There was a time when students and scholars had to go to a library, browse through pages and pages of books written by different authors before finally finding the data and literature that they were looking for. But thanks to the Internet that task has been made a lot easier. There is a wealth of information available on the Internet that can be used in any subject in any field. It is little wonder then that Internet research has become an important part of academic work.
However, there are some vital differences between going to a library and getting a book, and finding information on the Internet. Getting information off the Net is a lot easier. The researcher can simply sit in the comfort of his home and get down to work, while going to a library is more time consuming, especially if it is far away from home or hostel of the student. However, books that are found in the library are reliable. They are published only after going through an extensive review process and after reputed subject matter experts have verified that the material published is authentic. This gives some sort of guarantee to the student that the information that he is picking up at the library can be relied upon. On the other hand there are no such safeguards on the Internet. Anyone can publish anything and with enough skill and careful design make it look thoroughly authentic. If the student were to believe an illegitimate bit of information as being true then he is putting his report at risk. That is why a great deal more care is required when accessing information from the World Wide Web.
There is so much information on the Internet that many students get overwhelmed by it all. They get confused as to what they should use and what they should not. That is why it is a good idea to narrow down the search and frame it in the form of a few concise questions. This way the student will have much greater focus when he is searching for the answers. It is also a good idea to keep a detailed record of all the websites that one is visiting for the research. It will not only come in handy when the actual research is being done, but it is also useful when the researcher has to put it down in his bibliography.