Federated searching was once touted as the library world's answer to Google, but ten years since federated searching technology's inception, how does it actually compare? This study focuses on undergraduate student preferences and perceptions when doing research using both Google and a federated search tool. Students were asked about their…

Mobile Internet-based technologies have created the opportunity for many students to view writing and research as an everyday activity. While many students use these kinds of technologies on a daily basis in and outside of the classroom, not many writing pedagogies reflect this shift or capitalize on how beginner writers use them to effectively…

Purpose: The paper comprises an extended discussion of the possibilities that Web 2.0 applications offer to doctoral researchers, and where such applications fit in the early twenty-first century in the research environment. It explores the main issues associated with their use by doctoral researchers, and how these factors have influenced the…

This paper will describe the use of developed resources for doctoral students taking a literature review class (DOC722) at the University of Phoenix. The paper offers a description of several Mindtools along with their educational advantages for research projects. Today's graduate students are challenged to identify and interpret relevant research…

A report of findings from a content analysis of 191 course-related research assignment handouts distributed to undergraduates on 28 college campuses across the U.S., as part of Project Information Literacy. A majority of handouts in the sample emphasized standards about the mechanics of compiling college research papers, more so than guiding…

A report of preliminary findings and analysis from student discussion groups held on 7 U.S. campuses in Fall 2008, as part of Project Information Literacy. Qualitative data from discussions with higher education students across the country suggest that conducting research is particularly challenging. Students' greatest challenges are related to…

This article explores how the role of learning technologists, a professional group that has emerged during the last 15 to 20 years, may be diversifying to include supporting e-research. It contributes to the current debate about the emerging profession and the roles it should play in contemporary higher education. Previous studies have shown that,…

The purpose of this study was to create and evaluate personalised virtual learning spaces (PVLSs) in a course that was previously delivered face-to-face only. The study addressed three related questions: (1) Can a PVLS successfully be introduced into a course where IT has not previously featured? (2) Can the PVLSs be used to enhance the assessment…

The Internet is no longer only a place to research information. It is now also a forum through which users can publish and disseminate their own writing. Richardson describes some of the main tools that make this new "Read/Write Web" work--blogs, wikis, really simple syndication, and podcasting--and gives examples of how each can be used to…

This book is designed to help college students develop information and research skills. Twenty-one chapters cover the following topics: (1) "Information Content, Information Packages"; (2) "Reference Works: Finding Facts Fast"; (3) "Directories"; (4) "Biographical Dictionaries"; (5) "Encyclopedias"; (6) "Dictionaries, Thesauruses, and Other Word…

Details the impact of online databases, PROQUEST in particular, on composition students' research. Indicates a need for more instruction that addresses new literacies emerging from the current transitional age of electronic and print cultures. Presents new evaluative methods for online documents that utilize knowledge of online genres, information…

Students increasingly are comfortable on the World Wide Web and turn to online resources for many of their research needs. All students can benefit, however, from being shown how to find the most appropriate resources and evaluate what they find. Regardless of their own familiarity with the Web, instructors can apply their knowledge of their…

While the use of a search engine to find secondary sources is now a commonplace practice among undergraduate writers, recent studies show that students' online searches often lead to materials that are wholly or partially unsuitable for academic purposes. Accordingly, this project set out to determine whether using a more specialized search…

An Internet research project was undertaken by a class of college honors students to see how effectively the Internet could be used for genuine research purposes. The class consisted of 16 students, a mix of freshmen, sophomores, and juniors, enrolled in an advanced writing course whose focus was different forms of research: I-Search, ethnography,…

Explores implementation of electronic term papers (ETP), objectives of these assignments, educational benefits of the ETP, an exemplar ETP, grading of ETPs, copyright issues, and student evaluations of the approach. Includes a schematic diagram of a sample electronic term paper and a list of Web resources for developing ETPs. (MJP)