With the internet, researching a topic becomes very easy. No need to go to the library, just with internet access, everyone can open a search engine and type in what they want to find. However, apart from providing access to information, the internet also makes it easier to access misinformation. By following a few simple rules, you can avoid false or false information from inaccurate or biased sources.
Step
Part 1 of 4: Knowing Where to Start
Step 1. Decide where to start the search
If your company, school, or university provides search engine or directory services, start there. If you have access to a scientific article database from a library like EBSCOhost, start there. The library database gives you access to research results that have been reviewed by experts so that the accuracy, trustworthiness, and information in it is guaranteed and can become the main standard in academic research. While you may want to learn something for yourself, academic research will provide the most up-to-date and reliable information.
- Usually, you can access these databases through the library's website. Some university libraries will require a password to be accessed from outside their area.
- If you don't have access to a library, try using Google Scholar. You can find research results using this one search engine, and Google Scholar will show you where to download articles for free.
Step 2. Find specific databases
There are certain databases that provide information specific to each area of research. For example, in the e-Resources of the National Library of the Republic of Indonesia, you can search for scientific publications from various fields such as culture, technology, and so on.
Step 3. Ask the librarian
If you have access to a library, meet the librarian there. They have been trained to assist you in accessing the best research and science results available. They can help you locate and determine the credibility of a source of information.
Step 4. Use search engines with great care
Search engines scour the internet, listing page after page, by reading available words and phrases. From there, the process takes place automatically. Each search engine has an algorithm used to rank the results of certain specific searches. That is, there is no human intervention in determining the accuracy of the search. The “top results” are only search results from the algorithm, with no guarantee of the quality of the content.
- Some search engines can be tricked by sophisticated sites into making sure certain content appears at the top. What's more, each search engine has its own algorithm, and some of them organize search results based on the browsing history in your web browser. So, the top result on Google is not necessarily the top result on Yahoo even if you do a search with the exact same words.
- The information you find on the internet is not necessarily credible or authoritative. Anyone can create a web page, and the amount of information that is incorrect, unverified, and leads to errors is often more than the correct information. To sort the useless from the useful, have a discussion with the teacher or librarian, and use academic or library search engines as much as possible.
Step 5. Choose keywords carefully
For each search, there is a huge selection of words and phrases that you can enter into a search engine. Therefore, it is very important to carefully consider what you are hoping to get out of the quest. Also use several different search combinations.
-
If you're using an academic search engine such as the library's search feature, try using a combination of keywords and Boolean operators (words you can use to narrow your search like AND, OR, and NOT).
- For example, if you are doing research on feminism in China, do a search with “feminism AND China”. The results that appear will include both keywords.
- You can use OR to search related keywords. For example, if you do a search with “feminism OR feminism OR social justice”, your results will contain at least one of these keywords.
- You can use NOT to exclude certain keywords from the search. For example, if you do a search for “feminism AND China NOT Japan”, you will not get any search results that include Japan.
- You can use quotation marks to search for a full phrase. For example, if you want to search for academic performance, use quotation marks to search for a full phrase (“academic performance”). However, using quotation marks will return search results that do not have the exact same phrase. For example, you won't get results on “school performance” or “academic functioning” because those phrases don't exactly match the phrases you use.
- Use specific keyword phrases to find the most relevant information. For example, if you were to search for information on the budget for social security funds in Indonesia, you would get the result you want by searching for “total budget for social security programs in Indonesia” instead of using “social security” which would lead you to the definition of security. social security, types of social security in other countries, and thousands of other outcomes that you don't want. However, you won't always be able to get information this way-the more words you enter, the fewer results you'll get.
- Use alternative key words or phrases to find additional research resources. For example, if you research “social security”, also use “social programs” or “social safety nets” or “public assistance” to find other results. In many cases, the choice of words you use can also result in bias in search results even if it is not intentional. For example, the term “social security” is a term that is full of political influence. By using different types of terms, you will get a broader and less biased source.
Step 6. Narrow it down as necessary
If you're researching a topic you're not familiar with, start your search with broad terms, then use the information you gleaned from that first search to narrow down your next search.
