Researching Physics

Web-based Research

Learning objectives

• Evaluate websites for reliability, level and bias.

• Reference websites to allow another person to find the same information.

Why carry out literature-based scientific research?

• To find out what is known and what remains to be discovered about a topic.

• To stay up to date with research in a particular field.

• To find information to help develop new ideas and design new experiments.

Finding out what is known about a topic

Scientists use a number of communication methods:

• conference presentations• published articles• other communications

– websites– blogs– manuals– videos, etc.

• Which of these do you think is/are most reliable?

Finding out what is known about a topic

Scientists use a number of communication methods:

• conference presentations• published articles• other communications

– websites– blogs– manuals– videos, etc.

Published articles

Scientific articles are often published in:

• science magazines (e.g. New Scientist, Focus)• scientific journals (e.g. Science, Nature)

Scientific journal articles are ‘peer reviewed’. Peer-reviewed journals are reliable but expensive. Scientific magazines are more widely available.

The most likely source of scientific information in school will be the internet.

Internet research• The internet is a convenient source of information,

but it can be difficult to establish reliability.

• The world wide web is the fastest growing area of the internet. It is a collection of documents on thousands of computers worldwide.

• The web is not controlled. Anyone can publish almost anything on it: you must decide if the information you retrieve is reliable and valid.

Evaluating website information

• When using information from a website, you should consider the following key questions:

– Who does the site belong to?– Why was it written?– When was it written and most

recently updated?

Who does the site belong to?• The domain gives the type of organisation and the

country of origin of the website:

.gov - government body

.ac - UK educational institution

.edu - US education institution

.org - non-profit organisation

.co or .com - UK or US commercial site

.uk - United Kingdom

.us - United States

.au - Australia

Why was the site written?

• To inform or explain – purely factual sites, eg government or university.

• To sell – commercial sites which sell a product (may be disguised).

• To persuade or indoctrinate – sites designed to convert you to a particular point of view, eg some charities and religious organisations.

Referencing

• In Higher Physics, you must clearly state the source of your information.

• Make sure you write down the correct web address when referencing a website or highlight the address and use copy/paste.

• Check the address yourself by typing it into the browser.

Author

• Can you find out the name of the author?

• Is there information about the author?

• Is it clear that an institution or university or organisation sponsored the website (check the domain)?

Currency (date)

• Is the date the website was put on the internet present?

• Is an update or revision date present?

Level

• Is the website intended for a general or a scientific audience?

• In what way is the topic explored at a suitable level for Higher Physics?

• Are there any aspects or vocabulary beyond the level expected for Higher Physics?

Purpose

• Is the purpose of the site stated (to persuade, inform, explain, sell)?

Bias

• Is the information given and/or the views expressed biased?

Accuracy

• Are the sources of the information listed in a bibliography or referenced to linked websites?