In this journal entry, I will 1. reflect on how I might use the
Library as a resource for my studies 2. how scholarly information I found in
the Library is different from the typical information I find when I Yahoo or Google
a leadership concept.
Graduate students including myself use the Internet as a tool when
doing research for assignments. Professors, instructors and course developers
require students to do Internet research for assignments. Research on the
Internet is very different from traditional library research and sometimes the
differences can cause problems. The Internet is a huge resource of data and
information but needs to used carefully and critically.
The Hunt Library resources including books, journals etc. along
with electronic versions and have been evaluated by subject matter experts
before they are published. This process of "peer review" is the
difference between an article in Time magazine and one in a scholarly journal
such as the Harvard Business Review (original research and firsthand
perspectives from leading business thinkers and researchers around the world).
In addition, when books and other materials come into the Hunt Library system,
they are structured and systematically catalogued and cross-referenced using
standard processes and procedures followed by research libraries the world
over. This process is the foundation for the way materials are organized in the
Library and makes possible the many search functions of the Web catalogue.
On the Internet, "anything goes" that is
"anyone" can post "anything" at "any time" for
any reason" they want on a Web site with no review, approval or screening
process including no standard process of identifying subjects and
cross-references. This is both a strength and weakness of the Internet because
it is either freedom or chaos depending on the point of view and shows the
importance to pay close attention when doing research on-line. There are many
solid academic resources available on the Net including journals and sites from
universities and scholarly, scientific, business and research organizations.
The Hunt Library includes one such academic resource. Using materials from
those sources is not a problem. It is similar to going to the Library except it's
on-line. It's the other stuff on the Internet I need to be cautious about and
need to use several guidelines and critical-thinking standards:
1. Don't use only Net resources. Use a combination of both Internet and Hunt
Library resources. Cross reference information from the Net against information
from the Library and is a good way to ensure the Net material is reliable and authoritative.
Using a combination of both Internet and Library resources adds to the quality
and diversity of research. It can also identify additional ideas and input that
were not originally identified at the start.
2. Know the subject directories and search
engines. There are several
quality peer reviewed subject directories with links selected by subject
experts including INFOMINE and Academic Info. These are outstanding places to
start Internet research. Yahoo and Google and other search engines differ in
how they work, how much of the Net they search and the kind of results they
produce. Spending some time learning each search engine and how best to use it
can help in research. Each search engine will find different things, it's a
good idea to use more than one search engine.
3. Authority. There are several questions to ask to ask and verify about the
author and authority. Who is the author? Is the author's name and
qualifications given? Has the author written additional topics and subject
matter areas?
4. Affiliation. There are several questions to ask about
affiliation. Who or what organization is the sponsor of the Web site? Is the
author affiliated with a reputable organization such as business, industry,
university, government, non-profit, etc.? Does the information reflect the
views of the organization or only the author?
5.
Audience. There are several questions to ask and verify about audience. Who
is the intended audience? What is the audience level the Web site is designed
for? For example, don't use sites intended for high school students or sites
that are too advanced and technical for the intended application.
6.
Currency. There are several questions to ask and verify about currency. Is
the Web site current and dated? Are the dates of the most recent updates given?
Internet resources should be up to date because getting the most recent
information is the reason for using the Internet for research. Are all links
and updated and operational?
7.
Content Reliability. There are several questions to ask and verify about reliability.
Is the material on the Internet reliable and accurate? Is the information fact
and not opinion? Is the information clearly stated? Is the research valid? Does
the material have substance and depth? Is the author's language free from
emotion and bias? Is the site free of grammatical and spelling errors? Are
additional resources identified to complement or support the material on the
Web site?
(MacDonald, Research Using the Internet)
There are additional critical-thinking standards:
1. Accuracy. Is this true? How can we find out it if this is
true? There is a saying about computers: "Garbage in, garbage out."
Simply stated, this means that if you put bad information into a computer, bad
information will is what you will get out of it. The same applies to human
thinking. No matter how intelligent and brilliant you are, you will make bad
decisions if your decisions are based on false information. Critical thinkers
don't only value the truth; they have a passion for accurate data and
information. In the spirit of Socrates' famous statement that the unexamined
life is not worth living, they never stop learning, growing and inquiring.
2. Precision. Everyone recognizes the importance of precision
in specialized fields including: medicine, mathematics, architecture, and
engineering. Critical thinkers also understand the importance of precise
thinking in daily life. They understand that to cut through the confusions and
uncertainties that surround many everyday problems and issues, it is necessary
to insist on precise answers to precise questions: What exactly is the problem?
What are the alternatives? What are the advantages and disadvantages of each
alternative? Only when we seek such precision are we critical thinkers.
3. Logic. Does this really make sense? When we think, we
bring a variety of thoughts together into some order. When the combination of
thoughts are mutually supporting and make sense in combination, the thinking is
"logical." When the combination is not mutually supporting, is
contradictory in some sense or does not "make sense," the combination
is not logical.
(Nosich, 2012)
References
MacDonald, W.
Brock. Research Using the
Internet (University of Toronto). Retrieved from
http://www.writing.utoronto.ca/advice/reading-and-researching/research-using-
internet.
Nosich, Gerald
M. (2012). Learning To Think Things Through - A Guide To Critical
Thinking
Across The Curriculum (4th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.
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