In my research for the final assignment, I only used Google search engine to look for information regarding my topic which is ‘Bio-inspired adhesive’. I did not use any other databases or search engines. In my initial search, I used terms such as ‘recent news in tecchnology’ but it wasn’t successful. I knew my searches were not working because I couldn’t find a single article that will match what I had in mind. Instead of specific technological advancement or scientific event, what I was getting were vague news such as ‘NDTV Gadgets’, ‘ExtremeTech: Latest Technology News’ and ‘Technology Headlines’. I did not find one link that will lead me to a possible topic for our final assignment which is a Newsletter article for a hypothetical Newsletter entitled ‘Technology Review’.
I browsed through one website which offered general news on technology and I happened to stumble upon a link which led me to another website which briefly mentioned bio-inspired glue. It seemed interesting enough so I narrowed down my search from technological advancement to ‘bio-inspired glue’ and ‘bio-inspired adhesive’. Thankfully, because my search phrase is already narrowed down and specific, Google search was able to provide me several links pertaining to my topic of choice.
I had used 5 sources for my newsletter article and I chose all of them because I trust them as sources and because it gave the facts I needed to complete my article. Out of the 5 sources, let us take the article from Harvard Gazette entitled “Bio-inspired glue keeps hearts securely sealed” for example. I chose this source because the facts and the explanation were clearly presented and I think people will easily understand it even if the one reading it has no prior medical training or background. Also, the images shown on the website helped create a visual image of my topic and with that, it made it easier for me to explain the topic in my article. I trust it as a source because the website is run by an educational institution, a University. From what I have learned, the most credible articles are those that are either from educational or medical institutions. That being said, some of my sources also came from website funded or run by medical institutions.
I believe that my internet searches for my chosen topic was enough to create an informative and up to date article since I made sure that the publication date of most of my sources is no later than 3 months before. In fact, most of my sources were posted or published just this year, 2014. With that in mind, I think I do not need any more help in locating information for my chosen topic. However, if there is more time, maybe it will help if I had a more in-depth analysis of my topic and search for subtopics within my topics which I can further explain. If I would do that, then that is the time that I would need more help in locating information not only from the internet but also from printed publications such as books.
