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  1. Home ›
  2. Digital Competencies ›
  3. Digital Survival Skills ›
  4. 1.5 Strategic web and database searching

Digital Competencies

  • What They Are
    • Digital Survival Skills
      • 1.1 Networks and file management
      • 1.2 Metacognition and life-long learning
      • 1.3 Troubleshooting
      • 1.4 Managing digital identity, privacy and security
      • 1.5 Strategic web and database searching
    • Digital Communication
    • Data Management and Preservation
    • Data Analysis and Presentation
    • Critical Making, Design and Development
  • Why They Matter
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1.5 Strategic web and database searching

This competency starts with academic research, but gets a lot deeper. Where do you start when you're looking for information online?

Developing this competency involves …

  • Learning how to assess your information needs, identify appropriate digital information sources and finding aids, and recognize when digital and digitized sources are inappropriate or insufficient.
  • Developing a critical understanding of how search engines and algorithms work, how to use them effectively, and their limitations and appropriate use contexts.
  • Developing a critical understanding of how common indexing schemes work, how to use them effectively, and their limitations and appropriate use contexts.
  • Learning to find and use database- or site-specific filters and Boolean, wildcard, or other specialized search functions to effectively refine searches.

See also: “Searching as Strategic Exploration.” Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education.

Student-Curated Resources

This libguide provides great tips about being skeptical in the face of news sources, as well as providing resources on how to spot fake/biased news. There's even a Google Doc list of websites to be wary of. You can also check out ways to begin your research and find scholarly articles with TriPod.
Bryn Mawr College Digital Competencies Program
digicomp@brynmawr.edu
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