Search engines, like Google, have diminished the value of research in college-level papers. Even though Otterbein students have access to websites like EBSCO and LexisNexis, I often see students pull Google up on their computers to search for something.
I recognized my dependency on Google when I had to research someone for one of my classes who, when Googled, only came up with results for genealogy websites. No articles or anything online mentioned who he was. (Apparently ministers from the late 1700s aren’t a popular topic to write about.)
So, I ventured down to the library and started looking through books that were so old they fell apart in my hands as I searched for the total of five pages of literature I was able to find on him. But, without help from the library, I wouldn’t have known where to look.
And I think this stems from my dependency on Google — I’m so used to having results almost instantaneously at my fingertips that I’ve lost all desire for looking through the library. Sure, I learned the Dewey Decimal System back in the third grade with everyone else, but that information never stuck with me because I never had to use it.
Additionally, search engines have made the research in our papers more about ease than quality. I’ll be the first to admit that if what I’m looking for doesn’t pop up on the first few pages of results on Google that I rephrase what I’m searching for until I get what I want.
And I’m not alone on this. “I usually go about three pages into the topic, unless I’m really into the subject, then I might go four or five. But that’s rare,” said Bri Amposta, a freshman global studies major.
Overall, I think that we have trouble finding information because we’re just looking for evidence to support what we want to say or that is specific to our topic, as opposed to researching and drawing our conclusions from that.
This leads to the issue of the quality of the material we use in our papers. If we’re just using information we’re finding from Google, how do we know what sources are truly legitimate? Sure, you can tell with some of the larger Internet entities, but anyone can purchase a domain name, write information and make it appear authentic.
In order to determine if a website is credible, Amposta said, “I feel a source is legitimate if, at the bottom of the website, they have a copyright, and books are usually always legitimate.”
But Kerry Strayer, associate professor of communications at Otterbein, said, “I don’t think enough students have a great sense of what are credible sites and what are less credible sites.”
When using Google, students are left to figure out on their own whether a source is legitimate. But, if you use a website like LexisNexis, you’re sure to be pulling articles from reputable journals.
In regard to the advantage of using the websites provided by Otterbein, Strayer said, “the search is scholarly versus popular. If you know the type of citations you need, it helps you get the good ones.”
Taking that extra moment to figure out EBSCO will not only make your research more accurate, but will also increase the credibility of your paper.
The holidays aren't so happy
Do Christmas on a budget this year
