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The Essential Guide to Using the Web for Research
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The Essential Guide to Using the Web for Research



256 pages | SAGE Publications Ltd
In recent years, the internet has provided students and researchers with fantastic opportunities and a distinct set of challenges. In his new book, Nigel Ford shows how these opportunities and challenges impact on student research projects and explains the skills needed to navigate the web and use it effectively, emphasizing independent learning and the ability to critically assess information and transform it into effective evidence.

In connecting these online skills to the research process, Ford helps students to understand and answer research questions, construct an argument and present their evidence.

The book includes sections on:

• beginner and advanced search techniques

• assessing online information

• organising and storing information

• social networking sites and other online tools

• referencing, copyright and plagiarism.

As well as providing all of the basic techniques students need to use the internet as a research tool, this book will also help them to convert their online findings into a well structured, high quality research project.

 
Introduction
 
Why Read This Book?
 
The Book's Underlying Rationale
 
Search Tools Covered in this Book
 
Learning and Critical Thinking: The Essentials
 
Learning and Assessment Basics
 
Essential Learning Components
 
Summary
 
Clarifying What Is Required of You
 
Clarifying the Nature of your Assignment
 
Planning your Assignment
 
Summary
 
Finding High-Quality Information
 
Defining 'Authoritative' Information
 
Information Seeking
 
Summary
 
How to Do a Literature Review
 
Initial Explorations
 
Strategies for Finding High-Quality Academic Sources
 
Summary
 
Information Sources and Search Tools
 
Types of information source
 
Types of search tool
 
Summary
 
Mapping Search Approaches and Techniques to Information Needs
 
Directory-Based Browsing and Searching
 
Topic Similarity Searching
 
Document Similarity Searching
 
Filtering
 
Citation Searching
 
Boolean and Other Advanced Search Engine Operators
 
Summary
 
Scholarly Search Tools in Detail
 
When to Use Which Search Tools
 
Google Scholar
 
SciVerse Scopus
 
Web of Knowledge Incorporating Web of Science
 
Summary
 
Transforming Information into Evidence-Based Arguments
 
Making Information 'Your Own'
 
Critically Evaluating Information
 
Validity, Reliability, Objectivity and Generalisability as Critical Tools
 
Developing Your Own Evidence-Based Arguments
 
Summary
 
Presenting Your Evidence Effectively
 
Plagiarism
 
Citing Your Sources
 
Summary
 
Keeping up to Date
 
A New Document is Published on your Topic
 
Documents in Which You Are Interested Are Cited in a Newly Published Document
 
An Author is Cited by a New Document or Publishes a New Document
 
A New Issue of a Journal in which you are Interested is Published
 
A website in Which You Are Interested is Updated
 
Summary
 
Organizing and Sharing Your Information
 
Mendeley Basics
 
Importing Data from Google Scholar and Other Search Tools
 
Adding PDF Files to Your Library
 
Inserting References into Your Work
 
Summary

This book is targetted to predominantly novice researchers and takes the student through the stages of writing a proposal/assignment/thesis using web-based information systems. For older students who are less technology savvy, this text is a must.

Dr Rachel Taylor
Children's Nursing, London South Bank University
May 2, 2012

Clear and accessible for students 'new' to using the web for research. An elementary book but with clear accessibe text and valuable links.

Mrs Michelle Rogers
Centre for Early Childhood, University of Worcester
April 5, 2012
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Sample Materials & Chapters

Chapter Two


Nigel Ford

For instructors

SAGE Research Methods is a research methods tool created to help researchers, faculty and students with their research projects. SAGE Research Methods links over 175,000 pages of SAGE’s renowned book, journal and reference content with truly advanced search and discovery tools. Researchers can explore methods concepts to help them design research projects, understand particular methods or identify a new method, conduct their research, and write up their findings. Since SAGE Research Methods focuses on methodology rather than disciplines, it can be used across the social sciences, health sciences, and more.