Whether or not one believes the hyperbolic claims about the Internet being the biggest thing since the invention of the wheel, the Internet is a medium with great consequences for social and economic life. Doing Internet Research is written to help people discern in what ways it has commanded the public imagination, and the methodological issues that arise when one tries to study and understand the social processes occurring within the Internet. Each contributor to the volume offers original responses in the search for, and critique of, methods with which to study the Internet and the social, political, economic, artistic, communicative phenomena occurring within and around it. This book provides encouragement for readers getting started with Internet research and also provides perspective on this new and ubiquitous communication medium.

Find what you’re looking for with the best Internet resources for academic research in the humanities, sciences, and social sciences! Which academic resource deserves more of your budget: printed books and journals or softly glowing terminals? The answer differs depending on the subject area, the availability and reliability of Internet information in that field, and the comparative value of Internet research and traditional print media. Academic Research on the Internet: Options for Scholars and Libraries gives you the information you need to make those choices. This comprehensive book examines the usability of the Internet as a scholarly research and reference tool. Each chapter provides a snapshot of Internet information access and usability in a specific subject area, comparing it to traditional print media. In addition, each chapter includes a selected webliography of key resources-a time-saving tool for librarians on the reference desk. Experts in specific subject areas provide up-to-the-minute assessments of the usefulness of the Internet for research in their fields, including: Arts and Architecture Biology Engineering Chemistry Physics and Mathematics Music Philosophy English and American Literature History Political Science Business Education Anthropology and Sociology Health Sciences Public Administration Law Environmental Sciences Reference Academic Research on the Internet is designed to provide the facts you need about the reliability, timeliness, and availability of Internet information. With this information, you can decide on the relative value of print subscriptions, assess the degree to which the Internet alone can satisfy users’ information needs, and make intelligent choices about budget allocation.

Internet Research Skills is a clear and concise guide to the effective use of the Internet for students in the social sciences. The open web is becoming central to student research practice, not least because of its accessibility, and this clear text describes search strategies and outlines the critical skills necessary to deal with such diverse and disorganized materials. This book covers all of the essential aspects of Internet research, with each chapter containing a number of illustrations, inset boxes, and short exercises.

Scholars from a range of disciplines discuss research methods, theories, and conceptual approaches in the study of internet governance. The design and governance of the internet has become one of the most pressing geopolitical issues of our era. The stability of the economy, democracy, and the public sphere are wholly dependent on the stability and security of the internet. Revelations about election hacking, facial recognition technology, and government surveillance have gotten the public's attention and made clear the need for scholarly research that examines internet governance both empirically and conceptually. In this volume, scholars from a range of disciplines consider research methods, theories, and conceptual approaches in the study of internet governance.

A detailed look at conducting online research, including how to write literature reviews, utilize annotated bibliographies, and use Boolean logic.

Examines the impact of Internet technology on qualitative research methods. This book draws on studies using computer-mediated communication (CMC) and shows how online researchers can employ Internet-based qualitative methods to collect descriptive, contextually-situated data. It is intended as a guide for students and researchers.