So when I started thinking about what I would write an academic paper on I thought back to my favorite topic. History, I love to read about history, especially 15th century european culture. The renaissance was an amazing period and I was lucky enough to take a few classes on the topic here at OSU. I got interested in european history while taking a class on the history of the renaissance, we studied their clothing, interiors and architechture. When I started researching where I would get my information, I had to be careful of websites that are peoples opinion on what happened. Finding credible sources of information can be hard, there are plenty of websites thats were made by people who really enjoy learning about that topic. I use google a lot when I am trying to find different websites and they can bring up a lot of useless information. I found 3 websites, 2 that I thought could be really credible and 1 that is possibly filled with the wrong information.
The first website that I would use was titled Unique facts about Europe: The Renaissance. With each website I would try to verify the information by checking with other websites to see if they have the same information. This first website I think is credible, they have valid information that you can find on other websites. With some websites you cant always take what they have written as the truth, some of the information seems like it is altered. Some websites will include information that pertains to modern day, trying to bring in the information so that we can understand it in our society.
The second website is wikipedia, it is always in the search results when you google anything. Its not always reliable for truthful information. Since wikipedia gets some of their information from people who visit the website it is hard to track where all the information is coming from. I trust wikipedia form some information, it is one of the websites that I use on a regular basis, I use it for finding out random bits of information. Such as trying to figure out how tall Rob Dyrdek is, it gives you the random tidbits of information that makes is easily accessible. I know that many professors do not accept wikipedia as an acceptable source for academic papers. So it is not always a credible source for all topics but for some it can give you good information.
The final source that I found was just called Europe in the Fifteenth Century. The layout of the website does not give off the impression that it is credible, it is just paragraphs on writing. It doesnt seem like the creator of the website gave much thought into the people who would be reading the information. I do not think that this website is credible, it seems like it could be a paper that someone wrote and posted it on a website. I would have to double check with multiple other sites in order to believe that the information was true. Based on these websites I would think that the student took some time in figuring out the information, but with the last source it would seem that they kind of gave up looking for credible sources.
In woods and smith they talk more about internet addictions, Some people that are using the internet for 12 hours a day can search all over for the best information on a subject. But students like us do not have the time to sit in front of the computer all day and browse through thousands of websites. So we have to put up with the limited amount of time that we have to browse websites. I think that if you search and find some great websites, all it takes is a little bit of patience. I think that in society it is not “cool” to sit in front of a computer for prolonged periods of time, you are seen as a nerd if you would rather play on the computer rather than go out and hang out with your friends. We have certain societal norms that we are taught to follow, you have to go along with what society says or you are seen as an outcast.
http://www.fashionencyclopedia.com/fashion_costume_culture/European-Culture-15th-Century/Europe-in-the-Fifteenth-Century.html
http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/Europeweb/factfile/Unique-facts-Europe20.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renaissance
I too love reading about history, more recent history. My son is a WWII buff so I enjoy listening to him basically teach me!! When I do papers I use wiki.org also!! I prefer encyclopedias because they seem more believable.
By: tammyroebke on February 11, 2009
at 5:20 am
Good idea for corroborating information! Sometimes correct facts can be found by using the majority, but I do think we also have to be aware that sometimes the majority can be wrong. Not everyone is quite as conscientious as we would like to be, and once misinformation gets entrenched, it can be hard to dig out.
By: Sarah Walker on February 12, 2009
at 12:20 am
I enjoyed your summary.
The social norm says that long periods in front of a computer screen equals “nerd.” It is interesting to me the differences in acceptance of the “nerd.” When we spend hours working on graphic design projects or work or even Facebook, etc is that more acceptable than spending countless ours playing online games or just choosing a computer over human interaction. I think people (not all, some) get pigeon-holed into being nerds because they like such topics, when the reality is they lead very exciting full lives in “the real world” too. Like most things, its about balance, and addictions come when the balance is out of whack.
Thanks for the post. Its true that wikipedia is unavoidable, haha.
By: corinnefisher on February 12, 2009
at 5:53 pm
Wouldn’t it be nice if each year a professor or author or someone who really knew the topic, like 15th century Europe, was given the task of gooling their topic, reading the websites and somehow stamping it with their approval. “This site was deemed credible by Dr. Whoknows on such and such a date.” Some stuff on the internet is really interesting, but not always true…or is it.
I too use wikipedia as a jumping off point. It’s usually the first site that come in a search, and we have to start somewhere.
By: Jacqueline Landry on February 13, 2009
at 6:34 pm