How to Research on the Internet Properly and Safely

Researching on the Internet

Evaluating Resources

  • Remember that the Internet has no editor. Some of the information on the Internet is not reliable, factual or helpful.
  • When using information from the Internet it is essential to ask:
    • Who is the author of this information?
    • What authority does the author have to make these claims?
    • Is the author trying to sell something?
    • Does the author have a political or other underlying agenda?
    • How current is this information?
    • What sources has the author used?
    • Does this information agree with other sources, such as books, encyclopedia, etc.?
  • Sites that help with evaluating resources:

Copyright Basics

  • Everything posted on the Internet should be considered to be the property of the author and subject to copyright laws.
  • Copying text or graphics directly from a Web site and using them as your own work is plagiarism, and is just as illegal as copying directly from printed materials, such as books, encyclopedia, etc.
  • You may use a small portion of information from a Web site providing that you give credit to the author by citing your source.
    • The basic form for citing an Internet source is:

Author Last Name, First Name. "Title of Web Page." Date accessed. URL: http://(address to web page) 

Internet Safety

Learn more about surfing safely on the Internet.