Embedded Files
Research methods and rules can vary across academic disciplines or subjects
and are NOT covered here.
However, basic rules of finding reliable sources, summarizing, giving credit to authors for their ideas/words/evidence, and keeping track of where you found the information/ideas in the form of citations and bibliography - are all standard, accepted practice in academia.
Research on the Internet
Keeping track of research on the internet can be overwhelming if you are not organized from the beginning.
You might not be able to remember where you found the information or article LATER, so make a copy of it NOW.
Bookmarking all your research is not the best way to save your research. You will have too many bookmarks just for one paper and they are not easily organized.
Websites are constantly changing. The material might not be found at the original address or the content might be changed. This is why COLLECTING the information immediately and saving it in organized files is important.
Research from the Internet MUST be in your Bibliography
The URL, the Title/Name of the website, AND the date you retrieved it:
It is very important to copy
the URL
the Title/Name of the website
AND the date you retrieved/viewed it
They are ALL REQUIRED for your citations and bibliography.
This material may be gone or have changed by the time you finish your paper/thesis, so copying it during research can be very important. It is also why the date is necessary.
Collecting information from the internet
Research Tip:
To keep track of the information/research you find on the internet you can
Copy and paste the information into a Word document - be sure to copy/paste the URL, the Title/Name of the website, AND the date you retrieved it (it might not be there when you write your Bibliography in a few weeks, months, or years.
However, using copy/paste to copy information from a website is NOT THE BEST USE OF YOUR TIME.
There are functions, programs, and tools that will do it faster and some collect all the bibliographical information you need.
Tools for Collecting and Copying
Save web pages
Many browsers have "Save as PDF" or "Print to PDF" functions built in.
Google Chrome and Windows 10 have built-in "Print to PDF" and/or "Save to PDF" features.
Print to PDF is different from Save as PDF. Print to PDF does not save metadata, ie.links and bookmarks will not be saved.
In each of these cases, advertisements will be included in the document and make it longer and more cluttered.
Extensions such as PrintFriendly do all the work for you - they eliminate advertising and save the information needed for your bibliography.
Use a TOOL such as PrintFriendly & PDF
PrintFriendly & PDF
This app can be added as an Extension to your Browser on your computer so that you can copy a webpage with its Title, URL, and the DATE retrieved (all three are REQUIRED for your Footnotes and/or Bibliography) with two clicks.
PrintFriendly & PDF will copy most pages on a website (unless it is blocked) and put it into a pdf document for you to print or save.
This program will automatically exclude advertising on the page.
Here is a link to their free product:
Here is a brief demonstration of what PrintFriendly can do while researching on the internet:
PDF Programs
Saving a webpage as a PDF requires
a PDF program
One of the most popular and stable programs is Adobe Acrobat Reader.
It allows you to create pdfs, convert Word and other documents to pdf, and to highlight and write annotations on the document.
You can download it here:
Taking Screenshots on a Computer
Sometimes all you need is a screenshot of something from the internet.
Maybe you want to copy a small section and save it in a document with other information.
Maybe a website will not allow you to copy/paste or create a pdf version.
Using screenshot on a phone is NOT SUGGESTED for conducting research and will create an organizational challenge and mess.
If you screenshot research materials from the internet be sure to screenshot or copy/paste the URL as well. You will need this for your Bibliography.
Using Greenshot
A popular and easy to use SCREENSHOT program for your computer is GREENSHOT.
It is free and has multiple features such as saving directly into a Word document, saving as a PDF, saving as a JPG, saving to OneNote, or copying to the clipboard (for copy/paste).
Get the URL and name of the website too, or you won't be able to use the information or cite it in your bibliography
Greenshot is easy to use, but to get the most out of its multiple features here is a video tutorial:
Electronic Sources
Such as essays in a journal or ebooks and other books from the internet:
If you read a source on the internet which may or may not also appear in a printed journal or book, you must collect the URL for the work while you are reading.
Many academic journals will do this for you with the click of a button somewhat at the beginning or the end of the page.
Many electronic journals have an option to copy the citation in the format you need.
E-books and Kindle books must be noted as an on-line source in the Bibliography with the URL (see the appropriate information for APA, MLA, or your schools' format) and the date retrieved.
Google Sites
Report abuse