Writing The Research Paper Winker - Ch 5 computers and the research paper Winkler McCuen-Metherell Seventh Edition

1. 5
Computers and the Research Paper

2. Computers and the Research Paper
• No invention more useful than the computer
• Has put global library at the writer’s fingertips
• Has automated writing process
• Used typewriters before computers – required
retyping, footnotes, etc.
• With computers can revise as often as you wish

3. Computers and the Research Paper
• Computers have led to the comeback of
footnotes
• Students often prefer to take notes on a
computer (can cut and paste)
• Instructors prefer submission by email
• Research is sped up

4. The Internet
• Internet consists of millions of computers
connected by a common protocol = “way of
talking”
• Growth has been explosive, since 1969

5. The Internet
• Internet vs. The World Wide Web
• The Internet is a massive network of networks, a
networking infrastructure
• The World Wide Web, or simply Web, is a way of
accessing information over the medium of the
Internet
• An information-sharing model built on top of the
Internet. The Web uses the HTTP protocol.

6. The Internet
• Internet terms:
• FTP - File transfer protocol – rules for
transferring file
• HTML - hypertext markup language– standard
language for documents on world wide web
• HTTP - hypertext transfer protocol– method
computer uses to find a file
• ISP - Internet Service Provider – a company that
sells access to the internet
• URL - uniform resource locator – technical term
for internet

7. The Internet
• Understanding Internet Addresses:
1. Protocol
2. Name of Host (domain, can include “www”)
3. Document Path (directory and file)
• Best to use “links” and avoid typing address in directly

8. Online Resources
• Best sources online:
• Databases
• Electronic journals
• OPAC (online public-access catalogs
• Blogs

9. Online Resources
• Databases:
• A collection of data organized and stored for easy
retrieval
• Available through a fee-based membership, through
local or college library
• Can be searched in several ways by keyword,
author, or title
• Examples:
• Expanded Academic ASAP
• InfoTrac
• Galileo
• Questia - newspapers, journals, magazines

10. Online Resources
• Electronic Journals:
• Serial publications that can be accessed by
computer via the internet
• Directory of Open Access Journals (www.doaj.org/)
• Catalog of over 2,500 journals, 105,000 articles on many topics
• Journals can have limited search function
• Most databases contain printed journals which are
subject to peer review
• Article has been reviewed by a panel of experts in the
author’s field
• Some journals are only available in electronic form

11. Online Resources
• OPAC (online public-access catalogs):
• Many library catalogues available online
• LibDex:
• an index of Libdex is a worldwide directory of
library homepages, web-based OPACs
• http://www.libdex.com

12. Online Resources

13. Online Resources
• OPAC (Online Public-Access Catalogs):
• OCLC – Online Computer Library Center
(www.oclc.org)
• A worldwide library cooperative, owned, governed and
sustained by members since 1967
• Public purpose is to improve access to the information
held in libraries around the globe and find ways to reduce
costs for libraries through collaboration
• 40,000+ libraries, 76+ countries
• Processed over 113 million loan requests
• Sometimes listed as “WorldCat”
• Free version is at (http://www.worldcat.org/)

14. Online Resources

15. Online Resources

16. Online Resources

17. Online Resources
• Blogs:
• Short for Web Log – personal website usually maintained by
an individual and reflecting owner’s point of view
• Include images, text, conversations
• Vary widely, in terms of focus, tone
• Can be useful for research paper
• Or can be too individualist/opinionated
• Some movement towards writing
blogs instead of papers

18. Researching with Search Engines
• Researching with Search Engines:
• Program that searches the web for specific words
related to your topic
• Free to use, type in key words
• Not case sensitive
• “Hits” – results of search
• Read the instructions of the search engine
• Boolean Logic:
• AND (+) – looks for sources where both terms occur
• OR (|) – looks for any of the two terms
• NOT (-) – exclude a particular term

19. Researching with Search Engines
• Finding a Search Engine:
• Many search engines available with millions/billions of hits
• Most popular search engines as of September 2013 (www.ebizmba.com)

20. Researching with Search Engines
• Educational Search Engines:
• Educational search engines are often maintained by non-profit
organizations - Search for Educational Search Engines
• Educational Search Engines
(http://www.searchengineguide.com/pages/Education) – links to every type of
search engine, including searching blogs
• English Server (http://eserver.org) – EServer is a digital humanities venture,
founded in 1990 and based at Iowa State U, where writers, editors and scholars
publish over 35,000 works free of charge
• Library of Congress (links to other internet sites)
• Searchedu (http://www.searchedu.com) – commercial site which searches
academic websites, and has useful links
• The Universal Library (http://www.ulib.org) – its primary long-term
objective is to capture all books in digital format (eBooks, videos, etc.)

