Introduction to Speech Research Guide

The internet provides a wide range of current informtion accessible to anyone witha computer and internet access.  However, journal and newspaper articles are frequently not available on the internet or require users to pay to access the information.

• Search the internet AFTER searching for journal articles, government information, and books.
• Utilize a wide variety of search tools.

When using websites in research, watch for websites by organizations.  These sites can be very useful in research, but you need to keep in mind they are also by nature can be very biased.  These sites can be very useful for finding position statements and allow you go quote the organization.  However, make sure not to rely solely on organizational websites. 

Organizational websites usually, but not always, end in .org.  The best organizational websites or affiliated with professions or universities such as the American Medical Association or American Psychological Association.  Many other organizations are based around social issues such as gun control or personal preferences such as vegetarianism.