Showing posts with label Research. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Research. Show all posts

Tuesday, April 29, 2008

how do your online research skills measure up?

The all-mighty Google is my go-to source when I begin research for an article. I'm not alone. A story in the Guardian (posted on the TFEW listserv), reports on a study that looked at online research behaviour. Of those of us who do use Google, not all use it wisely. The article states:
The report, Information Behaviour of the Researcher of the Future, found users "power-browsing" or skimming material, using "horizontal" (shallow) research. ...

Many libaries have assumed young students have learned to use the internet for research simply by virtue of their age. But while many are proficient with Facebook and Wikipedia, they may not be information- literate. Many lack lack the skills to differentiate between authoritative information and amateur blogging. ...

Students of all ages need to learn to make independent assessments of the quality of material by looking at the authors' experience, funders, use of sources, and where published. ...

Rowlands suggests in his study that schools are failing to equip students for independent online study. ...

My university never covered how to determine the veracity of online sources, and I know it's not the only one. Many interns I've worked with – as well as, unfortunately, a few editors – are quick to source the first site that pops up in their Google searches, even if it happens to be Joe Schmoe's amateur blog.

Sunday, March 02, 2008

do you wiki?


Just read this article on the American Journalism Review site about the veracity of Wikipedia. I've always believed that you just can't trust the user-generated online encyclopedia enough for it to be a primary source, but agree with David Cay Johnston, a New York Times reporter, who is quoted in the article as saying, "As a tip sheet, as a road map to reliable sources, Wikipedia seems valuable." What do you think? Do you use Wikipedia for research, and if you do, in what way?