The Internet as a source of information is widely and indiscriminately being used by people who are engaged in various researches.

• Do you think the Net is likely to improve the quality of research?
• Is it in any way an unhealthy practice to fall back on the Net for everything?


Research as such demands a lot of resources and its quality depends on several factors including information. And when it comes to over dependence on the Net for everything, it is not so healthy a practice. Let me prove it.

Research, as we all know, is a very serious activity involving multiple factors. Major ones being hypotheses, assumptions, related information, data, observations, processing, to mention a few. In this context, it can be said that right and required information is just one of the factors, and the same can contribute a substantially to a research work.

However, the point about quality is not just gathering information. It is much more than that. So, I tend to say that making use of the Net mindlessly is not going to take the quality of research any higher; rather it may add on to its success. For example, a research work without a right hypothesis, but stuffed with information is a poor research in more ways than one.

So, how right it is to turn to the Net for everything? What I feel is that it is good to be Net savvy. But, basically, man has an instinct to seek and find information. This involves may faculties like initiative, inquisitiveness, hard work, logical thinking, raising doubts, consulting people, reading and observing the media, and so goes the list. All these activities can sharpen man’s intellectual acumen. Unfortunately, falling back on the Net for everything may harm this faculty. So, in a way, it is not harmless.

In short, trying to see how Net influences research, I find it right to add that Net is just a potential source of information; one of the elements of research. So also over dependence on the Net is better avoided. Research, in my opinion, is a self-driven search to find something new.

285 words
Ajaypeesdoc. 1.8.011