Internet research

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Internet research is the practice of using data from the Internet, especially free information on the World Wide Web and Internet-based resources (like online forums and social media), in research.

Internet research has had a profound impact on the way ideas are formed and knowledge is created. Common applications of Internet research include personal research on a particular subject (something mentioned on the news, a health problem, etc.), students doing research for academic projects and papers, and journalists and other writers researching stories. Through web search, pages with some relation to a given search entry can be visited, analyzed, and compiled. In addition, the Web can be used to connect with relevant sources of primary data (e.g., experts) and conduct online interviews. Communication tools used for this purpose on the Web include email (including mailing lists), online discussion groups (including message boards and BBSes), and other personal communication facilities (instant messaging, IRC, newsgroups, etc.).

Internet research is distinct from library research (focusing on library-bound resources) and commercial database research (focusing on commercial databases). While many commercial databases are delivered through the Internet, and some libraries purchase access to library databases on behalf of their patrons, searching such databases is generally not considered part of “Internet research”. It should also be distinguished from scientific research (research following a defined and rigorous process) carried out on the Internet, from straightforward retrieving of details like a name or phone number, and from research about the Internet.^{[citation needed]}

Internet research can provide quick, immediate, and worldwide access to information, although results may be affected by unrecognized bias, difficulties in verifying a writer's credentials (and therefore the accuracy or pertinence of the information obtained), and whether the researcher has sufficient skill to draw meaningful results from the abundance of material typically available.^[1] The first resources retrieved may not be the most suitable resources to answer a particular question. Popularity is often a factor used in structuring Internet search results, but popular information is not always most correct or representative of the breadth of knowledge and opinion on a topic.

While conducting commercial research fosters a deep concern with costs, and library research fosters a concern with access, Internet research fosters a deep concern for quality, managing the abundance of information and with avoiding unintended bias. This is partly because Internet research occurs in a less mature information environment: an environment with less sophisticated or poorly communicated search skills and much less effort in organizing information. Library and commercial research has many search tactics and strategies unavailable on the Internet and the library and commercial environments invest more deeply in organizing and vetting their information.^{[citation needed]}