Before the invention of the World Wide Web―the network that makes the Internet truly useful, just about all research had to be done in a library. Although libraries are still a great place to find reliable sources of information, these days you can do most of your research on your computer―or even your phone.
In fact, so much information is available online that it can be difficult to know where to start. Once again, Dev’s experience researching Japanese culture can help you get started. Study the tabs below to see how Dev made his project a success.
One of the best ways to conduct research is to start with the big picture and then zoom in. First, look for articles about broad categories related to a country’s culture―things like foods, languages, beliefs, traditions, art, and entertainment. But even these topics are too broad, so you’ll need to choose two or three things from each category to look at more closely.
At the beginning of his research project, Dev searched for entertainment in Japan. He found several types of entertainment that had to do with animated cartoons and drawings. Dev was excited because he had heard some of his friends talk about these topics. Anime is a style of cartoon that started in Japan, and manga is a form of graphic novel that has become very popular there (and now, in the United States, too). Dev narrowed his searched to Japan anime and manga.
Question
How can you narrow your search from general research to specific research about a culture?
If most of your research will be done online, you can save time by using precise keywords and good searching techniques. For example, be sure to include the name of your country in your search terms. And while you may begin with a broad search, such as religion, you will eventually need to narrow your search to a specific topic within that category.
Dev started his research about religious traditions in Japan using the search term Japan religion. Then, once he learned about the two main religions practiced in Japan, Dev searched for Shintoism in Japan and Buddhism in Japan.
Here’s something else to keep in mind: the best sources don’t usually appear first in the list of items returned by a search engine. For this reason, you should scroll down the list and look for sources that seem most reliable or most useful for answering your research questions.
Question
If the first page of search results doesn’t provide much information, what should you do next?
By now, you know that not everything you read on the Internet is true. That’s why it’s important to look for reliable sources of information. Reference works, such as encyclopedias and dictionaries, are considered reliable. However, sites like Wikipedia are not considered trustworthy because anyone can edit them. Well-known magazine and newspaper articles are generally considered reliable sources.
Dev’s teacher told him to look for the name of the organization that published any source he found online. One of the first links in his search results for manga and anime took him to a page with only a person’s name at the top of the page above the article. Dev decided not to spend his time looking at that page. Instead, he chose a source that was published by an art museum, featuring several well-known anime artists.
Here are two more tips for judging reliability: Make sure that the date of publication of the article is recent. If no date is shown on the article, look to see when the site was last updated. It should be within the last 3 to 5 years. Also look at the web address. If the URL ends with .gov or .edu,the site is more likely to be reliable.
Question
If your search results provided links to a blog post, a magazine article, and an encyclopedia entry, which one would be the most reliable?
As you search for reliable sources, keep in mind that you shouldn’t simply rely on one source. Try to find at least two or more sources that say the same thing about a topic. That way, you can be more certain that your information is trustworthy.
The first information that Dev found about manga described the work of a single author. It mentioned the history of manga briefly, but did not say much about the art form’s popularity among Japanese readers today. Dev realized that he needed to find a few more sources related to manga―to make sure he got the full picture.
Question
Why is it important to find information in more than one source?
