Internet research
From PBL Tech
Internet research is the process of using Internet resources to investigate and examine information to discover and interpret facts with the goal of increasing knowledge. Internet research may commonly be referred to as looking up a topic on the web or Googling something.
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[edit] Evaluating Content
A major challenge while conducting Internet research is not finding information, but finding accurate and relevant information.
[edit] Author's purpose
Why was this page created? Was it created to inform and educate, to sell a product or service or even as a hoax such as the DMHO.org <ref>Dihydrogen Monoxide - DHMO Homepage</ref> and The Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus <ref>About The Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus</ref> websites.
[edit] Location
Look to see who has written the article and where it is published. Domains can help with this:
- .com: Commercial websites
- .edu: Educational institutions, generally in the United States
- .gov: Sites created by the United States Government
- .org: Usually associated with non-profit organizations
- .net: Originally for network oriented entities, but now is used for any type of site
- .mil: Sites maintained by he United States Department of Defense and its subsidiaries
[edit] Verifiability
Are the claims made verifiable? Are references available? Are statements fact or opinion? Check for spelling and grammar errors. Bad spelling or grammar is an indicator that the information contained in the website may not be accurate.
[edit] Timeliness
Check to see if the website is showing current or dated information. Many news sites date articles. Additionally, many pages indicate the last time the page was updated, oftentimes at the bottom of the page. Check to see if links are still active. Dead links can indicate that the page hasn't been updated in awhile.
[edit] Bias
Is the information neutral or does it seem to show a point of view or opinion?
[edit] Citations
Research articles rely on citations to allow readers to validate a claim by providing an easy way to find the referenced document without spending a lot of time looking for it. Source/author, including the publication or website must be included.
There are different styles of citing works used including APA<ref>APA Style.org</ref>, MLA<ref>MLA - How do I document sources from the Web in my works-cited list?</ref>, and The Chicago Manual of Style<ref>http://library.osu.edu/sites/guides/chicagogd.php Chicago Manual of Style Citation Guide</ref>.
[edit] References
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[edit] External Resources
- Thinking Critically About Web Page Content
- Thinking Critically about World Wide Web Resources
- MLA.org
- APA Style.org
