Researching Physics
Web-based Research
Learning objectives
• Evaluate websites for reliability, level and
bias.
• Reference websites to allow another
person to find the same information.
Why carry out literature-based
scientific research?
• To find out what is known and what remains
to be discovered about a topic.
• To stay up to date with research in a
particular field.
• To find information to help develop new
ideas and design new experiments.
Finding out what is known
about a topic
Scientists use a number of communication methods:
• conference presentations
• published articles
• other communications
– websites
– blogs
– manuals
– videos, etc.
• Which of these do you think is/are most reliable?
Finding out what is known
about a topic
Scientists use a number of communication methods:
• conference presentations
• published articles
• other communications
– websites
– blogs
– manuals
– videos, etc.
Published articles
Scientific articles are often published in:
• science magazines (e.g. New Scientist, Focus)
• scientific journals (e.g. Science, Nature)
Scientific journal articles are ‘peer reviewed’. Peer-reviewed
journals are reliable but expensive. Scientific magazines are
more widely available.
The most likely source of scientific information in school will
be the internet.
Internet research
• The internet is a convenient source of information,
but it can be difficult to establish reliability.
• The world wide web is the fastest growing area of
the internet. It is a collection of documents on
thousands of computers worldwide.
• The web is not controlled. Anyone can publish
almost anything on it: you must decide if the
information you retrieve is reliable and valid.
Evaluating website information
• When using information from a website,
you should consider the following key
questions:
– Who does the site belong to?
– Why was it written?
– When was it written and most
recently updated?
Who does the site belong to?
• The domain gives the type of organisation and the
country of origin of the website:
.gov
.ac
.edu
.org
.co or .com
- government body
- UK educational institution
- US education institution
- non-profit organisation
- UK or US commercial site
.uk
.us
.au
- United Kingdom
- United States
- Australia
Why was the site written?
• To inform or explain – purely factual sites, eg
government or university.
• To sell – commercial sites which sell a product
(may be disguised).
• To persuade or indoctrinate – sites designed to
convert you to a particular point of view, eg
some charities and religious organisations.
Referencing
• In Higher Physics, you must clearly state the
source of your information.
• Make sure you write down the correct web address
when referencing a website or highlight the
address and use copy/paste.
• Check the address yourself by typing it into the
browser.
Author
• Can you find out the name of the author?
• Is there information about the author?
• Is it clear that an institution or university or
organisation sponsored the website (check
the domain)?
Currency (date)
• Is the date the website was put on the
internet present?
• Is an update or revision date present?
Level
• Is the website intended for a general or a
scientific audience?
• In what way is the topic explored at a
suitable level for Higher Physics?
• Are there any aspects or vocabulary
beyond the level expected for Higher
Physics?
Purpose
• Is the purpose of the site stated (to
persuade, inform, explain, sell)?
Bias
• Is the information given and/or the views
expressed biased?
Accuracy
• Are the sources of the information listed in
a bibliography or referenced to linked
websites?