Research Journal Entry 3- University 106

My topic has not changed from last week. I am still focusing my research on the community of breast cancer survivors and also considering writing an argumentative essay about the BRCA genetic testing that can pre dispose women to getting breast cancer, with the chances being as high as 85%, if one tests positive for the gene. In terms of the community of breast cancer, I am going to focus on testing, treatment, support and also the genetic testing.

When I was watching the tutorial about how to use the advance search techniques, I was very surprised to learn that there were several things that I didn’t know about the advanced search. One thing that really surprised me was the option to input terms that you don’t want to contain in the search. That was really helpful because when I was searching prior to learning this, the results would come back with a lot of scientific information that really wasn’t pertinent to my search. When I was able to remove those few items, I was able find far more useful information about the personal standpoint of breast cancer.

The Web source that I used was a .org page that is a non-profit organization. The URL for my source is: http://www.facingourrisk.org/.

The reason I chose this Web source was because the information on the website was exactly what I needed. After learning about what makes a site authoritative, I followed the criteria in order to tell whether or not the website was a good one or not. The site I chose is for a non-profit group and there were two indications right away that led me to believe that the site was trustworthy. Both clues I found at the bottom of the page. The first thing being an “HONcode” which is given to websites, which verifies the website provides a standard of trustworthy health information. The other clue I found was a “Guide Star” logo which indicates that the site is recognized through the online non-profit accountability standard. The site also offers other clues that it is a reputable website. The contact information is thorough and all of the links on the site are up and working properly. Overall I feel as though this site has a lot of great information to be used as a potential source for my research paper.