How can I carry out effective Internet Research for my course?

Since the advent of the internet's invention, high schools, colleges and universities the world over have looked to tailor their courses to high levels of web-based internet research in view of its rapid ongoing development that has served to make the internet an invaluable research tool due to the vast array of resources it has served to make availabe to even the most ordinary and average of users.

However, despite its widespread use and availability to consumers the world over, far too many students still do not know how to use the internet's full potential as a research tool to support the work that they are undertaking as part of their studies in almost every subject known to man in schools, colleges and universities for internet research. Too many students still do not know how to make even the most basic of search engines work to their advantage for their internet research to produce viable material at a touch of a button rather than having to spend hourse refining their search terms and going through page after page of search results from their internet research. They fail to appreciate the value of one simple tool for getting the specific results that they want from their internet research that is right at your fingertips at this very moment as each and every one of you sit reading this very article on your computer screen right now – the speech marks button (“”).

I am all too often amazed at how many students come to me each and every week saying that they have had trouble carrying out their internet research in all manner of subjects and in a variety of topic areas because they are getting far too many results to go through to determine whether their internt research is producing any material of academic value for them. Of course there are often occassions where there are real problems that need to be dealt with where a student has trouble determining what is of academic value (no Wikipedia please!!), but more often than not the problem is simply a case of the student failing to use the speech marks button on the search engine they have chosen and/or even the specific subject database like Westlaw or Lexis Nexis to effectively narrow their research results and get the best materials.

But do not take my word for it – lets look at an example now to consider the effect the correct use the speech marks button can have upon your internet research now . . .

Let us say for arguments sake that we are wanting to write a 4,000 word essay on 'English Law' – yes, I know the subject matter is a bit bland and quite broad but it will help us for what I am going to show you here – right now go to a search engine (I like Google but you can use any other that you would like including Yahoo and Lycos) and time in English Law and then press your 'Enter' ('Return') key or click on 'Search'.

What results do you get?

At last count there were 143,000,000 search results on Google which is simply astonishing from the matter of seconds it took you to type that in on your keyboard to start your internet research – could you imagine how long that would take to go through?

Let's have another go . . .

Right, this time type this in exactly as it is written - “English Law” and what do you get?

1,980,000 search results from our internet research – still a lot right?

Definitely, but a huge reduction on where we were and then you can move on onto the next stage of your internet research -

What are we going to talk about in “English Law”?

Let's say we have been given absolute free rein here so, for arguments sake, I have chosen the development of its statutory framework when compared to the common law which will mean having to input the following search terms like this for our internet research -

“English Law” & “Statutory Framework” & “Common Law”

What do you get?

8,460 search results from our internet research this time which is a lot more manageable.

We could then look to refine our internet research still further if we so wished by considering what aspects of the common law and the statutory framework we are going to focus upon – it all depends on the question that you were set or have chosen to answer yourself as to whether you would like to make your internet research either much broader or narrower, but you could try all sorts of other search terms like this -

“English Law” & “Statutory Framework” & History (notice because it is one word on its own 'History' is not in “” as this will make no difference to your internet research search results – check if you wouldd like)

“English Law” & “Common Law” & History

“English Law” & “Statutory Framework” & “Common Law”

“English Law” & “Statutory Framework” & “Common Law” & “Criminal Law” etc . . .

It is entirely up to you on the basis of the nature and scope of the question that you have been set or have chosen to answer but, as well as the “”, you also need the & as this is very important because, by way of example, go back to our last search terms that I told you to input - “English Law” & “Statutory Framework” & “Common Law” - now if we inputted this like this instead -

“English Law” “Statutory Framework” “Common Law”

What results do you get from your internet research if you do this?

You actually get fewer search results (3,410 search results) so if you want to narrow your research still further this can prove to be very helpful to you as well. This is, as a result, just a taste of the things that you need to consider when carrying out your internet research so this article should serve its purpose as a foundation for you to then look to undertake further internet research to be able to complete your work to the requisite standard in your essay planning and essay writing. Hopefully you will also look to read this article along with those others that I have produced here for your use and the further resources that are available to assist your studies that are all around you.

Therefore, if you would like a great deal more information and support in both this and other areas then you can find it in the form of the 'The Secret Guide To Academic Writing & Study' that I produced myself and am currently distributing to students like you all over the world at a remarkably inexpensive one-off price through my website at www.academicfx.co.uk.