Toad Run Research

Welcome to Toad Run!  Using the Internet for research: I hear this question all the time from students. Is the Internet a good source for writing and academic paper? The answer to this is yes and no and I will explain why. For starters, the Internet is a vast, vast world. A world where anyone with even limited skills can publish information on the Internet. So, caution must be met. I get this all the time from talking to people, "Well I was reading this on Wikipedia and it said..." . Keep in mind Wikipedia is an open source where anyone can contribute despite their level of expertise. So, here is my view and advice. A significant portion of information on the Internet comes from self proclaimed "experts". These are people that truly feel they know what they are talking about, but may very well be misleading. Academic research is just that, academic. Sources should come from professionals in the area of expertise you are researching. So, yes the Internet can be your friend to finding credible sources. How? Peer reviewed academic journals are your best friend. Your professors and teachers will give your paper a lot more credibility if you cite peer reviewed academic journals. These journals can be looked up on the Internet if your school or college has access to sources like EbscoHost. Most colleges offer free service to EbscoHost or similar academic journal sources free through the school library computers. On such sites you will find actual peer reviewed articles for print or the journal name and number to dig up in your school or public library stacks if your library subscribes to the journal you need. Peer reviewed academic journals are given much more credit because of the scrutiny it takes to have an article published. All articles are reviewed by a team of experts in the field before accepted. Once published they are the key to citing great sources and getting that letter grade you want. Just remember to cite properly and don't plagiarize. In summary, don't cite for example "Jack Doe's Website on Global Warming", or even Wikipedia for that matter. Go to a credible source. Use the Internet to find peer reviewed academic journals to back your paper and or research. Make your professor or teacher happy and get that letter grade you want. Sure it takes a bit more work, but school is work. P.S. Don't cite this page, I could be anyone. LOL :D