Library Research Skills Pre-test
Take this quiz to find out how much you already know about doing research, and to identify areas for improvement. Receive instant feedback, explanations, and referrals to various resources to help you learn how to optimize your research knowledge and skills.
- 1.How much research you will need to do depends on:
- A.
Your existing knowledge (how much you already know about the topic)
- B.
Your information gaps (areas you need to find out more about)
- C.
The assignment's requirement
- D.
All of the above
- 2.True/False: All of the content in the Library's databases is also freely available on the Internet.
- A.
True
- B.
False
- 3.What is the difference between the Library's Summon search tool and Google Scholar?
- A.
Summon searches only the Library's collection
- B.
Google Scholar searches the open Web
- C.
Both A and B
- D.
There is no difference
- 4.What is the difference between Google and Google Scholar?
- A.
Google Scholar focuses on indexing books, articles, and other scholarly looking items on the Web
- B.
Google indexes pretty much everything it can find
- C.
There is no difference
- D.
Both A and B
- 5.What is the BEST reason to use a brainstorming strategy to develop search terms?
- A.
Articles about the same topic always use the same terms
- B.
You can't use the same terms to search library databases that you use to search the Internet
- C.
Authors, with different viewpoints, often use different terms to describe the same topic
- D.
Brainstorming search terms is a waste of time
- 6.True/False: You should type your full topic sentence or question into the search box to find the most relevant results
- A.
True
- B.
False
- 7.In order to know which search operator or advanced search techniques a database uses, it is best to:
- A.
Read the help pages provided within the database
- B.
Ask a librarian
- C.
Ask your instructor
- 8.I'm looking for information on diseases found in mice, rats, and rodents, therefore my search should be:
- A.
(mice OR rats OR rodents) AND diseases
- B.
(mice AND rats AND rodents) AND diseases
- C.
Mice AND rats AND rodents AND diseases
- D.
Mice OR rats OR rodents OR diseases
- 9.Popular vs Scholarly sources: Which of the following is a characteristic of a scholarly source?
- A.
Source contains a lot of colour pictures and advertisements
- B.
Articles are relatively short and address a general audience
- C.
Articles are written by researchers and professionals for an audience in a specific field of study
- D.
Articles do not provide a list of sources or references
- 10.Primary vs Secondary sources: Which of the following is NOT an example of a primary resource?
- A.
Raw data
- B.
Legal documents
- C.
Interviews
- D.
Correspondence (letters, email)
- E.
Textbook
- F.
Government documents
- G.
Photographs
- 11.In what ways can a citation manager help with your research? Check all options that apply.
- A.
It allows you to create and organize a personal research database of references and related files
- B.
It can gather references automatically from article databases
- C.
It can write your paper for you
- D.
It can generate a draft bibliography
- E.
It can integrate with Microsoft Word to format papers and in-text citations instantly in a variety of styles (e.g. APA)
- F.
It allows you to share citations with colleagues
- G.
It allows you to transfer references among various applications (e.g. Excel, other citation managers)
- 12.Identify criteria that are important to consider when evaluating the information you are finding. Check all options that apply.
- A.
Currency (When was it written?)
- B.
Relevancy (Does it relate to my topic?)
- C.
Authority (Is it clear who wrote the material? Are they qualified?)
- D.
Accuracy (Can the sources of the information be verified?)
- E.
Purpose (Is the material meant to inform or entertain?)
- F.
Bias (Are the author's biases, if any, clearly stated?)
Questions: 7 | Attempts: 18819 | Last updated: Nov 3, 2020
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