Borgman, D. (2001). How to do Research Using the Internet. S. Hamilton, MA: Center for Youth Studies.

OVERVIEW

The Internet is a great source of information and a valuable tool for research. Youth workers should make good use of it. Besides the dangers of pornographic, hate, and dark sites of all kinds, much of the Internet is advertisement or glossy promotion of programs (some good; some not so good). But the Web can still be a valuable professional resource. Below are some tips and actual sites that can be of tremendous help in working with crises of many types or educating yourself to be of greater value to young people.

GETTING STARTED

• If you have not used the Internet much, sit down with someone who knows the kind of things of interest to you. Take some basic notes and ask questions if you have later problems.
• The main way to become familiar with the Internet is to use it. Most Browsers (Netscape and Explorer) have a Search button. Click it, accept or select a search engine, and type in the organization, famous name, or type of information for which you are looking. Do not type in "kids," "boys," or "girls" or you will probably be offered some porno sites.
• I use www.googles.com as a favorite search engine.
• Most of the information you will find can be downloaded onto your hard disk or printed. Have plenty of paper available, and it is good to recycle one-sided sheets for this purpose. The last page of many things printed is often useless information and tag lines, so be sure to turn them over and use them again.
• When you find a helpful site, bookmark it. You will find the Bookmark or Favorites tab on your home page. Select it and click "Add bookmark." Next time you can just go to your bookmarks and click that name.

HELPFUL SITES

 

General Information

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• www.onelook.com. Dictionaries.

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• www.britannica.com. Encyclopedia.

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• www.encyclopedia.com. Encyclopedia.

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• www.refdesk.com. Reference site.

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• www.almanac.webdata.com. And another.

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• www.askjeeves.com. Any questions.

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• www.electriclibrary.com. Subscription, free 30 days, a good resource which will track information of particular interest to you in newspapers, etc. such as hate crimes, violence, suicide, etc.

Christian Media Critique and Support

• www.capalert.com. Child Care Action Project, conservative evaluations and warnings.

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• www.christianmedianews.org. Support for religious artists.

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• www.christiananswers.net. See above.

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• www.cpyr.org. See above.

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• www.hollywoodjesus.com. An interesting and attractive site.

 

Books

 

Here’s how you can get information in the form of reviews for books you don’t have time to read but need to know something about:

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• www.amazon.com

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• www.bn.com

 

General Information from a Christian Perspective

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• www.gospelcom.net/ifc/virtual.html. Professor Quentin Schultz and author of The Internet for Christians produces an on-line newsletter and Internet Director for beginners.

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• www.gospel.com. An umbrella for many sites

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• www.beliefnet.com. Attempts from a broad perspective to give help in matters of religion and Christian belief.

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• www.marshillforum.org. This ministry began by distributing monthly tapes. In an intellectual way it seeks to understand and challenge postmodern culture. Highly recommended.

 

Research on Youth

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• www.centerforyouth.org. We appreciate your using this site and look for your feedback and support financially and information you may contribute. See how to write for EYS.

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• www.childstats.gov. U.S. statistics on children is put out on an inter-agency website

• www.childrensdefense.org. Further statistics on children, especially urban, poor and black, may be found at the Children’s Defense Fund.
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• www.aacap.org/publications/factsfam/index/html. You will find an alphabetical list of youth problems with professional summary of each issue from the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry.

• www.health.org/catalog/index/html. Important drug and alcohol information, with resources, is available from the U.S. National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information.

• www.barna.org/cgi-bin/MainArchives.asp. The Barna Group give you of the most effective, free research on US teenagers.

• www.search-institute.org/research/. Search Institute is a very reputable research group. They encourage communities and religious groups to cooperate in reducing the risks young people face with a positive approach. Their research has found 40 assets or resources young people need to grow up healthy.

• www.gseis.ucla.edu/heri/heri.html. UCLA Research conducts an annual survey or US college freshmen.

 

Newspapers

 

You can find youth issues around the country (and sometimes globally) by going to a particular newspaper’s web site.

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• www.refdesk.com. And select newspapers.

 

Mental Health

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• www.nami.org. You will have to subscribe but there is valuable information here.

 

Drugs

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• http://64.14.37.118/drug_info.html. This is a treasure of quick information.

 

Music

 

University students now download instead of buy CDs, but that’s not really legal. There is legal free listening at the first site and lyrics, etc. at the second.

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• www.mp3.com

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• http://nscp.snap.com/search/directory

 

Movies

  http://mrsshowbiz_go.com/reviews/moviereviews.   www.suntimes.com/ebert.  

http://typlex.go.com/ebertandthemovies/ebert/asp. Audio reviews of movies from Roger Ebert and Richard Roeper.

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• www.moviereviews.com

 

Media Critique

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• www.jeankilbourne.com. Author of Deceitful Persuasion: Why Women and Girls Must Fight the Addictive Power of Advertising provides lots of information and resources to combat the negative images and inflence of today’s commercials.

 

Urban Youth and Youth Ministry

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• www.iugm.org/yth-res.html. A joint venture of Urban Youth Ministries and Kingdomworks. You will be pleased with the resources, list of organizations, and coming training conferences you will find here. It also provides links to other related sites.

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• www.yubm.org. This site attempts to meet and counter the negative aspects of urban hip-hop culture focusing on maturing, mentoring, and ministering to potential leaders especially in the urban black community.

 

Sports Ministries

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• www.gospelcom.net/rbc/ss/. The web site of a Christian sports magazine. You will find current and archived articles of interest along with featured testimonies of athletes and statistics.

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• www.lyricsearch.com. Has a good selection of current pop song lyrics from Eminem to J.Lo.

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• www.cpyu.org. This is a highly recommended site with full critiques of music, movies, and other media from the Center for Parent and Youth Understanding.

• www.christiananswers.net. AND www.screenit.com. Christian critiques of music and media.
• www.truetunes.com. Site for alternative Christian music scene. 

Dean Borgman cCYS