14.4: Edward, Susan, and Googlepedia

Edward and Susan are two students comfortable in the world of Googlepedia, beginning and, in most cases, ending their research with a search engine (both students claimed to use Google over any other search engine) or online encyclopedia (both were only aware of Wikipedia). Interestingly, Edward and Susan often move between Google and Wikipedia in the process of conducting their research, switching back and forth between the two sources of information when they believe the need exists.

For an upcoming research writing project on the topic of outsourcing American jobs, Susan chooses to begin her preliminary research with Google while Edward chooses to start with Wikipedia. The students engage in preliminary research, research at the beginning of the research writing process; yet, they work with a limited amount of information about the assignment, a situation still common in many college courses. The students know they have to write an argumentative essay of several pages and use at least five sources of information, sources they are required to find on their own. The students know the research-based essay is a major assignment for a college course, and they begin their searches in Googlepedia despite the sources available to them through the university library.

Edward

Edward begins his research in Wikipedia, spending less than one minute to find and skim the summary paragraph on the main page for “outsourcing.” After reading the summary paragraph2 to, in Edward’s words, “make sure I had a good understanding of the topic,” and scanning the rest of the main page (interestingly) from bottom to top, Edward focuses his reading on the page section titled “criticism.” Edward explains his focus,

Since I am writing an argumentative paper, I first skimmed
the whole page for ideas that stood out. I then looked at the
references for a clearly opinionated essay to see what other
people are talking about and to compare my ideas [on the
subject] to theirs,’ preferably if they have an opposing view.

This search for public opinion leads Edward to examine polls as well as skim related web pages linked to the Wikipedia page on outsourcing, and Edward quickly settles on the “reasons for outsourcing” in the criticism section of the Wikipedia page. Edward explains, “I am examining the pros of outsourcing as I am against it, and it seems that companies do not want to take responsibility for [outsourcing].”

It is at this point, barely fifteen minutes into his research, that Edward returns to the top of the Wikipedia main page on outsourcing to re-read the opening summary on the topic, as I stop him to discuss the thesis he is developing on corporate responsibility for the outsourcing problem. We discuss what I make of Edward’s early research; Edward relies on Wikipedia for a broad overview, to verify his understanding on a subject.

Presearch into Research

Analysis: Some teachers and librarians might argue against it,
but I believe starting a search for information in Wikipedia has
its benefits. It is difficult enough to write a college-level argumentative
essay on a topic you know well. For a topic you know
little about, you need to first learn more about it. Getting a
basic understanding of the topic or issue through an encyclopedia,
even an online one, has been a recommended practice for
decades. Some librarians and teachers question the reliability of
online encyclopedias like Wikipedia, but this is not the point
of the instruction I am offering to you. I want you to keep going,
to not stop your search after consulting Wikipedia. To use
it as a starting point, not a final destination.

Recommendation: Deepen your understanding. Formulate a
working thesis. Reread the pages as Edward has done here.
This is recursive preliminary research, a process that will
strengthen your research and your writing.

After our brief discussion to flush out his process in conducting research for an argumentative essay, I ask Edward to continue his research. Though he seems to identify a research focus, corporate responsibility, and working thesis—that American corporations should be held responsible for jobs they ship overseas—Edward still chooses to stay on the outsourcing page in Wikipedia to search for additional information.

He then searches the Wikipedia page for what he believes are links to expert opinions along with more specific sources that interest him and, in his approach to argumentative writing, contradict his opinion on the subject. Unlike Susan who later chooses to side with the majority opinion, Edward wants to turn his essay into a debate, regardless of where his ideas fall on the spectrum of public opinion.

Research and Critical/Creative Thinking

Analysis: Edward’s reliance on Wikipedia at this point is still
not a concern. He is starting to link out to other resources, just
as you should do. I, however, suggest that you spend more time
at this point in your research to build your knowledge foundation.
Your position on the issue should become clearer with the
more you read, the more you talk to teachers and peers, and the
more you explore the library and the open Web.

Recommendation: Keep exploring and branching out. Don’t
focus your research at this point. Let your research help focus
your thinking.

