Research Strategy:
The Internet

As part of "Step 2: Select the Topic," I provide two strategies for searching the Internet as a way to get ideas. Once you have your topic, you can repeat these strategies using more refined search terms.

One of the great benefits of the Internet is that it is easy to access using Google or some other search engine. There are, however, three major disadvantages of relying on the Internet for your research.

    Disadvantage #1: Self Publication

      Most items on the Internet are self published and do not go through a peer review process. As a result, it is often hard to judge the credibility of your source. In Step 5, you will learn how to evaluate the quality of your sources.

    Disadvantage #2: The Sin of Omission

      There is a great deal of important research that is not published in the form of web pages. As a result, if you only use Internet sites, there is a good chance that you will have significant omissions in your research. Use the Schoolcraft College Library databases as an important part of your research. If you don't know how to use the databases, consult Using Schoolcraft College Library Databases.

    Disadvantage #3: The Site Looks Credible--But Isn't

      A third disadvantage is that sometimes material on the Internet appears to be credible when it is not. For example, at first view, the satirical publication The Onion appears to be a credible news source. And while it is a wonderfully written web site, unless the subject of your research is "humor" or "satire" it is unlikely that you could use any of their articles in your paper.

      Although websites like The Onion are fairly easy to identify as satire, many websites are not. During the past year, a Facebook friend at a major university posted a link to an article that she thought was real, but that was not. It is easy to get fooled, so be careful.

References and Resources



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Return to Step 4: Conduct Your Research



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If you find an outrageous fact posted on Facebook, a website, or some other source, you can check it using Snopes.com. Days before I was drafting this text, I planed to cite a story about Mr. and Mrs. Leland Stanford wanted to donate a building to Harvard. However, after being treated poorly, they decided to build their own university instead. When I went to verify the story, I discovered that it was not true. I am glad that I checked the story before passing it on. The Internet if full of great stories that are not true.