The Essential Guide to Using the Web for Research

By: Nigel Ford

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eText | 14 October 2011 | Edition Number 1

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This book will be vital reading for anyone doing research, since using the web to find high quality information is a key research skill. It introduces beginners and experts alike to the most effective techniques for searching the web, assessing and organising information and using it in a range of scenarios from undergraduate essays and projects to PhD research.

Nigel Ford shows how using the web poses opportunities and challenges that impact on student research at every level, and he explains the skills needed to navigate the web and use it effectively to produce high quality work.

Ford connects online skills to the research process. He helps readers to understand research questions and how to answer them by constructing arguments and presenting evidence in ways that will enhance their impact and credibility.

The book includes clear and helpful coverage of beginner and advanced search tools and techniques, as well as the processes of:

@!critically evaluating online information

@!creating and presenting evidence-based arguments

@!organizing, storing and sharing information

@!referencing, copyright and plagiarism.

As well as providing all the basic techniques students need to find high quality information on the web, this book will help readers use this information effectively in their own research.

Nigel Ford is Professor in the University of Sheffield's Information School.

Industry Reviews

Ford offers the answers to the question of how to find interesting web material for your research and it is clear that here is where Ford’s expertise comes through. Personally, I use mainly Google, Picarta and some catalogues of universities and research institutions. Ford offers a number of additions to my repertoire. In addition to Google, he includes SciVerse Scopus and Web of Knowledge and advises that a systematic search strategy should constantly be evaluated and, if necessary, adjusted.