Last Wednesday’s lesson I discovered new tools to explore the Web. It was an interesting experience and it will be a valid support for collecting information for my thesis. One of the new tools I have learnt is Google Books which is a website in which various publishers have published parts of books o the Web. So for example if I am looking for a book, I can start searching on Google Books and read some pieces before buying it. Actually, the website publishes only some parts of a book and it is not possible to download or copy it on the whole. Also, I found http://www.scribd.com which is a sort of You tube for books.
However, even though the Web is undoubtedly one of the widest existing sources of information, how can one be sure of authenticity and validity of its content? That was another question my class and me focused on last Wednesday. Therefore, we tried to make a list of useful criteria to judge information sources, for example:
However, even though the Web is undoubtedly one of the widest existing sources of information, how can one be sure of authenticity and validity of its content? That was another question my class and me focused on last Wednesday. Therefore, we tried to make a list of useful criteria to judge information sources, for example:
Identity of the author
Purpose of an article or document ( basically, whether is has a commercial or educational purpose)
Reliability of the content
Institutional identifier of URL
Date of creation
Style of writing
Other important tools for research we discovered were checklists presented in some Universities’ website about evaluation of Internet information sources. For example, in the website of San Diego State University one of the most reliable information sources are University or departmental websites. As for my habit, I use this source quite often because I consider it trustworthy and a direct way to communicate with my professors and their works.
Purpose of an article or document ( basically, whether is has a commercial or educational purpose)
Reliability of the content
Institutional identifier of URL
Date of creation
Style of writing
Other important tools for research we discovered were checklists presented in some Universities’ website about evaluation of Internet information sources. For example, in the website of San Diego State University one of the most reliable information sources are University or departmental websites. As for my habit, I use this source quite often because I consider it trustworthy and a direct way to communicate with my professors and their works.
And you my peers? Do you prefer books or the Web as source of information?
In my opinion, the Web is the most suitable to look for information on books but to study I definitely prefer books!
Hi Arianna,
RispondiEliminadeciding how good a source is, is not a easy process. I am not able to decide whether the source is authoritative, or not. With the new tools given by our professor Sarah, I was able to write down some criteria and make my ideas clear about this topic.
Thinking about Google tools, I visited Google Books as you. And even if I think it could be a useful tool for our search, on the other hand I prefer "real books". I don't know the reason, but I feel more comfortable when I have time to read, better if I'm not in front of a monitor. Internet is faster and probably you will spend less time in looking for something particular among a huge number of information!
Do you agree?
Have a nice week end,
:-*
Martina
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RispondiEliminaHello Arianna!
RispondiEliminaI agree with you and Martina as far as "real paper books" are concerned. I prefer reading a book that I can handle with my hands! Furthermore, I get tired very quickly when reading on the computer screen.
In spite of this, I think online sources, if authoritative, can be very useful. They can help finding the right resource, a book for example. And an online text can have a bibliography that contains useful links.
That's all for now!
See you soon!
Chiara
Hello Arianna!
RispondiEliminaI’m glad you liked my “experimental” method! I agree with you when you write that Google Books is very useful. As you noticed on your post, there is only one negative aspect: we can’t download the part of the book that is published or copy a selection of the most interesting sentences. And we can’t print a million of pages! So that’s a pity, especially because I usually need to have a piece of paper in front of me: like you, I definitely prefer “real” books when I’m studying or reading in my spare time!
Speak to u soon,
Ilaria.