For example, when you search for “total budget for social security programs in Indonesia”, you will find several public assistance programs available such as the National Health Insurance (JKN) and Rice for Poor Families (Raskin). Use this information to choose which program appeals to you, then perform a new, more specific search, such as “total Raskin program budget in Indonesia”
Part 2 of 4: Getting Good Resources
Step 1. Look for credible and authoritative sources
The most difficult-and important-task in doing research on the internet is making sure you choose a credible source. In general, prioritize information from government sources, academics, and nationally recognized journalistic organizations.
- Government sources often have “.go.id” in the address. For example, the website of the Ministry of Research, Technology and Higher Education of the Republic of Indonesia is
- Sites that end in.ac.id are usually part of a campus or university. However, you have to be careful with the.ac.id site because often lecturers and students can have personal pages that end in.ac.id, and the information on them is not necessarily recognized by the university. To search for academic resources, do so using a database or academic search engine such as EBSCOhost or Google Scholar.
- Sites ending in.org are owned by nonprofit organizations. While some of them have high credibility, many of them don't. Anyone can purchase a site with the.org ending. Check these sites carefully, don't rely on these types of sites as your sole source of information.
- Major news sources such as Kompas, CNN, and Tempo tend to have good credibility, but you should make sure that the sources you use are fact-based articles and not opinion articles. Many news sites also have blogs and opinionated editorials that are not always based on facts.
Step 2. Expand browsing
Don't limit yourself to just the first few pages of search engine results. Look at the following pages.
While you may not be able to read all of the search results, it's important to check at least the first few pages of the search to make sure you haven't missed any important information. Due to search engine optimization, if you use a regular search engine such as Google or Yahoo, the first few pages may contain links that are promoted to appear in the first place instead of the links containing the best information
Step 3. Avoid sources like Wikipedia
While Wikipedia can be a great place to start, sites like these are editable by anyone, which means that the information on them can be inaccuracies, not up-to-date, and biased. If you use Wikipedia or another wiki site for research, see the 'References' section at the bottom of the page and check the links. Look for the original source as much as possible.
For example, if you are writing a report on penguins, start with the Wikipedia page on penguins. See the References section to find reviewed scientific articles on penguins and some reference books published by academic publishers. Read these sources for more authoritative information
Step 4. Look for original sources as much as possible
While doing your research, you will come across many statements on the internet that are not entirely true or useful. Some sources do not have references, or they may twist existing references to say something different from the original. Don't take everything for granted. If a site reports questionable facts or statistics, seek the original source.
- For example, if you're doing research on changes in social security budget budgets over the last 20 years, don't trust Yahoo answers, a blog, or other secondary sources. Most credible sources will inform that the data used comes from government agencies. Therefore, it would be better if you also look for the original source of government data and quote it directly instead of citing a page that only reports data without knowing the truth.
- Citation of original sources will also make your research more authoritative and credible. For example, your teacher will be more impressed if you quote an article from the Ministry of Health website instead of the Klikdokter website even though the information contained in it is the same. It would be even better if you could cite original academic articles that produced the information you are looking for.
Step 5. Seek consensus
If you can't find the original source of a fact, the best thing you can do is to verify it through some credible site.
For any information, if you can't find the official source, don't trust the information until you can find identical information on some other independent site. For example, if you can't find an original source for the 2010 Raskin budget, enter the data you find into a search engine to make sure the same numbers are listed on multiple sites and that these sites don't cite the same source that doesn't. credible
Part 3 of 4: Assessing Credibility
Step 1. Check the affiliation of a source
Look for the sponsor or owner of a site to determine its credibility. For example, the Cifor website is affiliated with the Center for International Forestry Research, one of the world's most prestigious forestry and environmental organizations. Cifor is a non-profit organization, so Cifor does not earn money from the content it provides. The articles are written by forestry and environmental experts. These points indicate that the information you find on the site can be accounted for. In contrast, an “environmental” site that has commercial pages or many advertisements has no institutional or professional affiliation, and therefore cannot be fully accounted for.
- If you are using an academic database, check with the publisher. Articles from prestigious journals and books from university publishers have more credibility than sources from lesser-known publishing houses.
- If you've never heard of a publisher before, check out their “About Us” or similar page on their site. If the page doesn't provide enough information about the manufacturer of the website, try searching the internet for the site itself. Often, news articles, Wikipedia, and so on have sources of information that include information about their affiliations, ideologies, and funding. If you still can't find it, use a search engine to find out who owns the site. However, if you have to do this, chances are that the site is not very trusted.
