Website design By BotEap.comThere has been a giant leap in the amount of research being done by students, professors, and researchers alike. Although their use has increased, there is still a large majority of these groups who prefer not to use online resources or simply do not know how to do so. There is also a large percentage of people, especially in academia, who find online encyclopedias unreliable. This mentality has turned out to be unfortunate because online reference materials are often just as factually correct as their print counterparts. In discussing the benefits of finding data online, it is important to approach the topic from the point of view of both the student and the teacher/researcher.

Website design By BotEap.comBenefits for students of using an online encyclopedia

Website design By BotEap.com1. speed

Website design By BotEap.comIt is much faster to use online encyclopedias for research than to spend hours in the library. When working online, the student simply needs to find the encyclopedia of her choice and type in a search phrase. From here, the student can receive a series of articles related to her research focus. They will be able to accumulate a large amount of information in a matter of minutes. This same process can take literally hours when using printed materials in a library.

Website design By BotEap.com2. Updated information

Website design By BotEap.comBy using an online encyclopedia, students will receive up-to-date information. If the facts change, these changes will be reflected in the online reference materials. With printed materials this is simply not possible. Once a book is printed, it cannot be changed. Many schools and libraries have encyclopedias that are five or ten years old. Students who are forced to use these materials may be absorbing information that has long been out of date.

Website design By BotEap.com3. Depth and breadth

Website design By BotEap.comBecause online encyclopedias are constantly being updated, they often have more depth and breadth than a traditional encyclopedia. This gives students the opportunity to find much more information on any given topic. Also, if you are focusing on a topic that is not well known, it may not be found in traditional printed reference materials. One final advantage is that when there is a citation or footnote in an online encyclopedia, it is usually accompanied by a link to the original source. This gives students an easy way to gather more information, as well as easily refer to the original sources.

Website design By BotEap.comTeachers and researchers Benefits of using online encyclopedias

Website design By BotEap.com1. Create a connection

Website design By BotEap.comStudents are using the Internet and all it has to offer at an ever-increasing rate. By using online reference materials, you can connect with students. This will usually increase your attention to the project, as well as increase your overall level of commitment. A more engaged student will not only work harder, but will also naturally retain more of the information they find.

Website design By BotEap.com2. Construction of images

Website design By BotEap.comFor a teacher or researcher to be taken seriously and to be more respected, they must obtain the approval of their audience. With more people using the Internet, a teacher or researcher will naturally appear to have used resources that their audience would find acceptable, thus improving their image.

Website design By BotEap.comShould online encyclopedias and reference materials be trusted?

Website design By BotEap.comWhile the benefits of using online reference materials to find important data, it has been debated for some time whether or not they can be trusted. At the center of this debate, there is an important issue; Where do online reference materials and encyclopedias get their information? If they get their information from low-quality resources, the information is likely to be incorrect. There are many print encyclopedias and reference materials that have been replicated online, such as the Encyclopedia Britannica, and are considered legitimate. However, the most popular online encyclopedia, Wikipedia and similar websites, are often criticized.

Website design By BotEap.comSince anyone can contribute to Wikipedia, many academics argue that it is full of errors and inaccurate information. The founders of Wikipedia admit that some of the information may be inaccurate, however, in total it has been found to be surprisingly true. To contribute to a Wikipedia entry, it must be cited. It is then reviewed by editors and the quote must come from a source that is unbiased and has proven to be factually accurate. In fact, several studies have been done and it has been concluded that Wikipedia is almost as accurate as Encyclopedia Britannica and Encarta. If you’re still wondering if Wikipedia can be trusted, keep in mind that it took more than 70 years and thousands of contributors, including an inmate at an asylum for the criminally insane, to create the original Oxford English Dictionary. The fact that thousands of people have made a contribution does not mean that the information is incorrect.