Staying in Wikipedia leads Edward to texts such as “Outsourcing Bogeyman” and “Outsourcing Job Killer.” Edward explains that his choices are largely based on the titles of the texts (clearly evident from these examples), not the authors, their credentials, the websites or sources that contain the texts, the URLs, or perhaps their domain names (e.g. .org, .edu, .net, .com)—characteristics of Web-based sources that most academic researchers consider. Even though Edward acknowledges that the source of the “Bogeyman” text is the journal Business Week, for example, he admits selecting the text based on the title alone, claiming “I don’t read [Business Week], so I can’t judge the source’s quality.”

Research and Credibility

Analysis: Understanding the credentials of the author or source
is particularly important in conducting sound academic research
and especially during the age of the open Web. We live
a world where most anyone with an Internet connection can
post ideas and information to the Web. Therefore, it is always
a good idea to understand and verify the sources of the information
you use in your writing. Would you want to use, even
unintentionally, incorrect information for a report you were
writing at your job? Of course not. Understanding the credibility
of a source is a habit of mind that should be practiced in
your first year composition course and has value way beyond it.

Recommendation: Take a few minutes to establish the credibility
of your sources. Knowing who said or wrote it, what
credentials he or she has, what respect the publication, website,

or source has where you found the ideas and information, and
discussing these concepts with your peers, librarian, and writing
teacher should dramatically improve the essays and reports
that result from your research.

What Edward trusts are the ideas contained in the text, believing
the writer uses trustworthy information, thereby deferring source
evaluation to the author of the text. For example, Edward comments
of the “Job Killer” text, “After reading the first three paragraphs, I
knew I was going to use this source.” Edward adds that the convincing
factor is the author’s apparent reliance on two studies conducted
at Duke University, each attempting to validate a different side of the
outsourcing debate and the roles of corporations in it. From Edward’s
statement, it is clear he needs help to better understand the criteria
most scholars use for evaluating and selecting Web-based sources:

• Check the purpose of the website (the extension “.edu,” “.org,”
“.gov,” “.com” can often indicate the orientation or purpose of
the site).
• Locate and consider the author’s credentials to establish credibility.
• Look for recent updates to establish currency or relevancy.
• Examine the visual elements of the site such as links to establish
relationships with other sources of information. (Clines
and Cobb 2)

A Text’s Credibility Is Your Credibility

Analysis: Viewed one way, Edward is trying to establish the
credibility of his source. However, he doesn’t dig deep enough
or perhaps is too easily convinced. What if the studies at Duke,
for instance, were conducted by undergraduate students and
not faculty members? Would that influence the quality of the
research projects and their findings?

Recommendation: Know as much as you can about your source
and do your best to present his or her credentials in your writing.
As I tell my own students, give “props” to your sources
when and where you can in the text of your essays and reports
that incorporate source material. Lead-ins such as “Joe Smith,
Professor of Art at Syracuse University, writes that . . .” are

especially helpful in giving props. Ask your teacher for more
strategies to acknowledge your sources.

Edward’s next step in his research process reveals more understanding than you might think. Interested in the Duke University studies cited in the “Job Killer” text, Edward moves from Wikipedia to Google in an attempt to find, in his words, “the original source and all its facts.” This research move is not for the reason that I would have searched for the original text (I would be looking to verify the studies and validate their findings); still, Edward indicates that he always searches for and uses the original texts, what many teachers would agree is a wise decision. Finding the original studies in his initial Google query, Edward’s research move here also reminds us of a new research reality: many original sources previously, and often only, available through campus libraries are now available through search engines like Google and Google Scholar.

After only thirty minutes into his preliminary research, it’s the appropriate time for Edward to move his Googlepedia-based approach significantly into the academic world, specifically to the online library.

Before working with Edward to bring his Googlepedia-based research process together with a more traditional academic one, I ask Edward about library-based sources, particularly online databases. His response is the following: “I am more familiar with the Internet, so there is no reason [to use the library databases]. It is not that the library and databases are a hassle or the library is an uncomfortable space, but I can get this research done in bed.” Edward’s response is interesting here as it conflicts with the many reports that students often find the college library to be an intimidating place. Edward doesn’t find the library to be overwhelming or intimidating; he finds the information in it unnecessary given the amount of information available via Googlepedia.

But what if researching in the online library could be a more reliable
and more efficient way to do research?

