In this article written by Randall McClure the author examines how students today of the "Google Generation" use Wikipedia and Google as research havens. No longer are students using the library or rarely using a school's online database to find information when they can just "google it". The author call these two websites our "web research home". We also use these sites for "pre-search" in most cases to gain further information. The problem that may arise is trying to shuffle through all the crap that possibly will not pass the "CRAAP" (currency, relevance, authority, accuracy, and purpose)test the author notes. This calls for "information literacy" in the collegiate community to fully recognize the data that you're working with. The author reports on two students who conducted research in a typical "Googlepedia" way but maybe not the most efficient. McClure goes on to share his "8-steps" with the students to help them research and gain a better understanding of the process. In conclusion he notes the benefits of using the two "pre-search" web-sites and understand we all can learn something new from our technological advancements but must make sure to slow down, appreciate the process, research and grow. Society is going to continue to change and make many more advancements but we must be careful in our approach to an abundance of information. We must continue to think critically and use our value judgement to make the appropriate actions in our daily lives. We can benefit from both sides of the equations, we can benefit from better research and will benefit with better products.
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