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