Owl UP

Internet Research

Research means to search for information. It meanslooking for facts. Internet search is looking for information using theInternet. Another word for internet is web, and another word for browsing.That's why people say "browsing the web" when they were looking onlooking for information on the internet.

There are millions of websites and some are notcorrect! Not all websites have the right information, it could be wrong. To bea smart researcher you need to double check (x2) or triple check (x3) the factsyou find. You can do this by looking for the same information on two differentwebsites.

How can I find useful information when doing internet research?

It is not easy to find useful information on theinternet. We can use a search engine, like Google, to find information. To finduseful information we can type key words into Google's search bar. Write themost important key words first in Google's search bar.

Example: I want to know when Cathy Freeman was bornand what her main achievements were.

Keywords:        1)       Cathy Freeman    2)   born (or Date of Birth)   3)     main achievements

Many webpages will then come up. These are calledsearch results.

What is the difference between a website and a webpage?

A website is like a book, it has many webpages(pages) in it.

Website reliability � Is the information on the website reliable?

We need judge whether a website is reliable (thismeans having correct and truthful information). We look at:

AUTHORITY � who created the website

PURPOSE � why was the website created?

CONTENT � is the information accurate and current?

DESIGN, ORGANISATION AND EASE OF USE � Is it easyto use and find information?

Can I copy information from websites?

No, if you copy from a website this is wrong. It isillegal. Copying from the internet is called plagiarism. You can get into a lotof trouble, from teachers or the police. You need to write down keywords/information you find, and then write sentences later. Always write downinformation about the website.  You needthis to write your in-text citations and your bibliography.