Four Moves

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Four Moves

published by David Cormier

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Effective Searching

Four Moves For

These ideas will help you get closer to the truth. They are ways of working through a search to get a better answer.

Check for Previous Work

Move #1

Move #2

Go “upstream” to the source of the claim. Most web content is not original. Get to the original source to understand the trustworthiness of the information.

Follow the Story

If it's a medical story about research, try and find the research. If it's commentary about a new tool, follow the links that people cited. One wikipedia, follow the sources at the bottom of the page.

Read Laterally

Once you get to the source of a claim, read what other people say about the source (publication, author, etc.). The truth is in the network.

Move #3

What does everyone else say?

You can copy out some of the content and see if it exists the same way somewhere else (Marketing trick).

Circle Back

If you get lost, or hit dead ends, or find yourself going down an increasingly confusing rabbit hole, back up and start over knowing what you know now. You’re likely to take a more informed path with different search terms and better decisions.

Move #4

Back to the Beginning

Go back to your original search. Can you do a better job given what you learned?

Images and links

http://www.irlabnp.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Archaeology.jpg

https://www.goodfreephotos.com/albums/united-states/virginia/blue-ridge-parkway/looking-upstream-at-the-james-river.jpg

http://www.seriouseats.com/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/thtstudios/306969579

https://www.flickr.com/photos/opensourceway/4603527037

https://www.flickr.com/photos/ky_olsen/3133347219

https://www.flickr.com/photos/-qtouch-/6860503632

Research borrowed from the excellent work of Michael A. Caulfield: https://webliteracy.pressbooks.com/