Harvey L. Molloy, University Scholars Programme.

There is no question that the Web has transformed how students and academics conduct research. Where once our only source of information was from books and periodicals, now the Web provides immediate access to a wealth of diverse information. Regardless of our academic discipline, the Web poses a challenge for us as teachers; namely, how can we teach our students to use online resources in their research? As a teacher of Writing and Critical Thinking in the Scholars Programme, my approach to this challenge has been to try and identify the most common problems my students encounter when using the Web in their research and to discuss these problems in class. The five common problems I've encountered are:

• "I never thought to ask who created the web site and why."
• "I did a search on Google and only clicked on the first two entries."
• "Library? What Library? I just use the Web."
• "I thought that I'd just cut and paste a couple of paragraphs and a few graphics."
• "Documentation? What's that?"

Problem 1: "I never thought to ask who created the web site and why."

The problem: Limited evaluation by students of online material. The student uses a web site as part of her research without ever evaluating the motives for the site's creation and hosting.

Exercise

Genetically Modified Food: UK and World News
National Centre for Biotechnology Education

Have a look at the two above sites. Who created them and why? What are the strengths and weaknesses of each site?

Checklist for students

1. Who created the web site?
2. Is the web site created by a reputable source (e.g. a news agency or research institute)?
3. Is there a mix of general resources with information slanted to supporting a particular view?

For more information on evaluating sources see the University of California, Santa Barbara Library's Web site Examples for Evaluation

Problem 2:"I did a search on Google and only clicked on the first two entries."

The problem: Limited Web search. The student only does one search and clicks on the first two or three results. A very rudimentary search is conducted rather than a series of different searches on a related topic or a thorough consideration of the results of a specific search.

Exercise

"Alien abductions" search.
Do a Google search on Alien Abductions. You are looking to see if any serious academic research has ever been conducted into this area.

What impression do you get if you only consider the first three results?

What sites in the first thirty look promising?

Who are the leading academic researchers in the field?

Checklist for students

1. Get a good spread - know what .com, .org and .ac suggest. Coms can be trusted if they are reputable news or information providers.
2. Search for reputable links and sources.
3. Identify leading academic researchers in the field.
4. Go for a minimum listing of 50 hits.
5. Vary and define your search - and attempt to identify reputable sources or key figures.

Problem 3. "Library? What Library? I just use the Web."

The problem: Few print references. The student relies almost exclusively on online sources with no reference to periodicals or books. In effect, the student doesn't appreciate the role journal referees and university press editors play in acting as 'gatekeepers'. The student may also not be aware of databases available through LINC.

Do a LINC search on Alien Abuctions
Don't forget to search print documents as well! Make sure you're familiar with NUS Library Integrated Catalogue (LINC) and the NUS Digital Library

Checklist for students

1. Have you identified a book which is a concise introduction to your research field?
2. Have you searched through LINC and identified major books and journals pertinent to your research topic?
3. Have you experimented with conducting specific searches through special collections available through LINC (e.g. audio/visual resources)?
4. Do you know how to search through a host of electronic databases at LINC?

Problem 4:"I thought that I'd just cut and paste a couple of paragraphs and a few graphics."

The problem: Plagiarism. Many students feel that it is acceptable to copy an image without acknowledging its source or requesting permission to use the image.

Checklist for students

1. Have you cited all your quotations?
2. Have you documented your images? Is there a link to the site from which they came?

For further information regarding plagiarism, consult the following resources:

1. NUS Plagiarism web site. This site is hosted by the Centre for Instructional technology.

Problem 5:"Documentation? What's that?"

The problem: Poor documentation. The student has no consistent method for citing online resources and doesn't include the date an online resource was accessed.

Solution: Follow one of the following styles available at Bedford St. Martin's

Always include the date that you accessed the site!