From
the elementary school to the academy, the new digital medium is redefining
the way research is done. Students and teachers alike must know how
to locate and evaluate electronic sources,
and how to use these sources in an effective
and appropriate way.
Finding
and Evaluating Electronic Sources |TOP|
While
many students are competent users of general search engines, few are
aware that the web goes far beyond the static websites these search
engines locate. Most search engines overlook what is called the deep
web, a vast reservoir of searchable databases.
By some estimates, the deep web is 400 to 500 times larger than the
surface web. It also tends to provide more credible content, since most
databases are produced by academic or governmental interests. See brightplanet.com for
more details on the deep web, or check out the directory of deep
web search tools at BHSU.
Searching and Researching on the Web is a textbook written by
Ernest Ackerman and Karen Hartman. Its online support site includes
activities designed to teach students how to use search engines and
databases, evaluate sites for credibility, and cite electronic sources.
Pearson
Education's Content Select provides a compilation
of resources on using the Internet for research, including using
search engines and evaluating websites. It also allows registered
users to search several databases, including the New York Times.
The Internet
Detective offers a free, interactive tutorial for evaluating websites.
Most university libraries include some information on using the Internet
for research, as well as access to databases for students or subscribers.
The
Milner Library at Illinois State University offers an Internet
Guide with resources on finding, evaluating, and citing electronic
resources. The
University of Albany
offers Internet tutorials on using search engines and evaluating websites.
The UCLA
Library also has a useful list of questions for thinking critically
about web resources.
For an excellent compilation of university resources on web site evaluation,
see the Literature
and Composition Resources at Frostburg State University.
Plagiarism
and Citation |TOP|
While the web has made a wealth of information more accessible, it has
also introduced a number of problems. Plagiarism is easier than ever
before. There are hundreds if not thousands of places for students to
buy or download papers or essays. These include sites like www.junglepage.com,
www.ezwrite.com, www.schoolsucks.com,
www.planetpapers.com,
and www.cheathouse.com
Teachers
can use sites like www.plagiarism.org
,turnitin.com , the American
Library Association Plagiarism Resources, or the Educational
Cyberplayground, which has an excellent list of online plagiarism
resources.
Other strategies are searching sites like those above for matching
essays, or typing a sentence from the suspicious paper into any general
search engine.
The related issue
of source citation is also complicated by the Internet. The MLA
website
has information on citing electronic sources, as does Classroom
Connect. Other helpful sources include Online:
A Reference Guide to Using Internet Sources and The
Columbia University Press Guide to Online Style.
The
Slate Citation Machine is an incredible tool that complies
a bibliography automatically when users enter basic information.
