1. The Information Landscape: Thinking About Information for College Research

This video series focuses on the "information landscape" as it pertains to college research. It is a work-in-progress. Your feedback is welcome.

I've got a research to do. All I need is Google, right?

Once upon a time...

The information students needed to complete their research projects could be found in

in books,

magazines,

journals,

newspapers,

and so on.

Along came the Internet, and students began relying on it to get their papers done.

Sometimes they could even find traditionally published information on the Net.

So students began to forget where this information originally came from.

They stopped bothering to think about how most credible information published in articles and books

require a team of paid professionals to produce.

They noticed so many people, companies, and organizations putting information on the Internet for free,

they started to believe this free information,

this information at their fingertips,

was all they needed to get their work done.

Meanwhile, publishing houses continued struggling to pay professional editors and writers

to methodically produce the content that serious researchers have relied on to make advances in their fields.

We all know traditionally published information costs money to produce.

Because of this, it is often sold in the form of books and articles.

I can find this information on the Internet for free!

You will no doubt find a mix of reliable and unreliable information on the Internet for free.

What you won't find on the open web,

the web you search through Google and Yahoo,

is comprehensive coverage of the information produced by the experts.

In other words,

you will not find all of the literature supporting your particular field.

What does that mean?

Let's start by defining "comprehensive," as noted in the Merriam-Webster Dictionary.

Covering completely or broadly--

inclusive.

Now let's add the definition for the word "expert."

Having, involving, or displaying special skill or knowledge derived from training or experience.

But I am the finding information written by the experts on Google.

You may be able to find a smattering of these sources through Google,

but if you are only relying on the open web for your sources,

you will be missing out on most of the information being produced by the people with the degrees

you want to earn.

Remember,

they aren't working for free.

and once you earn your degree, you won't want to either.

You've got that right!

In the end,

the experts may allow bits and pieces of their carefully researched work to appear on the Internet for free.

But they are going to protect most of it by making sure it is published in books and articles,

sources that are not generally available on the open web.

Yes, qualified people are still writing books and articles,

and they are still selling these works to publishers,

who in turn sell them to us--or at least to our libraries.

If you assume you will always find equivalent information on the open web,

you could be missing out on the very sources that just might nudge your own work into recognition,

publication, even.

I wouldn't mind selling my work.

Have you ever heard of fool's gold?

Fool's gold is sort of mineral that looks like gold,

but upon further inspection,

crumbles in your hands.

Fool's gold doesn't have the weight of true gold,

and you won't be able to sell it, either.

What do you mean fool's gold?

Fools rock!

Let's just say the open web offers students access to a lot fool's gold.

Of course, you will find some true nuggets on the open web,

though it may take more time and work.

Me? I sure don't need any more work.

Consider the following scenario...

What if you learned there were specific mines shafts nearby where shelves of true gold

were just waiting for those who needed it?

What if you found out it was necessary to know the exact location of these mine shafts

in order to take home the gold.

What if some one told you,

Of course you could find some gold in your own backyard,

but you could end up sifting through a lot of fool's gold along the way.

And even if you did take the time to do this,

you'd probably only discover a few nuggets.

In the mine shafts, however,

you're likely to discover a lot more gold in one place,

gold that is carefully organized

and easy to sort through.

In fact, you might find all the gold you need

in order to live a comfortable life

or write a thorough, award-winning, research paper,

one that knocks your professor's socks off

and sets you on your chosen path in life.

Here's another question:

If you knew such mine shafts existed,

would you then take the trouble to learn how to find them?

We don't have to tell you that today's colleges are competitive places to be.

There are fewer and fewer slots for more and more students.

And some of these students

know exactly where to find the mine shafts that serve as the foundation for their chosen field of study.

You can discover them, too!