[11575] in Public-Access_Computer_Systems_Forum
Re: The Web and Research Papers
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (ALURIR@conrad.appstate.edu)
Mon Aug 18 20:57:48 1997
Date: Mon, 18 Aug 1997 16:52:18 -0500
From: ALURIR@conrad.appstate.edu
To: PACS-L@LISTSERV.UH.EDU
Reply-To: Public-Access Computer Systems Forum <PACS-L@LISTSERV.UH.EDU>
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----------------------------Original message----------------------------
Rothenberg's point of view article in the Chronicle of Higher
Education is interesting and his basic point is well taken.
However, he may be unfairly attacking the medium when the
fault may lie elsewhere.
For instance, he says that his students use outdated materials--
one student, according to him, used only sources published
between September and December 1995. I can easily visualize
students doing the same thing with printed sources; there is
nothing unique about web on this score.
The lack of originality in students' papers, pulling together
quotations from myriad sources--with or without attribution--,
lack of understanding of context of the quotations, and
cutting and pasting, again, is not unique to online information.
The same thing can be done with journals and books.
The use of readily available sources, in place of really
appropriate and precise sources, is also not unique.
Ironically, printed government documents tend to be used
less frequently since it used to be difficult to locate
them (during the days prior to online catalogs and other
electronic access).
I would like to throw the issue back to the professors--
web may be a problem but not the sole problem. Writing
research papers is a difficult process. Can a professor
really expect brilliant one-semester papers from his
or her students? It takes professors year or longer to
put together a reasonable paper and submit it to
journals who then may demand additional changes and
modifications? What are professors doing to help
students understand the research process?
In any case, there may be a number of other problems
in a classroom. Right now, I am afraid, web is serving
as a nice scapegoat.
Rao Aluri
Parkway Publishers, Inc.
Box 3678
Boone, NC 28607
