"To steal ideas from one person is plagiarism. To steal ideas from many is research."

Guide for Student Research online

    Researching on the web is convenient. You no longer have to leave home and visit the library to consult an authority. Researching on the web saves time. You no longer have to spend time requesting information, waiting in line, and paging through huge books to find information. What you need to know is yours within a few well-planned clicks.

    That said, there are also difficulties with researching on the web. It can be confusing--you have access to so many different resources, where to look first? Additionally, the information you find online may or may not be true, and often times, it's difficult to tell what's accurate and what is not accurate. Anyone can post anything they want to post, and it's easy to make a web page look authentic. Finding a reliable source to quote can be difficult. Lastly, web pages, unlike printed materials, are never finished--what's posted one day can change the next.

    So, is researching on the internet, with all of its difficulties, still worth it? Absolutely, but you must keep some key points in mind:
 

  • If a web site does not list the author's name and a way to contact them, it's a good idea to steer clear of quoting them. Being anonymous does not give an impression of reliability.
  • Try to find out the purpose of the site. Who sponsors the site? Why have they posted the information there? If General Motors sponsors a site, the site might only contain positive information about their cars, and perhaps not the whole truth.
  • If you use a search engine to find materials (like Yahoo, Google, or Ask Jeeves), be sure to quote the source and not the search engine! They just lead you to the information, they are not responsible for the information itself. It's like quoting the paper boy instead of The New York Times.
  • When in doubt, locate well-known news organizations like CNN, MSNBC, The New York Times, and other periodicals. If you know them as a reliable source in print, they're a reliable source online as well.
  • It's a good idea to print out the information you find since links and information are always changing. If someone sees it in print, you can back up your findings.
  • Start searching from a more precise starting point, like a library, or another source that targets research sites (like a library, school, or government site).

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    This guide to student research, sponsored by St. Louis University, is a wonderful resource, and provides tips for researching on the web.
     

    Here are some links which are good starting points for locating online reference materials:
     
     

    New York Public Library (library card # required for most online research)

    Library of Congress

    Library Spot

    Yahoo research

    The New York Times (registration required)

    Find Articles.com

    Purdue University

    Murry Bergtraum Library's Web Page

    Encyclopedia Brittanica




    CLASS EXERCISE:

    Find out the following information on the web.
    Be sure to tell us what process you went through to find it, and on what site you eventually found the information:

    1) Who were the American presidents in the 1800's?
    2) What novel of the 20th Century is considered to be "the best" according to Modern Library?
    3) What is the salary for a New York state senator?
    4) How much does Carson Daly get paid by MTV?
    5) What did Madonna wear to the Grammys last year?
    6) Name at least 5 painters exhibited in the Louvre Museum.
    7) What year did Michaelangelo paint the Sistene Chapel?
    8) How many feet tall is the Empire State Building?
    9) What is the population of the United States?
    10) In Roger Ebert's opinion, what is the greatest movie of all time?
     

    Developed by:
    Sandy Scragg
    www.sandyscragg.com
    Murry Bergtraum HS
    New York, NY
     


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