Information search · 6/6

Search workbench: keep the answer with its sources

Export a reviewable record of questions, searches, evidence and gaps.

About 15–20 minutes. The following cases are fictional.

Record your first judgment

A colleague asks where a claim came from. You remember a search result but no URL, date, section or version.

My initial judgment, confidence and reasons

Understand the judgment process

Keep more than an answer: scope, search path, supporting location, source date, access date and open gaps. Distinguish inspected evidence, provisional inference and unconfirmed claims.

The workbench combines entered terms into queries that can open in a new Google tab. It does not search, fetch pages or verify claims automatically. Exact phrases and domains are optional restrictions; return to a broader query if they eliminate useful results.

“Opened and checked” is your manual record, not system certification. Note what you actually read, the claim it supports or limits, and any shared underlying report. A saved link is not verified evidence.

Export dated revisions. If evidence is insufficient, state what you searched and what comes next instead of inventing plausible citations. Drafts are stored per language in this browser; export to protect against storage loss.

Your search workbench

The workbench requires JavaScript. Without it, use the exercise fields below to record the question, terms, search process, original URLs and locations, dates, provisional answer and gaps. Saving a URL or filling a form does not verify a source.

Checks you can perform

Enter the question, scope and completion standard.
Generate and try queries, recording useful revisions.
Add inspected sources with the claims they address.
Write a provisional answer, gaps and review date; export.

Guided practice

Plan a search for offline export without inventing sources. Fill the question, queries and open checks.

My analysis and checking plan

Explore the explanation

Specify product, version, offline state and format; include the product name with offline export and another-language wording. Plan to inspect current documentation and a sample test. Leave sources blank until found; a plan is not a completed check.

Apply it in a new context

Only an abstract is accessible. What should your report say?

My independent response

Compare after attempting

Label abstract-only access, report what it actually states and mark methods and appendices unchecked. Try an author copy or library access without claiming full-text review.

Preserve a revision record

What changed your judgment? What still supports it? When will you review?

A complete report format does not guarantee correctness; verification still depends on the material and its interpretation.

Check whether you supplied inspectable evidence, a feasible next step and revision conditions. Revealing an answer is not mastery.

Source and scope

Cornell University Library — Getting Started with Library Research

The source provides conceptual or methodological background. Cases, steps and exercises are authored here; they are not the original experiment or evidence of this course’s effectiveness.

I have completed this section; uncheck to undo

Completion is a personal record, not proof of mastery or certification.