What is the Internet?
- A global network that connects devices together, allowing users to send and receive data and access resources.
How is it used for research?
When searching the Internet for your academic work, it's important to use some strategies for verifying whether or not it is a source that is reliable. This is a checklist you can use to help you find the most credible information. Be skeptical and ask a lot of questions about your sources.
- Currency - Check for dates and updates, some topics change a lot and you'll need to look for recent information and research in order to be accurate.
- Reliability - Look deeper into a source to make sure it's what you need. Check the context of the information and look for references to outside research. Compare the research across several sources to see if similar information is provided. Check for transparency in finding out about the agenda of the author or organization. If you can't identify an author or credible sponsoring organization and/or if there are no references or links to research anywhere, that's a red flag.
- Authority - Investigate the author, supporter, or organization behind the information you are using. Consider their experience or expertise in the subject.
- Do a Google Search or a Wikipedia search for the organization or author. How long has the organization been around? How many members does it have? Where is their funding coming from? What other books or articles has the author written? Do they have an area of expertise?
- Purpose/Perspective/Point of View - Is it clear that the information is there to simply inform, or is it trying sell, convince, or otherwise manipulate you in some way? Is there an obvious or not so obvious opinion or side taken on the subject? It's not necessarily bad to take a side, but be aware of it and seek perspectives from multiple points of view whenever possible.
- Check to see if there are citations, references, or links to where data or evidence used to create the information comes from.
- Search for information in more than one place, consider what kind of sources it comes from, and look for a variety of sources that have more than one point of view.
How will I use it for class?
- You will use it to supplement prior research.
