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Guide to using the internet for research

Using the internet for research can be quicker than using the library - there is absolutely TONS of social work stuff out there - but it cannot replace the library completely.

You are likely to be able to find the following sorts of things that will be helpful:

Academic & Professional journals with articles and research data (to access full text articles you will need to subscribe, but most journals provide public access to titles and abstracts).

Specialist academic and information sites for different subject areas.

Government sites with past and present policy information.

University sites based on departments or subjects.

Voluntary organizations.

Broadsheet newspapers and magazines.

WARNING:

Remember that the internet is unregulated and there is a great deal of information that is poor, unreliable or just plain wrong! If information is from a refereed journal [all professional journals are refereed], a professional organization, or a government site, then it is probably reliable, but always try to get different views from different sites. This will aid you in the critical analysis that is essential to academic study. It's worth remembering that newspapers and magazines, although giving differing and interesting views, do rely on advertising for a significant amount of their revenue.

THE PROCESS: Here are some ideas about how you might actually do your research.

Start with a name, word or phrase and go to a search engine to see what is generally out there under your subject area. Major sites will probably have their own search engines, so you can follow a thread. Remember to use the Boolean operators - 'and/or' and '+/-' - to make your searches more specific (see my 'Using Search Engines' guide if you don't know what this means).

Next go to The Virtual Library and to The BUBL Link following the various threads there.

Try academic sites and journals if you havn't already found them in your searches so far.

Go to the government websites - probably the one for your own country first, but don't forget comparisons with other countries too - we live in a global community now, with governments often copying and adapting each others policies and ideas.

Look at the offerings of the newspapers on your subject to get up-to-date opinions and news.

Try voluntary organizations' sites - they are often more free in their opinions than large bureaucracies.

GENERAL ADVICE:

You will probably find yourself suffering from information overload so keep your search time-limited - say 10 minutes maximum on each of the above.

Keep focused on your subject, and when you find a page that is of interest, download it onto a floppy disk so that you can read it at leisure later. This may save you money in printing costs too!

Be ruthless about non-relevant information.

Start with the general and move towards the specific.

Consider the reliability of your information.

Cross-check your info with conventional resources.

When you read your downloaded disk files, copy and paste relevant sections and put them all into a separate file - including quotes with references - this could be the beginning of an essay.

FOR REFERENCING (including from electronic sources) go to my Guide to Referencing.

TO LEARN MORE THAN I CAN TELL YOU do a full tutorial on using the web for research by doing the excellent on-line SOSIG course on Internet information skills for social workers.

Another useful site is Southampton University's Critical Use of the Web page, and their Research Mindedness for Social Work - a very useful guide to doing research written in plain English.

FOR INFORMATION ABOUT INFORMATION MANAGEMENT(!) you could try these:

The Association for Information Management - has useful information-retrieving guides and links.

IIS UK - the professional organisation for people involved in creating, retrieving, disseminating and organising information.

The UK Online User Group - a group who want to take maximum advantage of online, CD-ROM and internet resources.

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