The library is the ideal place to locate all of the materials listed in the pyramid.  In particular, libraries will typically hold numerous scholarly journals in a wide variety of disciplines.  These publications are often referred to as “peer reviewed” or “refereed” journals because all articles have been scrutinized by other expert researchers in the discipline.  Though many scholarly journals are now available online, it is often more convenient and cost-effective to go directly to the library to find these sources.

 

The Internet Approach

 

The research capabilities of the Internet are extensive and seemingly limitless. If done correctly, a simple Google search can be quite productive for special interest research assignments (i.e. examining the market trends for a particular company) or location of high-quality visual illustrations. However, the best reason for using the Internet is to find multiple opinions on a particular topic.  The Miami University Library homepage known as MiamiLink offers a variety of resources for beginning Internet research.  Along with access to the library catalog, MiamiLink’s online reference shelf includes web-encyclopedias and information guides covering people, countries, statistics and more.

 

Though the Internet can be an excellent source of information, it is also very unreliable.  Because the system is so democratic, it allows anonymous and unsubstantiated research to be posted, often without citing any supporting information.  The integrity and reliability of many Internet resources is questionable and thus should be used with caution in academic research.  Below are some tips to help you evaluate the quality of Internet sources.

 

· Favor authored documents over those without authors- if an author is given, check for credibility by making contact via email or doing a library search for his or her other publications

· Use web-pages that were recently updated (within the past two years)

· Look for web documents that use references to back their claims (be suspicious of any author making factual assertions without including a bibliography)

· Favor documents that are also available in print over those only available online- such magazine and newspaper articles, conference reports, or studies likely have undergone more scrutiny.

Research Guidebook