The resources below focus on information literacy skills. This page includes:
Access to databases
How to search using a Search Engine like Google
How to analyze if a resource is considered reliable or not
How to give credit to the original content creators through citation.
These databases are provided by the Washington State Library.
You will not need a password if you are using the databases on-campus.
If you are using the databases off-campus, please contact your teacher or school librarian for the password.
A collection of databases that are available for students and teachers to use.
Must have a public library card to access.
Learn tricks on how to get better results when you do a Google Search.
How did you get that answer so fast? Learn how the internet makes it so you get your search results so quickly and how to make sure you are getting the right searches.
Merriam-Webster dictionary states plagiarism means:
"To steal or pass off (the ideas or words of another) as one's own: to use (another's production) without crediting the source."
Click on the link below to learn about the different types of plagiarism:
Historical events or traditional website research
These resources are great for evaluating if a website is accurate or not. The media bell curve highlights the level of bias news sites may have. These resources are most useful when doing historical research*.
*Note: Many of these resources/tests were created many years ago and may not be relevant to use when looking at current events or social media resources.
Current Events or Social Media platforms (nontraditional research)
These resources are based on Jennifer LaGarde and Darren Hudgin's book Developing Digital Detectives: Essential Lessons for Discerning Fact from Fiction in the 'Fake News' Era. These steps are based on how to research and identify accurate information on current events, and when using resources found on social media.
These lenses are meant to teach researchers how to identify what is true and untrue online and how to look at why a person may have posted something before they share or repost it on their own page.
(always double check for accuracy)