Step 2. Check the author
Unfortunately, many sources on the internet do not include the author's name. However, if you search for research results that have been reviewed by experts, you will find sources that include the author's name. Check their history.
- For example, check to see if the author has an education in the field he or she is writing about. Neil deGrasse Tyson has a Ph. D in Astrophysics from the renowned Columbia University, and as such, his articles on Astrophysics are likely to be reliable, authoritative, trustworthy and up-to-date. In contrast, an amateur stargazing blogger does not have the same authority even though the information he has is also accurate.
- Did the author write anything else on the topic? Many writers, including journalists and academics, have a particular area of expertise and have spent years studying and writing in that field. If the author has written many other articles in the same field, his credibility will be much higher, especially if his articles have been reviewed by experts.
- If the author's name is not listed, is the source of the information credible? Some sources, especially government sources, do not include the author's name. However, if the source of the information is authoritative-for example, an article about smallpox from the Ministry of Health website-the absence of the author's name is nothing to worry about.
Step 3. View the publication date
It is important to ensure that the information is up-to-date, especially if you are researching in the medical or scientific field. Scientific consensus is always changing with new research and information. Check the publication date of the article or web page. A publication age of 5-10 years isn't too bad, but always try to find the latest articles to get the best information.
For example, if you're writing a scientific article on cancer treatment, don't use an article from the 1970s even if it was published in a prestigious academic journal
Step 4. Ensure reliability and accuracy
There are many sources that claim to be fact-based sources even though they are not. Sites that do not have a clear agenda are usually not good sources because they can ignore or misrepresent evidence that is inconsistent with their position.
- Search for a site's resources. A credible internet site will list the source. Really good sites will provide links to original research articles so you can browse them directly. If you can't find any references to the information provided, or if the references listed are outdated or of low quality, the site cannot be trusted.
- Be careful with bias. Overly emotional language, excessive rhetoric, and informal writing are signs of bias from your source. Most scholarly writings try to be free from bias and target impartiality and objectivity as much as possible. If the site you find uses emotional language such as “Manipulative drug companies will bankrupt you and get sick to inflate their own pockets”, then there is likely a bias on the site.
- Review grammatical errors and non-working links from individual sites. If a site has accurate grammar and all the links work properly, then the site is reliable and credible. Sites with a lot of grammatical errors and links that don't work are most likely just copying the information they have from other sources or may be invalid.
Part 4 of 4: Collecting and Storing Resources
Step 1. Cite your source
To avoid the same mistakes made by inaccurate sites, always document your sources. This allows you to re-check it at a later time if needed, and will allow others to check the source in real time.
The bibliography for a web page usually lists the author's name of the article or web page (if available), the title of the article or page, the name of the site, the address of the site, and the date you accessed it
Step 2. Be careful about the ephemeral nature of the internet
Even if a resource is available on the internet today, it won't necessarily be there tomorrow. To make sure your research remains relevant, try saving the pages of the site.
- The simplest way to save a web page is to print it on paper or copy and save it in PDF format. This will allow you to keep citing the page even if it has been moved or deleted.
- Since a PDF copy or paper print is only available to you, regularly check the links of your research when published on the internet. If you find that a web page has been deleted or moved, you can search for its new location in a search engine or check if the page has been archived using Archive.org which keeps the web page as it was originally.
Step 3. Use tech mode
There are many web browser features, applications, and services that can help you save resources quickly and manage them easily.
The bookmarks feature in a web browser is the easiest way to save resources. Instead of putting your entire resource in a “Bookmarks” folder, create multiple child folders for specific topics. For example, if you are researching social security, create a folder for “Social security” in “Bookmarks” and then create more folders in it with the title “Raskin”, “JKN”, etc
Step 4. Create your own archive
In addition to using bookmarks and application features, advanced research software can help you create your own source repository.
- Various services and applications have created synchronization of sources to the internet, saving the image view of a web page as you find it, adding keywords to the resource, and so on.
- Many of these services-like Zotero-are free tools created by academics and proponents of open source software. Others, like Pocket, offer some services for free and pay for others. If you need functionality beyond the standard bookmark features of a web browser, try using one of these services to make managing your resources easier.
