Internet as a source of information for Academic purpose with special reference to Buddhist Studies (part One)
The purpose of this research is to explore the information source
available on the internet for the Academic destination which helps the
successful completion of research on Buddhist Studies and life-long
learning.
In the world of today information plays a vital role
in the field of research and day to day life. All resources related to
research have increased dramatically over the last several years with
reference to the demands of the information and the technology.
Developments in the system of computer technology provide the means for
the production and storage of ideas, thoughts, research, methodological
research and experiments in digital form.
Among the available information channels the
internet has become a popular resource and it is increasingly used as an
alternative to printed resources. The book production process has been
changed and largely digitized. Nowadays, readers heavily depend on
e-versions. The dissemination of information through this medium has
three main advantages over publication in the traditional manner, as
cost, speed, and ease of access. Other advantages of an electronic
medium include keyword searching and the use of multimedia and hypertext
formats. The Library professionals have identified the new trend and
started to acquire the e-resources to cater to their patrons
effectively.
Nature of Internet
The internet is a global system of computer
networks. It began in the late 1960s. It is becoming increasingly
widespread. The Internet contains a wealth of information on a variety
of subjects and it allows rapid transfers of data, messages, documents,
sound, and images. The Internet consists of huge information as an
encyclopedia of whole branches of universal knowledge. The volume of
information you will find on the internet is amazing. Mostly sources on
the Internet are often more up-to-date than sources in paper format.
Sometimes, user has ever wondered at the information available on the
net in many different perspectives on a single topic. It is visible that
some particular topics or key words on internet are enriching with
accurate, applicable, and informative information while some are
overwhelming with inapplicable information. The reason for that is
anyone can publish anything on the internet without considering their
capabilities or code of ethics. Hence user must assess the validity of
the information available on the internet.
Why people use the Internet?
There are number of reason such as:
To find general information
To find information for a particular subject
To conduct surveys
To conduct research
To correspond with far away friends (e.g. e-mail)
To meet people, virtually (e.g. facebook)
To discuss their interests with cyber friends (e.g. chatting)
To have fun (e.g. games)
To learn (e.g. online courses)
To read the news
To find software (e.g. virus guard)
To buy and sell things
Information seeking via the Internet
Proliferation of information resources coupled with a
lack of Internet skills leads some users into difficulties when
attempting to search and retrieve useful information. But the Internet
is an attractive medium for seeking and obtaining information, for the
following reasons:
The Internet is accessible throughout the day.
The end-user (reader) does not have to visit a library.
It is possible to find and obtain information relatively, quickly and conveniently.
The end-user can choose between saving, printing or reading information from the computer screen.
One of the great things about the internet is that it puts
information at finger tips, but it is not easy to access information
which user need and available elsewhere. The Internet provides access to
unlimited sources of information and search engines are continuously
being upgraded to provide efficient way to help users to find what they
want.
Internet usage for Academic purpose
Obtaining and handling information efficiently is
one of great importance to Academics to do a research proficiently.
Researchers follow different ways and means to obtain and handle
information efficiently. To success this process mostly they get help
from libraries and computers. Now computers have become an integral part
of the lives of scholars and researchers. Especially Computers with
internet connection have changed the information seeking behavior of
Academics in advance.
Internet is an information source which is used as a
vehicle for higher education, to seek information by Academics. It has
become an integral element of Academic research and study. Internet has
radically changed the global availability of scholarly publications.
Today, a substantial part of the resources accessible for researchers
and university students are offered through electronic sites and supply
of easily obtainable information larger than ever. It is open
twenty-four hours of the day and communication can be carried on at all
hours without considering the distance. Modern today, internet is very
much popular as an excellent research tool.
The most important form of education is the exchange
of ideas and opinions between students and lecturers, and among
researchers. Internet makes a great contribution to success of this
process. It enriches with more scholarly information generated by
Academics. Further it can be found that there are a number of
digitization projects of historical, primary documents on the Web, many
of them sponsored by Academic institutions.
Sometimes, a large amount of information is
available but it does not have systematic editing or expert review of
web-published material. Academic user must be aware of this and need to
critically analyze the retrieved information before applying it in any
way, in particular for research or any other Academic purpose.
Academic can locate “scholarly information” on the
Web through the followings and the facilities available under those
sites are listed.
