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A Quick Guide to Internet Research
by Neil Bartlett
As I'm sure you already have heard, the Internet is a veritable gold mine of information. However, as in an actual
mining operation, it takes work to gather the valuable nuggets and weed out the worthless junk.
Now the good news, just as in gold mining, the nuggets that you collect have value once they are refined and polished
and this gives you a quick overview of the Internet Research process. For a more detailed approach, check out "How
To Profit From Internet Research" at http://www.ebsdiscounts.com/irebook.htm .
Essentially, there are five steps to a research project:
PRE-GATHER:
- Clarify your information needs
- Organize your thoughts
- Develop an overview of the topic
- Keep notes/records
- What is the scope of the project?
- What is the level of the project?
- What is the manageability of the project?
- Keep notes/records
GATHER:
- What is the type of information needed?
- Identify the likely and unlikely sources or places to find the information
- Make sure you have all the information you need
- Accessibility
- Keep notes/records
I would like to point out some excellent research tools to assist in your information gathering:
- WebZeer - Capture images and other content from Web pages by dragging and dropping http://www.webzeer.com
- Copernic - Query multiple search engines on the Web simultaneously. http://www.copernic.com
- SurfSaver - Save the facts, figures, news, and research you find on the Web. http://www.surfsaver.com
- Webforia - Helps you organize and report your research efforts. http://www.webforia.com
- WebWhacker - Create an archive of Web information, including news, articles, statistics, product reviews, Web
sites, and more. http://www.bluesquirrel.com/products/whacker/whacker.html
EVALUATE:
- Establish authority
- Determine scope of work
- Evaluate accuracy and relevance
- Recognize bias and/or point of view
- Keep notes/records
Check out this excellent article by Robert Harris: Harris, Robert. "Evaluating Internet Research Sources."
VirtualSalt. 17 Nov. 1997. 25 April 2001 http://www.virtualsalt.com/evalu8it.htm
ORGANIZE:
- Determine the best format
- Prepare an outline
- Write a rough draft
- Know how to use your source materials and cite them
- Have others read and critique the paper
- Revise and proofread
EVALUATE FINAL PRODUCT:
- Evaluate the results
- Evaluate the process
- Keep notes/records
For a more detailed approach to Internet Research, see: "How To Profit From Internet Research" at:
http://www.ebsdiscounts.com/irebook.htm
About the Author
Neil Bartlett is the author of the best-selling eBook, "How To Profit From Internet Research" at: http://www.ebsdiscounts.com/irebook.htm Neil
invites you to partner with him in his top rated affiliate program at: http://www.ebsdiscounts.com/affiliate.html
You can contact Neil at webmaster@ebsdiscounts.com
