Conducting Academic Research Online

How is conducting research online different from conducting research in a traditional library? What is your overall strategy for conducting academic Web searches?

Conducting research online is different from conducting research in a traditional library in several ways. The first to come to my mind is that there is more foot work involved in traditional research in a library. You need to go up and down aisles and checking the card catalog, then returning to your table to page through multiple volumes in search of one simple fact. Whereas on the internet you simply go to a search engine, key in your topic and hit search.  Credible information can be difficult to find. However, on the internet you can be sure to get the most up to date information on your topic. Educational sites are sometimes updated daily with current information. Libraries, on the other hand tend to have dated resources that are sometimes decades old. My overall strategy for conducting Academic Web searches would be: I start with a search engine such as Google.com. I type in my topic or some key words to the information I am looking for and hit enter. Once I get the list of sites I usually pick the first one, or if I see a familiar website I will choose that one. I never use the very first site I click on. I like to check out the same information on several sites. That helps me to verify the credibility of the site I use. Also if I have friends or family I know who has used a particular site for resources I will use that. I can be guaranteed of that sites reliability and credibility.