Using Internet for Educational Research

One of the ways the internet is used in education is to do research. According to a study published in the Turkish Online Journal of Educational Technology 58% of student internet users use the internet to do educational research.

The Internet is widely and readily accessible and can provide instant information on most topics, which makes it ideal for doing research. Internet Research simply means to look something up on the Web. It includes any activity where a topic is identified, and an effort is made to gather information for the purpose of further understanding of the topic. It is not the same as scientific research, which is research that follows a defined and rigorous process that could be carried out using the Internet.

Compared to the using the Internet for research, using printed materials physically limits access to information. A book has to be identified, found, and then actually obtained. On the internet, the web can be searched, and hundreds and thousands of pages can be found with some relation to the topic, within seconds. In addition, email, online discussion forums, and other things like instant messaging can provide direct access to experts and other individuals with relevant information to the topic can be used as research. However, with the internet, difficulties persist in verifying a writer's credentials and verifying the accuracy of the information obtained.

Using tools from a library can help in doing research and making sure the information comes from a reliable source. Syracuse University library offers research guides on its website (http://researchguides.library.syr.edu/) that can help students use the internet to find information relevant to the student’s topic.