Internet Research = LAZY ASSES

[CharleyH]

I have been researching a topic lately and I'm not that old, but I find that I rely on the Internet, which gives me nothing but somewhat researched information that I find myself having to confirm on other sites with half-assed information, which I seem to need to further confirm on other sites with 'best' information, which I still need to research and confirm the facts of.

Only a few years ago I used to go to my local or University or city reference library to 'hands-on' research THE FACTUAL information of an historical event or clothing etc. and I wrote it down in a notebook to better recall it (LORD I HAVE NOTEBOOKS!), and I'd read whole books on a single topic. I consider myself a good researcher, but I recently found myself "googling" and saying "Let me get my Wikipedia."

Do you think the art of research has become lost since so many of us rely on Google and Wikipedia to give us immediate answers to any query we have?

 

[rgraham666]

Don't do a lot of research, although I'm going to have to start soon. I did do a lot of research on comas for one of my stories. I guess I got it right as I didn't get a single 'That's not accurate' complaint.

I use Wikipedia for fun and general background. It is not easy to find anything useful with Google though.

 

[3113]

Do you think the art of research has become lost since so many of us rely on Google and Wikipedia to give us immediate answers to any query we have?

Absolutely! It's just too easy to type in subject and get a ton of info on it instantly, rather than slogging down to the local library.

And to give the internet it's due, it is a valuable resource in that way to people out in the hinderlands where it's a hard to find or get to a good library. It's also not a bad resource for most things--say, a quick medical reference or current news. If you're writing up a story at the local coffee house and need a quick glance at an encylopedia, dictionary, thesaurus, atlas, the internet saves you having to haul those books with you (which I used to do!). The laptop is all you need.

BUT, as you point out, it is very limited. It's limitations drop away with each book scanned and each new website, but there've been several times when I've found internet information very limited. It only gives back what someone has put in, after all. It's especially frustrating when six or seven websites offer up the same material--including the same wording and pictures.

If one is really going to research, then the library is still the way to go. And as libraries usually have free wi-fi now, you get the best of both worlds.

 

[CharleyH]

Don't do a lot of research, although I'm going to have to start soon. I did do a lot of research on comas for one of my stories. I guess I got it right as I didn't get a single 'That's not accurate' complaint.

I use Wikipedia for fun and general background. It is not easy to find anything useful with Google though.

Wikipedia has a wealth of starting point information. I am not sure it has solid research info though, Rob. Does that bother you? Is real research a dying art for authors of any kind?

 

[CharleyH]

Absolutely! It's just too easy to type in subject and get a ton of info on it instantly, rather than slogging down to the local library.

And to give the internet it's due, it is a valuable resource in that way to people out in the hinderlands where it's a hard to find or get to a good library. It's also not a bad resource for most things--say, a quick medical reference or current news. If you're writing up a story at the local coffee house and need a quick glance at an encylopedia, dictionary, thesaurus, atlas, the internet saves you having to haul those books with you (which I used to do!). The laptop is all you need.

BUT, as you point out, it is very limited. It's limitations drop away with each book scanned and each new website, but there've been several times when I've found internet information very limited. It only gives back what someone has put in, after all. It's especially frustrating when six or seven websites offer up the same material--including the same wording and pictures.

If one is really going to research, then the library is still the way to go. And as libraries usually have free wi-fi now, you get the best of both worlds.

Thank you. I am a little old - LOL what is wi-fi, 3113?

 

[kendo1]

More often than not, it is better to use the net nowadays.
As long as you have clearance you can read an ebook which probably is not available at your local library. And the time needed to get to the National Edinburgh library...

 

[rgraham666]

Wikipedia has a wealth of starting point information. I am not sure it has solid research info though, Rob. Does that bother you? Is real research a dying art for authors of any kind?

Beats me, Charley. Almost all my stuff is the figment of my imagination. I don't have any trouble referencing that.

 

[sophia jane]

I tend to think the internet is a great research tool- you just have to use it right. For example, alot of libraries now have web books through places like the net library, so you can read actual books and journals online, just like you could at the library. Using google for research can be good, too, if you know how to evaluate your sources. Blogs, wikipedia, etc are interesting reading, but as sources for factual information, they aren't credible. There are tons of great sites on the web though that are just as good as anything you'd find in a library. Some universities also offer all their old journals and magazines online, so the internet then can give you nearly 100 years of academic research.
I do almost all of my research for school online, and I've actually found information online that I couldn't get through my local library. Just my experience, tho.

