After completing this SECTION, you will be able to:
The following topics are covered in this section and will equip you to start the searching process.
After completing this SECTION, you will be able to:
The following topics are covered in this section and will equip you to start the searching process.
You'll know that you need information when you:
Remember that one needs information not just for study purposes, but for most decisions in everyday life. You make decisions every day, whether it is to buy a cellular phone, house or do a project or assignment. You need information to make good decisions.
What is the problem, question or topic you need information on?
You have now identified that you need information and have a vague idea about the topic. Next you have to formalise your central search question before you can start looking for information.
You have now identified the topic you need information on. The topic is "Aids in the workplace". Remember in some cases your lecturer will give you a specific topic and you won't have to identify one yourself. In such cases you look very carefully at precisely what is asked of you, so that you can formulate your central search question accurately.
When it comes to decisions in your personal life, you will have to identify your need and formulate your own search question to be able to start searching for information, e.g. buying a cellular phone, a car or a house, etc. The more questions you ask, the better your eventual answers will be.
When you search for information, you will need to use keywords. To find the correct keywords, you'll have to do some reading about your topic. In other words, you read to get the right keywords.
Most often, the best place to start reading is in the reference section of the Library. The reference section contains many different types of dictionaries, encyclopaedias, thesauruses, etc., all of which will supply you with more than enough information to start identifying keywords and begin your search.
If your topic is about something that is currently happening in the news, e.g. the new national budget, the best place to start reading will be the latest newspapers and periodicals (magazines).
It is important to start making notes already at this point about the resources you have used, the information you found and where you found it.