Using sources

Using online resources

The internet provides access to millions of pages of freely available, downloadable source material, but remember there are no quality restrictions on the internet and you will need to make academic judgments about the material you find. Ask yourself:

• Who wrote it and why? If authorship of the electronic source is not given, ask yourself whether it is worth copying.
• Is the work fact, opinion, propaganda? Is it accurate/verifiable/current?
• What is the purpose of the site?

Be especially careful if cutting and pasting work from electronic media; do not fail to attribute the work to its source.

Useful resources

The links below can help you to get the best out of internet-based research and to reference web-based sources correctly:

• Intute
  Service provided by a network of UK universities and educational service providers which holds a database of subject-specific web pages which have been selected and reviewed for quality and academic value by specialists. Also includes a training suite to help develop Internet research skills.
• Google Scholar
  Search tool.

Using secondary sources

A secondary source is a commentary referring to information already presented in an original (or primary) source. It often takes the form of an interpretation, analysis or opinion of the original material, and as such should be treated with more caution in terms of its factual accuracy and reliability.