Susan

Susan begins her research where most students do, on Google. Interestingly, Susan does not start with the general topic of outsourcing, opting instead to let the search engine recommend related search terms. As Susan types in the term “outsourcing,” Google as a search engine builds on character recognition software providing several “suggestions” or related search terms, terms that Susan expects to be provided for her, and one—“outsourcing pros and cons”—quickly catches her attention. Commenting on this choice instead of searching by the general concept of outsourcing, Susan notes, “I would have to sort through too much stuff [on Google] before deciding what to do.” She selects “pros and cons” from the many related and limiting search terms suggested to her; Susan states, “I want both sides of the story because I don’t know much about it.”

Fig. 1. Outsourcing suggestions from Google.

Susan next moves into examining the top ten returns provided on the first page of her Google search for outsourcing pros and cons. Doing what is now common practice for most Web users, Susan immediately selects the link for the first item returned in the query. I believe most search engine users are wired this way, even though they are likely familiar with the emphasis given to commercial sites on Google and other search engines. Quickly unsatisfied with this source, Susan jumps around on the first page of returns, stopping on the first visual she encounters on a linked page: a table illustrating pros and cons. Asked why she likes the visual, Susan responds that she is trying to find out how many arguments exist for and against outsourcing. On this page, Susan notes the author provides seven pros and four cons for outsourcing. This finding leads Susan to believe that more pros likely exist and that her essay should be in support of outsourcing.

“Visual” Research

Analysis: There are at least two points worthy of your attention
here. First, Susan’s information behavior shows how attracted
we all are to visuals (maps, charts, tables, diagrams, photos,
images, etc.), particularly when they appear on a printed
page or screen. Second, she fails to acknowledge a basic fact
of research—that visual information of most any kind can be
misleading. In the above example, Susan quickly deduces that
more (7 pros vs. 4 cons) means more important or more convincing.
Couldn’t it be possible that all or even any one of the
cons is more significant than all of the pros taken together?

Recommendation: Consider using visuals as both researching
and writing aids. However, analyze them as closely as you
would a printed source. Also, examine the data for more than
just the numbers. It might be a truism that numbers don’t lie,
but it is up to you, as a writer, to explain what the numbers
really mean.

Like Edward, Susan is not (initially) concerned about the credibility of the text (author’s credentials, source, sponsoring/hosting website, URL or domain, etc.); she appears only concerned with the information itself. When prodded, Susan mentions the text appears to be some form of press release, the URL seems legitimate, and the site appears credible. She fails to mention that the author’s information is not included on the text, but Susan quickly dismisses this: “The lack of author doesn’t bother me. It would only be a name anyway.” Susan adds that her goal is to get the research done “the easiest and fastest way I can.” These attitudes—there is so much information available in the Googlepedia world that the information stands on its own and the research process itself doesn’t need to take much time—appear to be a common misconception among students today, and the behaviors that result from them could possibly lead to flimsy arguments based on the multiplicity rather than the quality of information.

Research and CRAAP

Analysis: I have referenced criteria for evaluating sources
throughout this chapter. If you do not fully understand them,
you should consult the resources below and talk with your
teacher or a reference librarian.

Recommendation: Learn to put your sources to the CRAAP test
(easy to remember, huh?):

• “Currency: The timeliness of the information.”
• “Relevance: The importance of the information for your needs.”
• “Authority: The source of the information.”
• “Accuracy: The reliability, truthfulness, and correctness of the
informational content.”
• “Purpose: The reason the information exists.”
(Meriam Library)
• For specific questions to pose of your sources to evaluate each
of these, visit the website for the developers of the CRAAP
test at http://www.csuchico.edu/lins/handouts/evalsites.html.
Another useful site is http://www.gettysburg.edu/library/research/
tips/webeval/index.dot.

Unlike Edward, Susan is not concerned with engaging in a debate on the subject of outsourcing, regardless of her opinions on it. Susan views the assignment as I think many students would, another “get it done” research paper. Further, she believes the majority opinion, at least as it is discussed in the initial source she locates, should be her opinion in her essay. Susan explains, “I tend to take the side that I think I can make the stronger argument for . . . If it was a personal issue or an issue I was really interested in, like abortion, I wouldn’t do this. This topic doesn’t affect me though.”