 

[alyxen]

I think alot of it depends on what you are researching. I use the internet to research business info and it is invaluable. Things like Wikipedia scare me though since it is just someone else posting the info, so you would really need to know how accurate THEY are to judge the content.

I think the internet overall is a great tool, just gotta know the source to determine the value placed on the results.

 

[S-Des]

I've been finding it too difficult to wade through the dozens of useless sources (and duplicates) that Google gives me. I guess it depends on what you're looking for as to how succeful you can be, but blogs and opion pieces pop up constantly on a search and are rarely reliable. Maybe I'm not sophisticated enough at using it. *shrug*

 

[WARNINGWARNING]

Thank you. I am a little old - LOL what is wi-fi, 3113?

you could google it.

Short for wireless fidelity.


Generally it is used to mean a wireless internet connection.

 

[JamesSD]

Efficiency is not laziness

Do you think the art of research has become lost since so many of us rely on Google and Wikipedia to give us immediate answers to any query we have?

With many libraries moving collections online, there is tons of "Good" research information available via internet now. For example, every scientific journal now publishes online along with paper copies.

 

[CharleyH]

With many libraries moving collections online, there is tons of "Good" research information available via internet now. For example, every scientific journal now publishes online along with paper copies.

What is your process and how much do you pay? It wasn't the point though. Thank you for your input. Research is a lost art - that was the point.

 

[Liar]

I have been researching a topic lately and I'm not that old, but I find that I rely on the Internet, which gives me nothing but somewhat researched information that I find myself having to confirm on other sites with half-assed information, which I seem to need to further confirm on other sites with 'best' information, which I still need to research and confirm the facts of.

Only a few years ago I used to go to my local or University or city reference library to 'hands-on' research THE FACTUAL information of an historical event or clothing etc. and I wrote it down in a notebook to better recall it (LORD I HAVE NOTEBOOKS!), and I'd read whole books on a single topic. I consider myself a good researcher, but I recently found myself "googling" and saying "Let me get my Wikipedia."

Do you think the art of research has become lost since so many of us rely on Google and Wikipedia to give us immediate answers to any query we have?

For SERIOUS research that I do for my bread-andbutter writing, I don't rely on the free, public Intrawebs. But that doesn't mean that i get my lazy ass off the chair to do the work. The royal institute of technonlogy as well as the more important parts of the Stockholm university library is all digitized and serchable online - for a mighty fine. Ok, most of the times Wiki and Google does the job, but you'll have to develop a certain sense of smelling the bullshit landmines.

Probably the most important thing for people in this age is not knowing a lot of stuff, it's knowing where to get to know stuff, and where not to look for it. Reseach is not a lost art, just a transforming one, and not as absolutistic as it once was. because the corpus to research from is not.

 

[CharleyH]

For SERIOUS research that I do for my bread-andbutter writing, I don't rely on the free, public Intrawebs. But that doesn't mean that i get my lazy ass off the chair to do the work. The royal institute of technonlogy as well as the more important parts of the Stockholm university library is all digitized and serchable online - for a mighty fine. Ok, most of the times Wiki and Google does the job, but you'll have to develop a certain sense of smelling the bullshit landmines.

Probably the most important thing for people in this age is not knowing a lot of stuff, it's knowing where to get to know stuff, and where not to look for it. Reseach is not a lost art, just a transforming one, and not as absolutistic as it once was. because the corpus to research from is not.

I am certain I always tell you I love you, but why are there public libraries and no public research forums of worth without paying? Books - microfiche, all those old terms. If research is free to to look at and take out in book form? Why can't I access an Internet DB from my library on the same? Why must I buy it on Amazon? Yeah, yeah - I know - lol - but say it anyway, Liar. ")

 

[Liar]

I am certain I always tell you I love you, but why are there public libraries and no public research forums of worth without paying? Books - microfiche, all those old terms. If research is free to to look at and take out in book form? Why can't I access an Internet DB from my library on the same? Why must I buy it on Amazon? Yeah, yeah - I know - lol - but say it anyway, Liar. ")

For the Uni library the answer is simple: It cost them a shitload to set up and digitize all the stuff. And they don't get tax money to do it or run the servers. So the only option is to run it as a commersial venue. They're looking into an ad payed service, but can't at the moment find enough interrested advertisers.