21. Researching with Search Engines
• Useful Search Engines:
• There are several types of search engines:
• Manual – human powered/compiled (ex. Yahoo!)
• Robotic – crawler-based search engines/indexed pages
(ex. Google)
• Meta – top listings of other search engines
• Hybrid / Specialty

22. Researching with Search Engines
• Useful Academic Search Engines:
www.educatorstechnology.com

23. Researching with Search Engines
• Useful Academic Search Engines:
www.educatorstechnology.com

24. Usenet, Listserv,
Telnet, and Gopher
• Usenet - Created in 1979, Usenet is a worldwide distributed
Internet discussion system
• Rapidly declining use compared to WWW
• Divided into several major categories: (ex. alt.animals.dogs)
• Often have to pay for Usenet
• In May 2010, Duke University, whose implementation had
kicked off Usenet decommissioned its Usenet server, citing
low usage and rising costs

25. Usenet, Listserv,
Telnet, and Gopher
• Listserv- manages electronic mailing lists of discussion
groups
• Commercial mailing list management system that allows you
to subscribe to or create, manage, and control an electronic
mailing
• Messages automatically sent once an update has been made
(ex. On Usenet)

26. Usenet, Listserv,
Telnet, and Gopher
• Telnet and Gopher –
• Telnet is a protocol for connecting computers to
internet
• Large databases use Telnet as an access system
• Sites that use Telnet are now available on the web
• Gopher – early form of internet search

27. Evaluating Internet Sources
• Internet is a vast public library with no librarian
• No one checks the accuracy of the information
posted
• Anyone can post virtually anything
• Sometimes, you cannot trust what you read on the
internet
• Solution: Ask where?, who?, and what?

28. Evaluating Internet Sources
• Where was the information found?
• Some websites are maintained by individual
hobbyists with an ax to grind
• Some maintained by universities, some by
companies
• Who maintains the site? Check the domain name:
• .com – A commercial organization
• .edu – an educational institution
• .gov – nonmilitary government agency/department
• .mil – military
• .net – network administrator
• .org – nonprofit organization

29. Evaluating Internet Sources
• Who maintains the site?
• Other domain names:
• .aero air-transport industry asia Asia-Pacific region
• .biz business .coop cooperatives
• .info information .int international organizations
• .jobs companies .mobi mobile devices
• .museum museums .name individuals, by name
• .net network .post postal services
• .pro professions .tel Internet communication
• .travel travel and tourism industry related sites

30. Evaluating Internet Sources
• Who maintains the site?
• Country domain names:
• .au Australia .ca Canada
• .ch Switzerland .cl Chile
• .cn People's Republic of China .de Germany
• .eu European Union .fr France
• .gb United Kingdom .hk Hong Kong
• .ie Ireland .in India
• .it Italy .nl Netherlands
• .no Norway .nz New Zealand
• .se Sweden .sg Singapore
• .us United States of America (Commonly used by US State and
local governments instead of .gov)
• .za South Africa

31. Evaluating Internet Sources
• Who wrote it?
• Is the author identified?
• Are the authors credentials listed?
• Is the author qualified to write on the topic?
• Check the biography sources online/at the library
• Many instructors do not allow Wikipedia because
of unknown authorship

32. Evaluating Internet Sources
• Who publishes it?
• What is the goal/mission of the publication?
• Is it even-handed?
• What are the writer’s sources?
• Researcher should ask: Did this really happen?
• Stories can sometimes turn out to be fabricated
• What kind of tone?
• Respect for the research process
and opinion of others
• Be wary of belligerent tone

33. Evaluating Internet Sources
• What do the writer’s contemporaries have to
say?
• Majority is not always right, but is often wrong
• Don’t reject material just because of a unique point of
view or unpopular position
• Some authors maintain positions that are wrong
• Problem with internet material, is it is often not
subject to peer review
• Question the accuracy of an electronic
source without peer review

34. Evaluating Internet Sources
• What is the writer’s motive?
• Writer may hold a certain point of view or a
particular opinion not related to research
• Sometimes motives are clear, sometimes not clear
• Examples:
• A whistle blower reviewed by magazine ratted on
• Writer fired from prominent magazine
• John Smith story of Pocahontas

35. Evaluating Internet Sources
• What is the context of the writer’s opinion?
• Context refers to environment in which opinion is formed
• Sciences and social sciences are sensitive to context, others
are not
• Examples:
• Eighteenth century literary critic, old fashioned, but not changed
by context.
• Vietnam War proclamations should be weighed in context
• Recent subject can be sensitive – HIV/AIDS (decline in death
rate)
• Evaluating internet sources is an exercise in editorial
judgement

36. Running a Search /
Useful Internet Sites
• Computer is a powerful research tool
• Can find numerous sources and references in minutes
• Internet is volatile and changes quickly
• Other useful sites:
• Encyclopedia.com http://www.encyclopedia.com
• Internet Public Library http://www.ipl.org
• RefDesk.com http://www.refdesk.com
• Remember to document the sources you site (MLA)