and digital publications tell the stories of thriving patients, dedicated caregivers, and brilliant clinician-scientists.
    Yes, there is a phone number on this web.

37. Text19: From author’s research and other web’s information

    It have many evidences, there are many experts’ name and cites in the article.
    Yes

38. Text20: I think the article echoes the title, explaining in great detail 10 foods that cause heartburn.

    Yes, it is very clear.

    The information presented objectively.

39. Text24: The information comes from this web their own research and other readings.
    It had pieces of evidence. In the article, we can saw some cites.
    Yes

40. Text25: I think it is to maintain the integrity of the article because The article mentioned the cause, the factors in the process, and the result or solution must be included in the end. This also gives readers a complete reading experience.
    Yes, the intentions are very clear.
    The information presented objectively.

CHEM 1001, Laboratory #8 – Climate Change Article Evaluation Page 1 of 5

Name:
Lab #8 – Climate Change Article Evaluation

RESEARCH PROJECT INSTRUCTIONS
To begin this assignment, you and your partner will use the Google search skills that you learned in
Lab #1 to find an article from a “popular” media source (not a peer-reviewed journal). The article
should be related to climate change and must reference a peer-reviewed scientific article. Then, you
will look up the original peer-reviewed article that contained the scientific findings referenced by the
popular medial source article. Then, you and your lab partner(s) will prepare a short (5-7 minute)
PowerPoint presentation to share your findings with the rest of your lab section during Week 8.

POPULAR SOURCES VS. PEER-REVIEWED JOURNALS

Type of Source Popular Sources Peer-reviewed Journals

Audience The general public Experts within a specific field

Information
within Article

More general – it is a summary
of one or more specific pieces of

research

Very specific – this is where scientists
explain their work in excruciating detail
to prove the validity and importance of

their findings

Authors Someone who did not perform the

experiments

The scientists who performed the

experiments

Language Non-technical and easy to read Very technical and difficult to read

Requirements for article from popular source:

• Is related to climate change, greenhouse gases, or another key topic from Chapter 4
• Must cite the original scientific study (from a peer-reviewed journal)
• Should be fairly recent (within the last 2 years)
• Must be a summary of science research that is written for a non-expert audience
• Should come from a source that is frequently read by non-experts, such as Popular Science,

Time Magazine, Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, 9News, CNN, Denver Post, etc.

The DU Science Librarian created a webpage that should help you with this part of the
assignment: http://libguides.du.edu/c.php?g=403306

Ø Once you have located an article that fits the requirements above, answer ALL of the
questions in the Table on Page 2.

Ø If there is not enough information to answer ALL of the questions in the Table on Page 2, you
will need to find a new popular article.

Ø You will upload your completed file (completing all tables and questions below) to Canvas
before your lab #8 starts (this file acts as your pre-lab and your presentation is your “lab &
post-lab”). EVEN THOUGH YOU AND YOUR LAB PARNER WILL USE THE SAME
ARTICLES AND PRESENT TOGETHER, EACH PERSON NEEDS TO TURN IN THEIR OWN
COMPLETED FILE; 1 FILE PER PERSON, NOT PER GROUP.

CHEM 1001, Laboratory #8 – Climate Change Article Evaluation Page 2 of 5

POPULAR ARTICLE

Title of popular article

Where did you find the popular article?
(title of publication)

Does the popular article reference a
peer-reviewed article that you can find?

PEER-REVIEWED ARTICLE

What is the title of the peer-reviewed
scientific article mentioned in the
popular article?

Who are the authors of the peer-
reviewed scientific article?

What journal was the peer-reviewed
article published in?

What is the publication date for the
peer-reviewed article?

Scientific articles can be pretty long and complicated, so people often do not read the entire article –
they just read the abstract! In addition to the abstract, people usually look at the figures and the last
few sentences of the article. Read the abstract of your peer-reviewed article (usually found at the
beginning) and the conclusion (usually the last paragraph or two). Then, answer the question in the
box below.
This is a video from the DU librarian that explains how to read the abstract of a peer-reviewed
scientific article to get a general understanding of the paper:
https://canvas.du.edu/courses/103483/assignments/829720

1. In your own words, write a brief summary of the scientific article based upon reading the
abstract and conclusion sections.

CHEM 1001, Laboratory #8 – Climate Change Article Evaluation Page 3 of 5

In order to better understand the peer-reviewed scientific article, collect some background
information on the specific topic of the article.

• Use the skills that you learned in Lab #1 to:
o Use Google to find websites with background information
o Use the CRAAP evaluation criteria to identify useful websites

2. In the space below, provide some background information on your peer-reviewed article:
Also include:

a. How you located the information
b. The URLs for websites you visited

CHEM 1001, Laboratory #8 – Climate Change Article Evaluation Page 4 of 5

Now you will do an evaluation of the quality of the original peer-reviewed scientific article.
• This is a video that will help you evaluate the quality of the peer-reviewed scientific article:

https://canvas.du.edu/courses/103483/assignments/829720
• Use the methods from the video to fill in the blanks in this table:

EVALUATING THE PEER-REVIEWED SCIENTIFIC ARTICLE

a) How many times has the article
been cited?

b) How many articles have been
published by the first author?

c) How many articles have been
published by the last author?

d) What institution is the first author
affiliated with?

e) Can you determine who funded
the research? If so, do the
authors appear to be well-funded?

f) What is the impact factor of the
journal? How does the impact
factor compare to other journals
on similar subject matter?

CHEM 1001, Laboratory #8 – Climate Change Article Evaluation Page 5 of 5

3. Now that you have performed an evaluation on the original peer-reviewed scientific article,
how do you rate the information and accuracy of the popular article that you selected? Provide
your evaluation of the popular article based on your research and new understanding of the
subject matter.

Presentation (done with your laboratory partner):
You will be presenting your findings to your lab mates in lab during Week 9 (November 9th – 13th)

• Prepare a 5 – 7 minute presentation using Microsoft PowerPoint (or Google Slides).
• A rubric explaining how your presentation will be graded can be found under Lab 8 in Canvas.
• The purpose of your presentation is to:

1. Share what you learned with your classmates
2. Explain to them how you evaluated the quality of the information

• You will share your screen during your zoom lab to give your presentation, so you will
need to have your slides on your computer or your partner’s computer. Your TA will not
be screening your presentation from their computer.

• This lab session will be recorded so that I can review the presentations, as necessary.
• You must attend your scheduled laboratory section, on-time, and stay for the entirety of

the class period – or until all student presentations are completed.

1. Name: Wenjia Zhang
2. Title of popular article: Saving the climate from the ground up
3. Where did you find the popular article title of publication: ScienceDaily
4. Does the popular article reference a peerreviewed article that you can find:
5. What is the title of the peerreviewed scientific article mentioned in the popular article:
6. Who are the authors of the peer reviewed scientific article:
7. What journal was the peerreviewed article published in:
8. What is the publication date for the peerreviewed article:
9. 1 In your own words write a brief summary of the scientific article based upon reading the abstract and conclusion sections:
10. 2 In the space below provide some background information on your peerreviewed article Also include a How you located the information b The URLs for websites you visitedRow1:
11. a How many times has the article been cited:
12. b How many articles have been published by the first author:
13. c How many articles have been published by the last author:
14. d What institution is the first author affiliated with:
15. e Can you determine who funded the research If so do the authors appear to be wellfunded:
16. f What is the impact factor of the journal How does the impact factor compare to other journals on similar subject matter:
17. Text1: