The Truth Is Out: How Students REALLY Search

The transition to electronic resources and the evolution of digital technologies has provided the public with the ability to conduct research without physically stepping into a library. This has led to the development of research habits using Internet search engines, mainly Google, which follow students to college. This presentation discusses the results of a two-year study of students’ online research behaviors which show that many students are comfortable with their current research habits and have little motivation to adopt new ones. Five examples of student research behaviors from the study are included to portray the burgeoning problem and provoke interest in creating solutions.