Top Tips for Doing Research Online
The internet contains the sum-total of human knowledge. This makes it the ideal place for researching any topic. However, it can be difficult to know how to use the internet for Research Online effectively.
Below we’re looking at two key factors that any researcher, be they an academic compiling notes for a book, or an entrepreneur getting to grips with web development, would do well to consider when embarking on online research.
Seek Out Trusted Sources
One of the most effective ways to supercharge your online research is to learn how to distinguish between reputable and unverified sources, and then focus on identifying the former. This sounds simple, but it can be tricky; especially because many people write with an authoritative tone online; thus making the things they say sound like the reliable perspectives of an expert.
Many platforms, like WikiHow, are full of guides and explainers submitted by internet users with no real credentials pertaining to, or affiliation with, the topic being covered. One of the best ways to circumvent this is to figure out which platforms are trusted for journalism in the sector you’re gathering information on, and use them as a jumping off point for further research.
So for example, if you were doing a research project on the poker industry, then leading news-desks in that community, such as PokerNews, would serve as a far more reliable basis than lesser known and unverified sources. Likewise, those researching elements of the popular motorsport, Formula One, will find leads derived from major publisher Autosport far more useful and trustworthy than the opinions of a fan presented as facts on Twitter.
Organize Your Documents
Collecting knowledge is only half the battle; the rest of the challenge lies in organizing it in a way that’s easily referenceable and intuitive. While many people appreciate the simplicity of utilizing their web-browser’s in-built bookmarking features; this can become less than ideal when you’re attempting to process a large volume of information.
Instead, consider using any number of the comprehensive note-taking apps out there designed for this purpose. The best known example of these, historically, is Evernote. Evernote is a not taking application that lets you store notes in folders (known as notebooks); and add hashtags in order to make the process of searching and connecting pieces of information together straight-forward.
Another factor that works in Evernote’s favor is its web-clipper extension that can be installed on any browser based on Google Chrome. The web-clipper lets you save web pages into Evernote’s database as a searchable rich-text document. What’s more, the clipper can be used to save text fields; images or videos you want to record from within a web page. This makes the process of collating information while browsing incredibly intuitive.
Newer platforms, such as Notion and Obsidian offer similar tools; but with a greater emphasis placed on building out your own database. For large research projects, these are potentially superior options as there are no limits; as to how you can organize the information you’re bringing together.
Conclusion:
However, the downside to these is that they have a steeper learning curve than Evernote. As such, for those unwilling to invest the requisite time into learning; how to use each to their maximum effect it may be better to stick with their more straight-forward alternatives.
