Research Online

A good online information site is not hard to find for any topic. By typing a few key words into most Internet search engines, you will find pages of related sites, and each of those will probably have links, too. When you find an interesting article, be certain the material isn't copyrighted to the site or a certain author. Once you're certain the material is public domain, what is the best way to catalog the information?

Here are four ideas about taking "notes" from Internet sources.
1. MARK - First, bookmark (Favorites) the page. You should start a new folder for your subject so it doesn't get lost in a long list.
2. FIND - Use commands in your browser's menu bar to search for specific information in a site. On most browsers, "Ctrl+F" will get you there in Firefox and many other browsers, or you can pick out "Find" in the "edit" tab. By doing this, you can type in the name or phrase you're looking for and go right to that section of the page without having to read all the text.
3. SAVE - If you haven't already done so, make a folder on your hard drive for your subject. Then download the cyber page and read when you aren't online (Be advised, the consecutive pages and links won't always be accessible unless you're online).
4. PRINT - Don't forget to print what you need, especially for bibliographies and statistics. Some pages have a "Print Friendly" button to get material in the right format for your printer. If you don't find one, simply highlight the text you want and copy it (Control+C), then open a new document in your desk top and paste (Control+V). Now you can print it out at your leisure. When you copy and paste from a page, be certain to also copy and paste the page's URL. Put that in bold at the beginning of the material for documentation.

Always double-check any information you find online in Urban Legend sites and hoax listings. The Internet offers so many opinions and perspectives, you need to be certain you are reading a true fact and not someone's speculation.