Using Sources
Finding: the art of research
One of the more daunting writing tasks, research is essentially exploration. Like charting a new sea, trekking a new land, the researcher is making new knowledge, by discovering and understanding an area of interest and by writing their observations down for others to engage.
For those of us in the academic world, research is an ongoing thing, like tuition hikes — always here to stay. Part of being a student is finding an appreciation for the discovery of new knowledge, and contributing to the never ending supply of ideas.
Doing research on the internet (which will primarily concern us here) is very handy and very tricky. Sources online are easy access, it is possible to search through thousands of databases and we pages to find useable information. But many (some would say most) sources online are unreliable, and many more disappear daily. As with any information, make sure you evaluate your sources for credibility.
Finding sources online can be easy. Search engines, such as Google or Yahoo!, are a good place to start. Most search engines offer default boolean searching, which means you don't use the word AND in your search, it does it for you.
