Never before in history has information been as readily accessible as it is today.
The modern student has a wealth of facts and figures at his or her fingertips and all with the click of a mouse – but is it a good idea to perform term paper research on the Internet?
There is no doubt that it is easy enough to find information on just about any topic you can think of but how reliable is that information? The simple truth is, just about anybody who has the correct software and access to the Internet can build a Web site, regardless of its quality or accuracy. There is also the added issue of quoting from or referring to Web site in your term paper only to find that the information is subsequently deleted. So if you do make the choice to perform term paper research on the Internet you will need to learn the art of evaluating what you read.
There are four categories of Web pages that may be useful when you perform term paper research on the Internet:
1. Informational Pages – These could include independent and scholarly research, reference sources, and fact sheets.
2. News and Journalistic Sources – This includes news wire sites, electronic journals, and online magazines and newspapers.
3. Advocacy Pages – These are Web sites created to create awareness of a particular viewpoint on an issue. This kind of page is generally sponsored by non-profit organizations, but independent activists do publish their own literature on the Internet.
4. Personal Home Pages – These sites are informal pages. The authors can publish resumes; list links to favorite sites; or promote their publications, accomplishments, and ideas in general.
* Term Paper Research – Evaluating the Authority of a Web Site
When you evaluate the authority of a Web page pay particular attention to the following:
1. The Author
* The name of the author and his e-mail address should be listed at the bottom of every page of the site or on the home page. If you discover a link to the author’s personal home page or links to related sites ask yourself these questions:
* Is he or she an authority in the field you are researching or merely offering his comments or opinions? What qualifies him as an expert on this subject?
* Does the author write for any other publications and are they ‘peer reviewed’ print publications?
* Examine the list of links to related subjects. Do they suggest a bias in a specific direction? You can’t perform term paper research on the Internet that is accurate if you only getting one side of the story.
2. The Site’s Host or Sponsor
Most web sites contain a link to the page’s sponsor in the footer. Follow this link and examine the organization’s main page.
If the organization is a serial or periodical publication:-
* Check to see whether it has an ISSN (International Standard Serial Number). If the web serial doesn’t have one, it is more than likely a home-grown one and may be less reliable than some other sources of information on the same topic.
If the host is an independent service provider:-
* Examine its home page and make sure that it has all its contact details listed including its phone number. If it doesn’t, it may not be a credible base of information on which to perform term paper research on the Internet.
Next examine the statement of purpose or stated objectives on the page to determine if there is any bias in terms of promoting special interests.
Now determine whether the author of the information is affiliated to a known institution or credible organization
3. Dates Created and Last Modified Data
All Web sites should list the creation dates and dates of the site’s last update.
Peruse the information and make sure it is not outdated. When you perform term paper research on the Internet always start with the most recent data first.
* Evaluating the Relevance of a Web Site
The vast majority of Web sites aren’t really tailored to the student researcher. Rather, they are designed to sell products, cater to select audiences, special interest groups or published by scholars for professional academic audiences.
When you perform term paper research on the Internet you will need to evaluate how these documents will fit into your research brief. To do this you need to examine the author’s purpose as well as his or her intended audience.
1. Purpose
Ask yourself the following questions:
* Is the site educational or entertaining?
* Is the site informational or promotional?
2. Audience
* Does the author assume that the viewer already has a certain degree of knowledge on the topic? What is this knowledge?
* Depending on your answer to the above would the Web site be of interest to the general user, an enthusiast or a professional?
Evaluating the Accuracy of a Web Site
1. The Context
* When you perform term paper research on the Internet, you need to examine a wide range of sources so that you can compare them with each other. You should always evaluate the accuracy of a Web reference against printed periodical and journals or published books on the same subject.
* If you do decide to cite an article from the Internet make sure it has a full list of works cited. The list should feature a good number of printed sources in order to balance them against the use of online resources.
2. The Content
Ask yourself whether the source features new information or is merely a repetition of information already noted by more reliable sources:-
Is the author’s whole argument based on any assumptions of facts which are already discounted in more than one other good source? In other words, is the content a misconception?
Is the information a new perspective on the subject or merely a summary of well known sources? If it is a summary try to find the original source and use those instead. They will be far more credible sources.
Is there evidence of any plagiarism of original sources? Has the author passed on the exact words of other sources as his or her own work?
3. The Tone
If you use a source as support for an argument or to refute one, consider the following when you perform term paper research on the Internet:
Is the tone and writing style of the article appropriate for an academic discussion of the subject?
If you can find the information in a Web page in print publication, it is probably a better idea to list and cite the printed version. Printed work is a far more stable medium than the Internet since Web pages are moved and deleted at regular intervals your readers may never find the citation in the same location or at all!
If you perform term paper research on the Internet bear in mind that page number citations are also more accurate than page title citations. There are no page numbering standards Web sites, so citations in parentheses use just the title of the source. Your readers may struggle to find the cited passages in the original document.
Perform term paper research on the Internet with these basic principles in mind. They will help you to determine how reliable, credible and valid the information you are viewing actually is and help you to avoid re-hashing information and basing your arguments on misconceptions. Being a savvy researcher is vital to the quality of your work, so put each Web site you find to the test before you cite it in your work. Enjoy your researching.