Online Research

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Before I worked for Supa Swap, I  remember the bemused look on my students face when I used to start an IT lesson (that is information technology in case you didn't know) with the sentence "This is a book and it can be found in the school library".

You may think this is a strange way to start a lesson about technology but it was done to highlight a very important point about online research; sometimes it is not very good.

Anyone can publish anything online. I am a year 10 pupil and I have just written what I consider to be the best essay ever on Henry VIII. In fact I am so pleased with it that I am going to put it up on a webpage for the world to see. Unfortunately what I have not published is the fact that my History teacher hated it and gave me an E grade for it. So my essay sits on the web for all to see with no justification. (what do teachers know anyway).

Justify your Research

Well hopefully you can see my point. Research done online mush be backed up with other research from other mediums like books, which tend to be correct as they have gone through the publishing process. The internet is a wonderful resource that can enhance our education but it is not a quick solution to serious research, otherwise we are in danger of entering a society where our facts become diluted with half truths and misconceptions like a form digital cheese whispers.

One more point for those of you in higher education following a philosophy course. If this article is stating that you can not trust what is on the internet, can you trust this article. If you therefore can not trust this article is it possible that you can trust information on the internet, which means you can trust this article. See if you can get yourself out of that loop of an argument.