Introduction
Welcome to Science on the Internet - a free online tutorial that will help you develop Internet research skills to help with your work in Parliament or other policy making environments. This tutorial was developed by the International Network for the Availability for Science Publications (INASP) and the Institute for Learning and Research Technology (ILRT) at the University of Bristol. It is based on the Internet Detective tutorial.
Who is the tutorial for?
It's designed to help staff in Parliaments and other policy advisors who want to use the Internet to find and manage information on science topics.
What does the tutorial cover?
The tutorial looks at the critical thinking required when using the Internet for research and offers practical advice on evaluating the quality of web sites.
It is divided into the following sections:
- Advanced Internet skills - understand the skills required for Internet research to support evidence-informed policy making.
- Detective Work - get hints and tips that help to evaluate critically the information you find on the Internet.
- The Good the Bad and the Ugly - see why information quality is an issue on the web, especially when informing policy makers. Learn how to avoid time wasting on Internet searching, scams and hoaxes.
- Give it a go! - practise your new advanced Internet research skills with these practical exercises.
What does the tutorial involve?
The tutorial will take around an hour to complete, but you can do it in more than one sitting.
You can work through the whole tutorial by selecting the next button at the bottom of each screen, or use the links in the left margin to skip to a section.
OK, let's get started!