Good Search Terms=Good Research Options

Analysis: Susan needs to understand why being overly reliant
on sources uncovered early on in the research process is a problem
(particularly here where the search term pros comes before
the search term cons likely leading to the results Susan has
received). I hope you also share my concerns with the working

thesis she appears to be constructing, though I recognize that
many students approach research papers just this way.

Recommendation: Improve your research by attempting at least
a handful of Web searches using different key terms. If necessary,
work with the search phrases and terms provided by the
search engine. Also, place your search terms inside quotes on
occasion to help vary and focus your search returns. Looking
at the subject from different perspectives should help you gain
a better sense of the topic and should lead you to a thesis and
the development of an essay that is more convincing to your
readers.

To her credit, Susan understands the need to validate the information provided by her first source, and she examines the original ten search returns for another text that might indicate the number of advantages and disadvantages to outsourcing. This search behavior of relying on the first page of returns provided by a search engine query has been widely documented, if nowhere else but in the experience of nearly every computer user. When was the last time you went to say the fourth or fifth page of returns on Google? Such a research move contradicts the power browsing nature of most of today’s computer users, teachers and students alike. As Susan (perhaps, to some degree, rightly) explains, “The farther away from the first page, the less topic appropriate the articles become.” I would contend this might be true of the thirty-seventh page of returns; yet, please understand that you should explore beyond the first page of returns when seeking out information via a search engine. Google your own name (last name first as well) some day to see just how curiously search returns are prioritized.

Next, Susan identifies a subsequent source, www.outsource2india.com. This website provides the confirmation that Susan is looking for, noting sixteen pros and only twelve cons for outsourcing. At this point, Susan confirms her process for gathering source material for argumentative essays: she looks for two to three web-based articles that share similar views, particularly views that provide her with arguments, counterarguments, and rebuttals. Once she has an adequate list of points and has determined which side of a debate can be more effectively supported, Susan refines her Google search to focus only on that side of the debate.

Don’t Rush to Argument

Analysis: There are two concerns with Susan’s research at this
point: (1) her rush to research and (2) her rush to judgment.

Recommendation: In addition to reworking your research
process with the help of the ideas presented in this chapter,
consider building your understanding of writing academic
arguments. In addition to your writing teacher and composition
textbook, two sources to consult are http://www.
dartmouth.edu/~writing/materials/student/ac_paper/what.
shtml#argument and http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/
argument.html#2.

Similar to the way she began searching for information only fifteen minutes earlier, Susan uses Google’s “suggestions” to help her identify additional sources that support the side of the debate she has chosen to argue. As she types in “pros outsourcing,” Susan identifies and selects “pro outsourcing statistics” from the recommended list of searches provided by Google in a drop-down menu. Like Edward, Susan is interested in validating the points she wants to use in her essay with research studies and scientific findings. Susan comments, “Statistics. Data. Science. They all make an argument stronger and not just opinion.” Susan again relies on the first page of search results and focuses on title and URL to make her selections. As she finds information, she copies and pastes it along with the URL to a Word document, noting once she has her five sources with a blend of ideas and statistics together in a Word file that she will stop her research and start her writing.

Track Your Research/Give Props

Analysis: Susan demonstrates here the common information
behavior of cutting-and-pasting text or visuals from Web pages.
She also demonstrates some understanding of the value of
quantitative research and scientific proof. She also appears to
use Word to create a working bibliography. These behaviors are
far from perfect, but they can be of some help to you.

Recommendation: Learn to use an annotated bibliography. This
type of research document will help you with both remembering
and citing your sources. For more information on building
an annotated bibliography, visit http://www.ehow.com/
how_4806881_construct-annotated-bibliography.html. There

are also many software and online applications such as Zotero
and RefWorks that can help you collect and cite your sources.
Next, make sure to do more than just cut-and-paste the ideas of
others and the information you find on the Web into an essay
or report of yours.3 Learn to use paraphrases and summaries in
addition to word-for-word passages and quotes. The Purdue
OWL, a great resource for all things research and writing, explains
options for incorporating research into your own writing:
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/563/1/. Finally, realize
the value and limitations of statistics/numerical data and
scientific findings. This type of research can be quite convincing
as support for an argument, but it takes your explanations of
the numbers and findings to make it so. You need to explain
how the ideas of others relate to your thesis (and don’t forget to
give props).

