Internet Research Skills
Prof. Dwyer
IS112
Fall 2004
Internet treasure trove
Millions of web sites, billions of pages Is this good or bad? What challenges does
this cause? You will never have time to look at everything New material may appear, old material may
disappear What information is reliable?
Information overload
Internet is unchallenged medium of communication, but sheer volume of content is overwhelming
Can produce a kind of stupor known as “information overload”
What is the best strategy for overcoming this?
Find reliable sources
Find and rely on sites that collect and distill only the most essential and important information, while still harnessing the raw power of the intenet
Example: http://slashdot.org/
Develop evaluation strategy
Can’t believe everything you find on the Internet
How can determine what information is reliable and unbiased?
Evaluating Internet Research
Article by Robert Harris at http://www.virtualsalt.com/evalu8it.htm
Internet has quickly become primary medium for distributing technical information
Volumes of information available Searcher must take on role of editor/filter
Diversity of information
Information is a commodity available in many flavors– Varies greatly in accuracy, reliability and value
Information exists on a continuum of reliability and quality
– Is created for many purposes – to inform, to persuade, to sell, to present a viewpoint, to create or change an attitude or belief
Screening information
Clarify purpose of your research– Get new ideas, find support for specific position,
survey information?
Select reliable sources – IS112 Resources– Burd Text Student Support Site
What to look for in a source
Reliable research sites are more likely to have the following information:– Author’s name, title or position– Author’s organizational affiliation– Date of page creation or version– Author’s contact information
Evaluating information
IS professionals are paid to make decisions– Basing a decision on unreliable information invariably leads
to problems
Source evaluation (determining reliability of information) is something of an art
– Not based a single litmus test, instead requires inference from a collection of clues or indicators
CARS Checklist
Credibility– Trustworthy source, author’s credentials, evidence of quality
control Accuracy
– Up to date, factual, detailed Reasonableness
– Fair, balanced, objective, reasoned Support
– Listed sources, contact information, documentation
Step 1: Research
Professional societies Technology related web sites Vendor & manufacturer sites Commercial search engines Find examples of each at Burd
Text Research Sites
Bias in Information Sources
Unbiased information is hard to come by– Fee based research
Sources of bias can be subtle – How do search engines rank hits (matches)?
Step 2: Analysis
Uncovering and factoring out bias Look at multiple sources for information on a
topic Find conflicts or discrepancies in information Factor out bias in each source
Step 3: Presentation of conclusions
Use presentation software (PowerPoint) Provide definitions for jargon and acronyms
(abbreviations) Summarize business requirements Summarize possible solutions Recommend best option and justify your
selection
Summary
Need to learn how to be a sophisticated information consumer
Overcome information overload by finding reliable sources
Be sure your information is timely, factor out bias in sources
Present your findings, and keep up with new information as it develops