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ESL 150 & NCESL 57 (Lackkaty) FA25

Welcome to the Library!

I'm here to support you with your research.

Questions? Email Stacey

Database Searching

1. Spelling counts! Not seeing many results? Double-check your spelling.

2. Try "Phrase Searching" - Place quotation marks around keywords to keep them together.
Example: "emotional intelligence"

3. Use AND/OR to link terms.

  • AND narrows results (includes all terms)
  • OR expands results (includes synonyms)
Example: perseverance AND (achievement OR "career success")

4. Grow your keywords with words you read in abstracts, titles, and subjects.

Evaluating Websites

Lateral reading is a key fact-checking skill to evaluate information.

To evaluate for authority, accuracy, and bias, readers investigate the source using outside sources (e.g. another website). 

  1. Search for the name of an unfamiliar source in a new browser tab 
  2. Check trustworthy sites to learn more about the source