Edward and Susan: Remix

As you know by now, I certainly have concerns with Susan’s and Edward’s research process; however, I recognize that the process used by each of these students is not uncommon for many student researchers. More importantly, each process includes strategies which could be easily reworked in the digital library.

Yes, I am concerned that Susan doesn’t recognize that you can find two or three sources on the Web that agree on just about anything, no matter how crazy that thing might be. Yes, I am concerned that Susan opts out of forming an argument that she truly believes in. Yes, I am concerned that both Susan and Edward trust information so quickly and fail to see a need to question their sources. Despite my concerns, and perhaps your own, their Googlepedia-based research process can provide the terms they need to complete the research in more sound and productive ways, and the process can be easily replicated in an online library.

Based on their Googlepedia research to this point, I suggest to Edward that he construct his essay as a rebuttal argument and that he use the search terms “outsourcing” and “corporate responsibility” to explore sources available to him from the library. For Susan, I suggest that she too construct a rebuttal argument and that she use the search string “outsourcing statistics” to explore sources in the university’s virtual library. (For more information on writing rebuttal arguments, visit http://www.engl.niu.edu/wac/rebuttal.html.)

Given the influence and value of using search engines like Google and online encyclopedias like Wikipedia in the research process, I recommend the following eight step research process to move from relying on instinctive information behaviors to acquiring solid research skills:

1. Use Wikipedia to get a sense of the topic and identify additional
search terms.
2. Use Google to get a broader sense of the topic as well as verify
information and test out search terms you found in Wikipedia.
3. Search Google again using quotation marks around your
“search terms” to manage the number of results and identify
more useful search terms.
4. Search Google Scholar (scholar.google.com) to apply the search
terms in an environment of mostly academic and professional
resources.
5. Do a limited search of “recent results or “since 2000” on
Google Scholar to manage the number of results and identify
the most current resources.
6. Search your college’s library research databases using your
college library’s web portal: to apply the search terms in an
environment of the most trusted academic and professional
resources.
7. Focus your search within at least one general academic database
such as Academic Search Premier, Proquest Complete,
Lexis/Nexis Academic Universe, or CQ Researcher to apply
the search terms in a trusted environment and manage the
number of results.
8. Do a limited search by year and “full text” returns using the
same general academic database(s) you used in step 7 to reduce
the number of results and identify the most current resources.

I admit that this process will certainly seem like a lot of work to you, but I want to emphasize that Edward and Susan completed this sequence in less than thirty minutes. After doing so, Edward even commented, “If someone had shown me this in high school, I wouldn’t be going to Wikipedia and Google like I do.” Susan added that even with her search terms, Google still presented challenges in terms of the number of potential sources: “Google had thousands of hits while Galileo might have less than 100.” For students who value speed and ease, this remixed process resonated with them, and I believe it will with you.

More importantly, the remixed process addresses some of the concerns that could have hindered the research and writing of both students if they only worked with Googlepedia. By remixing and sequencing research this way, they worked with issues of currency, credibility, accuracy and bias among others, criteria vital to conducting sound research. This is not to say that Susan and Edward failed to understand or could not apply these concepts, particularly given that our research time was limited to sixty minutes total (thirty minutes researching alone plus thirty minutes for cooperative research). However, any student who makes this research move will find a more viable and valuable research path. As Edward said, “[The library sources] produced a narrowed search pattern and created less results based on a more reliable pool from which to pull the information.”

The research approach I am suggesting can be quick and easy, and it can also be more connected to the values of researchers and the skills of adept information users. Don’t take just my word for it though. Consider Susan’s closing comment from the questionnaire she completed after our research session:

I really hadn’t ever thought of using library sources in looking
up information because I’ve always used open Web resources.
I now know the benefits of using library sources and how they
can simplify my search. I found being able to categorize articles
by date and relevancy very helpful . . . I am inclined to
change the way I research papers from using the open Web to
using library sources because they are more valid and it’s as
easy to use as Google.

In just a single one-hour-long preliminary research session, Susan and Edward were able to utilize the research behaviors they were comfortable with, were encouraged to continue starting their research in Googlepedia, and learned to remix their behaviors inside the online library. Working on your own or with a teacher or librarian to make the research move from Googlepedia to the library, as I suggest in this chapter, should help to improve the quality of your research and your writing based upon it.