Tips and Tricks

General Tips
  • Make sure to use a signature or tag line every time you answer a question!
  • Have a bias towards online sources, but don't be afraid to recommend or quote from print sources. If you're recommending a print source, you should probably be sure that it's something that's widely held (like Gale stuff, etc.)
  • With regard to subscription databases, I think we should use them, by all means! Try saying something like:

    "According to the XYZ reference site, the answer to your question is 'abc.' XYZ is only available through library subscriptions. Please check if your local library subscribes. Even if they don't, they may have similar tools that are just as useful."

    ...or something like that.

    I think it's good for us to show off the fact that we've got cool tools that go "way beyond google." Flex our muscles a bit!

Research
  • Many a times questions have already been answered elsewhere. To find existing answers or to conduct research, you may want to use a Question and Answer search engine - Snappy Fingers
  • To view the buzz around a particular topic you may want to use a search engine that searches forums - Omgili

Yahoo Answers
  • When you go to the "Answer" section, use the subject guide on the left to get a better "density" of answerable questions, otherwise you'll be sorting through a lot of social questions (like "what's your favorite shampoo?" or "should Lindsay Lohan go to rehab again?"). Unless the social questions are your thing! Anyway, I've had good luck with the "Education & Reference" category, as well as the "Science & Mathematics." I've seen others digging into the "Arts & Humanities/Books & Authors" subcategory.


Askville (Amazon)
  • Nothing yet, care to add something?

Wikipedia Reference Desk
  • Sign up for an account (easy and free) and put a little bit about yourself on your User page (which will have the name User:Yourname)



Posted Anonymously Latest page update: made by Anonymous , Nov 20 2008, 12:07 AM EST (about this update About This Update Posted Anonymously adding research avenues - anonymous

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