The Research Virtuoso: Brilliant Methods for Normal Brains

Anne Hutchings, a former elementary-school teacher-librarian with the
Durham Board of Education, is an educational consultant.

Written for late teens and adults, The Research Virtuoso is a
comprehensive guide to accessing the most reliable information from a
variety of sources. The framework for the discussion centres around
Dominic, a first-year college student about to begin research on his
first term paper.

Since research today often begins on the Internet from the comfort of
one’s own home, this guide begins with information about search
engines (Yahoo!, Google, MSN Search, AltaVista) and metasearch engines
(which allow the researcher to search through several search engines
simultaneously). Keyword, Boolean, word math, and advanced searches are
discussed. Useful tips for finding expert-approved websites and
accessing the deep Web as well as techniques for searching the databases
and digital collections of virtual libraries are given.

Some materials (certain reference works, bibliographies, periodical
indexes, special collections) can only be found within the walls of a
library building. Suggestions for locating these resources are included.


Regardless of the source, evaluating the information is essential. For
this, a handy checklist, the ABCs of evaluating resources, summarized
below, is provided: A—Author: Who is the author? B—Body: Is the
information accurate? C—Currency: When was the information
created/published? Equally important is the need to document sources,
record bibliographic data and, above all, avoid plagiarizing.

With a wealth of information packed into its text, tips, and sidebars,
The Research Virtuoso would be a worthwhile purchase for anyone who does
research, whether for school, business, or simply for personal
interests. The list of recommended websites alone makes it well worth
the purchase price.