Journal Entry, Week Four

Journal Prompt: Draft a brief list of criteria to use in future research projects that will help you identify and select relevant resources.

I feel like doing research in the technology field is way different than doing research in other fields due to how fast technology changes.  One criteria that I have when researching information about technology is that it is fairly up-to-date.  If the resource I am using is more then a couple of years old, then it is likely going to be thrown out.  Heck, even a source that is 2 years old could very well be out of date when it comes to technology.  I have found a lot of good up-to-date sources online and found it a lot harder to find current articles in the library databases. 

Another way to identify reliable and relevant resources would be to check the reputation and/or credentials of the person writing an article or the website publishing it.  For instance, when I found a great article in an online magazine, before deciding to use it, I checked to be sure that forensicmag.com was a known and reputable organization.  Once I can verify that the source checks out, I can then use it in my research.

Lastly, the next time that I have to do a research project, I will definitely utilize the "Ask a Librarian" service if I am still in school or utilize the public librarians to help me to better be able to find resources or to use better search terms.  Using the "Ask a Librarian" service really helped me to come up with better searches that produced more results.  Another benefit to that service is that they knew what I was looking for even when I wasn't 100% sure.  They really know how to ask the right questions in order to find the best resources for you.