Summary (^95)
a. Find a Wikipedia article on a very familiar subject such as “George Washington.”
Skim through the article, and check out the references, sources, or external links at
the end.
b. Go to the “view history” link at the top of the page. Describe the kinds of changes
that have been made.
c. Then link to some of the Wikipedians who have edited the page. See what you can
discover about their credibility.
d. What do you conclude about Wikipedia’s overall usefulness?
- Browse several weblogs on a subject related to your topic. Assess the quality and bias
of each blog. Why or when might you use a blog as a source? Why or when might you
avoid them?
aPPLiCaTion QueSTionS- To understand the variety and number of specialized encyclopedias and dictionaries
online, do a search for “encyclopedia of” and “dictionary of” online or in your library’s
databases, and list at least ten titles in each category that may someday be useful to
you. Note the source of each. Are they from .com or .edu or another domain’s sites?
Why does this matter? Bring your lists to class and discuss your findings with a small
group of your classmates. - Have you heard of the “Mozart effect” (the idea that babies who listen to Mozart are
smarter)? Do an Internet search for this topic. How many links do you get? What kind
of domains (.com, .edu, for example) sponsor the sites? Look beyond the first page of
links and use note cards to summarize the information from at least three domains:
.org, .com, and .edu. (Try to find a blog and a news report.) Afterward, search for the
topic in your campus online databases. How many articles come up there? Bring your
findings to class and discuss how you would compare what you find on the Internet
with what you find in the library databases. Overall, what would you tell a friend who
was playing Mozart to her baby in order to improve the child’s IQ? - As a class, research a current event or an issue. Go to the library, find and photocopy a
print article, or download information from a website. If possible, interview an expert or
layperson. Assign some students to consult mainstream sources and others to seek
out diverse perspectives. Bring your information to the next class meeting, and discuss
and evaluate the various sources and data by determining the purpose, the source
bias, the timeliness, the accuracy, and the organization of the material. - Set aside an hour to explore news outlets on the Internet. Beforehand, work with your
classmates to select an interesting, significant current event, and then surf around,
clicking on relevant news links. Take notes. Check Google news for information about
current events, noting the variety of papers and television news sources linked there.
Afterward, discuss in class the value as well as the drawbacks of using the Internet to
do research into current events. - Of the two ways to record information presented in this chapter, which method—
handwritten pen and paper notes or copied or downloaded material—will you most
likely use? Which are you least likely to use? When might you combine methods?
Discuss your research style with a classmate.
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