Norton Article Library

Introduction

You can find anything, so it’s said, on the Internet. That’s what makes it a great research resource for budding scholars. That’s also what makes it a problem for kids. In this article we’ll look at the common issues kids face when doing school research on the Internet, and some of the things parents should be aware of.

Lots of content, not so many facts.

The Internet has been called the world’s largest library. As a repository holding a great deal of information, it is. But there’s one big difference. Libraries have librarians to select quality books and reliable reference materials. The Internet, as a whole, does not. As a result, anyone can publish anything on the Internet, and they do. Some of it is valid, reliable information, some of it is not. A parent’s wisdom and experience can help kids tell the good information from the bad. There are also good online resources to help you help your child find reliable information —

• www.ala.org/greatsites -- One of the best Web sites comes from, who else, librarians: the American Library Association. This site includes a directory of good, safe research sites for kids. It covers a wide range of academic subjects.
• www.ipl.org -- The Internet Public Library contains reliable research materials/Web sites. It’s maintained by a consortium of universities.
• www.ipl.org/div/kidspace -- This related Internet Public Library site is for younger kids.
• www.ipl.org/div/teen/ -- This related Internet Public Library site is for teens.
• www.safekids.com --This site has a kid safe Google search engine.

Plagiarism. What it is and how to avoid it.

Just to be clear, let’s start with a definition of plagiarism: taking (stealing) someone else’s ideas or writing, and passing it off as your own. It is really easy to plagiarize material from the Internet. There is an almost unbelievable quantity of written material on virtually any subject, from art and literature to math and science. One can cut and paste sentences, paragraphs, even whole essays, add their own name and have a research paper to turn in just a few minutes. Of course, this is plagiarism, which is both unethical and illegal. And usually it will be pretty easy for a teacher to identify it as plagiarism. “Googling” sentences or phrases often leads directly to the plagiarized source.

Unintentional plagiarism.

Not all plagiarism is intentional, especially among younger students. Often kids find it difficult to put an idea into their own words after seeing it written by a professional writer, so they copy or closely paraphrase it. A good way to avoid that is to use multiple sources, take notes on each, and then construct a new idea based on the collected notes. Sit with your children and show them how to do this a few times so they get the idea.

Quotes and citations.

It is okay, of course, to quote passages from published works, including those on the Internet. To do so, one simply puts the passage in quotes and includes a citation or footnote on the research paper. Different teachers have different requirements for citations, but the student should always include the complete Web address, the name of the Web site and, if available, the author’s name. For more information about research and citation guidelines, check out the “APA Style Guide to Electronic References” (http://apastyle.apa.org/) and the “MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers” (http://www.mla.org). These two organizations set the research and citation standards followed by many colleges and universities.

Kid safe Web sites.

Parents are often concerned about children finding, accidentally or otherwise, inappropriate material on the Web. There are several ways to make fairly sure they don’t.

• The Websites referenced above direct kids to safe sites.
• Google offers safe search settings which you can set in Google preferences.
• Often teachers, schools or school districts provide lists of safe or approved sites. Ask your child’s teacher or a school administrator.
• The librarian at your local public library may have a list of pre-screened safe sites.
• Your computer operating system, Web browser, and Internet security software may provide parental control features, which will help you keep your children from inappropriate material.

Note: A free download of parental control software is available to anyone who has a valid subscription with Norton Internet Security (2007 or later version) or Norton 360.

A great learning tool.

The Internet, used carefully, is a great research resource. It should be used in combination with other resources, such as the school or public library. If you and your kids follow the basic guidelines we’ve provided here, you and they will find that the Internet is a great learning tool.