Libaraies aren't free either. if they were, librarians would live on air alone.

 

[CharleyH]

For the Uni library the answer is simple: It cost them a shitload to set up and digitize all the stuff. And they don't get tax money to do it or run the servers. So the only option is to run it as a commersial venue. They're looking into an ad payed service, but can't at the moment find enough interrested advertisers.

Libaraies aren't free either. if they were, librarians would live on air alone.

Yeah, yeah.

The original question has diverged, but ... who researches? Do we even research sex? Or do we think we know it all because we write it?

 

[MagicaPractica]

A few thoughts from a librarian:

In a fairly recent study, Wikipedia was found to be as accurate as any set of encyclopedias. However, you always have to verify because the information can be changed by somebody passing by at any time.

If you are really interested in learning how to use the Internet for research, I highly recommend the Berkeley tutorial at http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Internet/FindInfo.html

How many of you have heard of the Invisible Web? Try the tutorial. Trust me.

A librarian is your best resources to help you learn to wade through the tons of dross that comes up every time you search. The Internet is a great resource but you have to be aware of where your information is coming from. There are no velcro crops in California and www.martinlutherking.org is put up by the Aryan nation.

 

[CharleyH]

A few thoughts from a librarian:

In a fairly recent study, Wikipedia was found to be as accurate as any set of encyclopedias. However, you always have to verify because the information can be changed by somebody passing by at any time.

If you are really interested in learning how to use the Internet for research, I highly recommend the Berkeley tutorial at http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Internet/FindInfo.html

How many of you have heard of the Invisible Web? Try the tutorial. Trust me.

A librarian is your best resources to help you learn to wade through the tons of dross that comes up every time you search. The Internet is a great resource but you have to be aware of where your information is coming from. There are no velcro crops in California and www.martinlutherking.org is put up by the Aryan nation.

You are truly magical, Practica, I will try it. Thank you!

 

[TriggerHippie]

Yeah, yeah.

The original question has diverged, but ... who researches? Do we even research sex? Or do we think we know it all because we write it?

I research sex, Mistress ... and I have a few questions.

Umm, I'm best lead by example, so could you, ummm ...

... do wicked things to me and then I'll write a Wiki entry.

 

[SeaCat]

I normally start any research on the web. I ignore Blogs. When I find interesting information I go down to the local library and verify the facts. (Well facts as seen by those who have written them.)

I use both, Paper and electronic.

As with all mediums though, you have to think aboiut what you are reading. You have to wade through a ton of shit to fnd the little nuggets of info you are looking for.

Cat

 

[ABSTRUSE]

I love to ferret for information. I start with Google and then pull out keywords that take me into other realms of research. It becomes one long glorious chain of information. If I don't find it online, I look for the books....and sometimes human beings with the knowledge as well.

 

[AchtungNight]

I have greatly relied on Wikipedia and other Internet sources for my own stories. They have given me much information of the things I want to describe and use. Message boards in particular have been helpful, as they have given me a wealth of random opinions on the subjects. However, most of the facts and opinions I've found have ended up satirized somehow, so I don't know if this is good or bad.

My best advice on researching is as follows:
- Get as much information as you can, but take it all with a grain of salt and consider the source as other people have said. Make sure you research both sides of every issue.
- Obtain firsthand evidence of every fact you find. Don't trust anyone else's word. See the movies, books, whatever, and decide for yourself what you think of them- if possible.
- Once you've decided for yourself the best way to use that which you find, stick to it in your story as best you can.

Good luck.

 

[McKenna]

Do you think the art of research has become lost since so many of us rely on Google and Wikipedia to give us immediate answers to any query we have?

I think research using Google and Wiki is less reliable than the old-fashioned way. I was in college not too awful long ago and my professors would always caution us to "consider the source" of our information; it had to be reliable, which meant I didn't use Google as much to complete those particular assignments.

I think Google and Wiki are great tools to get us started, but I don't think they are the end-all, be-all answer.

 

[Guest]

I know it is becoming an issue in schools. Kids not only google and not consider the source, but then copy & paste into their papers an amazing percentage of the overall paper without attribution. A high schooler I know got tagged last spring for having 97% of his research paper as being a cut/paste job. Summer school was his reward.