Student Preferences for Cybersearch Strategies: Impact on Critical Evaluation of Sources

Abstract

For this study, students were exposed to reality learning requiring them to make a business decision on the basis of information gathered via several different information search strategies. Results show that students enjoyed using the World Wide Web more than traditional library search tools to find information. In addition, they perceived information found on the Web to be more trustworthy than that found through other strategies. These findings alert faculty to the need to guide students when gathering data from online sources. Suggestions are made for assisting students to evaluate the validity and accuracy of information from all sources.