Sample Essay On My Research Process

English 132

Ann Behlmer
IU East
Introduction
This study describes the various benefits and limitations that I encountered in my research while using the Google and library database engines. It also describes the reliability of the resources that I obtained from the programs. Search engines perform crawling operations, build indices, and provide the search users with a list of the most relevant websites. In the process, search engines employ link structures that bind the different web pages together. Consequently, the links allow the search engines to reach billions of interconnected web documents. Once the engines have located the pages, they decipher the documents’ code and store selected parts in monumental databases to enhance future access. As such, the search engine companies have established various data centers globally to accomplish the massive task of holding numerous web documents that can be accessed instantly. When a person conducts an online search for specified information, the search engine scours its collection of billions of web pages. Next, it generates the relevant results and ranks them according to the popularity of the websites that serve the information. Therefore, the search engines assume that popular sites or web pages contain valuable information. The popularity and relevance, however, are not manually determined but are established using various algorithms.
In contrast, databases are typical collections of diverse journal and magazine articles, abstracts, reviews, and dissertations. A database comprises of individual records, which provide a comprehensive description of a particular item. Each record consists of fields that define the unique aspects of each record. Library databases allow the investigator to conduct an information search in an organized collection. The organization employs subject headings and descriptors to provide relevant results. Moreover, the users can search for keywords in a given field and, thus, limit the results using different criteria. For example, the user may search for the title and author of a particular document. The database content has undergone a rigorous review process, which makes its information more reliable than the internet sources. The databases typically provide access to full-text journal and magazine articles.

The Significance of Google and Library Database in My Research

The use of Google and library database brought various benefits to my research process. For example, the programs generated comprehensive and relevant results when a key phrase was entered into the search engines. Moreover, I utilized smart and simple searches in the two engines and found various reliable sources. The Google search engine had several benefits in my research. First, the engine was easy to utilize, and provided a variety of scholarly journal articles. Additionally, the results provided by the portal were ranked according to the popularity of the items and allowed me to select reliable journal articles. Hence, the provision of a broad range of scholarly documents provided me with various alternatives while searching for the most relevant article.
Secondly, the Google search engine brought up links showing different materials that were relevant to my research topic. The links to related information sources were exceedingly significant in my study because I acquired comprehensive knowledge of my research topic. In addition, the news links provided varying information and different views concerning my research theme. The links further provided auxiliary and minor details that contributed to my investigation. Therefore, the extra information enhanced my understanding of the subject and widened the scope of the study.
Thirdly, the Google engine had links to scholarly information that increased the utility of the search results. The academic information was relevant because it allowed me to compare my research with the prior investigations. Consequently, the search results comprised valuable prior information that increased the validity and reliability of my research. Unlike the library databases, the Google engine performed smart searches with a relatively broader spectrum. Hence, a single search yielded useful information that was relatively more comprehensive.
The library databases were also exceedingly useful during my study because they had various positive aspects. First, the library databases had smart search options, which extended the scope of my research and allowed me to search for particular materials. In addition, the library databases had the wild card option that allowed me to peruse the materials effectively. Another useful feature of the library databases was that they allowed a search restricted to the scholarly articles. Consequently, the scholarly sources ameliorated the validity and reliability of the sources derived from the library databases. The academic sources also meant that the obtained information was relevant to my research topic. Therefore, I did not resort to the use of alternative sources because I received all the needed materials from the databases. Lastly, the library databases provided citation generators that eased the referencing process. Further, they enhanced the deletion and addition of crucial information during the referencing procedure.

The Limitations of Google and Library Database Search Engines

The first drawback that I encountered in the Google search was the lack of exact information. Occasionally, the keywords that I entered in the engine failed to yield the expected results. Thus, I resorted to the use of alternative techniques as I worked on my topic. For example, I selected the articles that were closely related to my research topic when I failed to find the particular documents that I needed. As a result, the sources that I chose were often unreliable and could not utilize them as reference materials. The second limitation that I faced was the absence of citation generators in the Google engine. Hence, I turned to the database search engines to generate the citations for my various sources.
Although the library databases were exceedingly useful in my research process, they limited my search to specific articles. As such, I could only access the particular information that I was seeking. Consequently, the materials provided by the databases had a narrower scope than the documents found in the Google search engine. Additionally, the limitation reduced my understanding and knowledge of the research topic. Therefore, I experienced difficulties with the library databases while searching for information related to my study topic.

Reliability of My Reference Materials

Despite the various limitations of the search engines, my sources were reliable because I utilized both the Google and the library databases in the research process. Hence, the constraints encountered in one search engine were overcome by employing the second program. One of my valuable resources was an article by Corrigan et al. (2003), which explored the public discrimination facing the mentally ill individuals. The document was reliable because the website that offered the article had an address ending in .org. Furthermore, one of the document’s authors was a psychology professor and an illustrious investigator in the field of stigma. As such, the article had reliable information and was essential to my investigation. The journal’s volume was published in 2003 and, thus, its articles were a reliable source for current information.
Another online resource that I utilized was the article “Internet and suicide” by Sher and Vilens (2009). The document had two renowned contributors who made the information highly trustworthy. Leo Sher is a medical doctor and an executive member of the World Psychiatric Association while Alexander Vilens is a qualified scientist and editor of numerous books on psychology. The contributors’ qualifications, therefore, made their article a reliable source for my research. The third resource was a paper by Stull et al. (2011) that discussed the stigma experienced by the mentally ill patients. The article was a reliable information source for my investigation because the publishing website had an address ending in .edu. Moreover, the author of the source is a psychologist with extensive knowledge of the subject.

Conclusion

Google and library databases were the search engines that I employed in my research process. The two engines have various benefits, as well as hindrances. Moreover, they have different and similar operations that influence the reliability and validity of the generated sources. Therefore, it is imperative to understand such similarities and differences in order to obtain the most relevant resource material from the search engines. In my investigation, I utilized both search engines with the aim of maximizing their benefits while reducing their limitations. The approach enhanced my access to the required articles and improved the reliability of my sources.

References

Corrigan, P., Markowitz, F. E., Watson, A., Rowan, D., & Kubiak, M. A. (2003). An attribution model of public discrimination towards persons with mental illness. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 44(2), 162-179.
Sher, L., & Vilens, A. (2009). Internet and suicide. New York, NY: Nova Science Publishers.
Stull, L. G., McGrew, J. H., Salyers, M. P., & Ashburn-Nardo , L. (2011). Implicit stigma of mental illness: Attitudes in an evidence-based practice. Journal of Nerve and Mental Disorder, 201(12), 1072-1079. Doi: 10.1097/NMD.0000000000000056.