It is critically important that students use the best available resources when they do research. In my opinion, it is far better to use printed materials than online sources. I feel this way for two reasons, which I will explore in the following essay.
To begin with, printed materials such as books and articles are more reliable than websites. This is because websites can be edited by anyone in the world, regardless of whether or not they are qualified academics. As a result of this, even articles in popular online encyclopedias often contain incorrect and biased information. My own experience demonstrates the danger of relying too heavily on online sources of information. Two semesters ago, I was assigned a research paper in a freshman biology class. I cited data that I found on Wikipedia which later turned out to be completely incorrect. This data was so hopelessly wrong that my professor spotted it immediately, causing me to fail the assignment and receive a fairly low grade in the class at the end of the semester. If I had taken the time to compare what I had read online to a book or a scholarly article, I would not have included it, and would not have received such a terrible score in the class.
Secondly, books are superior to online articles because they cover topics in much detail. Textbooks are significantly longer than online articles, so they are more useful to students. Students who use them when doing projects can also look at the detailed indexes which they include to focus on very specific topics. For example, I was assigned an essay last semester in a history class and the very first book that I consulted contained a long description of both the underlying causes and long-term effects of the historical event I was writing about. In contrast, most of the online articles that I consulted contained little more than superficial facts and dates. I based my research on the book rather than these articles, so I was able to write a very insightful paper.
In conclusion, I strongly believe that printed information is more useful than online resources. This is because books and printed journals are less likely to be biased or contain errors, and because books provide a superior level of detail.
It is
critically
important
that students
use
the best available resources when they do research. In my opinion, it is far better to
use
printed
materials than
online
sources. I feel this way for two reasons, which I will explore in the following essay.
To
begin
with,
printed
materials such as
books
and
articles
are more reliable than websites. This is
because
websites can
be edited
by anyone in the world, regardless of
whether or not
they
are qualified
academics.
As a result
of this, even
articles
in popular
online
encyclopedias
often
contain incorrect and biased information. My
own
experience demonstrates the
danger
of relying too
heavily
on
online
sources of information. Two semesters ago, I
was assigned
a research paper in a freshman biology
class
. I cited data that I found on Wikipedia which later turned out to be completely incorrect. This data was
so
hopelessly
wrong
that my professor spotted it immediately, causing me to fail the assignment and receive a
fairly
low grade in the
class
at the
end
of the semester. If I had taken the time to compare what I had read
online
to a
book
or a
scholarly
article
, I would not have included it, and would not have received such a terrible score in the
class
.
Secondly
,
books
are superior to
online
articles
because
they cover topics in much detail. Textbooks are
significantly
longer than
online
articles
,
so
they are more useful to students. Students who
use
them when doing projects can
also
look at the detailed indexes which they include to focus on
very
specific topics.
For example
, I
was assigned
an essay last semester in a history
class
and the
very
first
book
that I consulted contained a long description of both the underlying causes and long-term effects of the historical
event
I was writing about.
In contrast
, most of the
online
articles
that I consulted contained
little
more than superficial facts and dates. I based my research on the
book
rather
than these
articles
,
so
I was able to write a
very
insightful paper.
In conclusion
, I
strongly
believe that
printed
information is more useful than
online
resources. This is
because
books
and
printed
journals are less likely to
be biased
or contain errors, and
because
books
provide a superior level of detail.