[Air-l] Re: "Validity” of citing internet sources ?

[Jeremy Hunsinger]

A source is a source, of course, of course, unless the source is the  
famous internet?

If you have a 'text'  it is a valid 'source' if you cite it.  If you  
are concerned that the citation will change, then you should make a  
personal archive of the source.  The problem of ephemerality is the  
primary problem of internet citation.... we solve the problem of  
ephemerality with archives.  In terms of any other concern, I'd be  
interested of learning of any concern about internet sources that is  
not found in paper sources too, to a greater or lesser degree.

Much has been made of the issues of information literacy, the  
'validity' of sources.  However, the criteria for internet sources is  
no different than any other source.  If you have a book, you have a  
book, if you have a pamphlet, you have a pamphlet, and if you have  
the crazed rantings of a neighborhood hero posted to a bulletin board  
in the local supermarket.... you might still find some truth.   All  
these forms exist online and off, and it is not a question of the  
'internet'.  It is a question of judgement, critical thinking, and  
research design.

In terms of 'official sources' as opposed to 'un-official' sources..  
people study both, in huge quantities, your choice of data is not  
made, I think, on the basis of its origination, as much as the theory  
you put forth.  If you are looking for papers from reputable journals  
that substantiate the validity of internet sources, I suggest looking  
in the period of 1998-2000, as that is when people were seeking that  
answer.
On May 3, 2007, at 8:42 AM, Suzana Sukovic wrote:

> Hello,
> I'd be very interested to hear what other people think,  
> particularly people
> who don't see themselves as Internet researchers. Perceived  
> problems with
> citing Internet sources in academic papers seem to go beyond dead  
> links.
> Cheers,
> Suzana
>
> At 02:19 PM 3/05/2007, joseph at gelfer.net wrote:
>> Hello list members
>>
>> Can anyone point me in the direction of any peer-reviewed papers  
>> which argue
>> for the "validity" of citing internet sources as complements to  
>> regular
>> print sources?
>>
>> Here's the context: I work in the area of Religious Studies. I  
>> like to cite
>> church and religious organisation websites as an indicator of their
>> positions on various contemporary issues. I also like to cite  
>> blogs of
>> religious leaders who have significant public and publishing  
>> profiles, as
>> these often contain some pretty impassioned content that may not  
>> make it
>> through to "official" outlets.
>>
>> Now I know some folks find using such online sources as  
>> unscholarly, even if
>> alongside all the traditional print sources. So what I'm after are  
>> papers
>> from reputable journals which make a good case for the use of such  
>> online
>> sources. Having had a look around the only papers I can find in  
>> the general
>> subject area are concerned with dead links/the percentage of URL  
>> references
>> which can no longer be verified.
>>
>> Any thoughts would be appreciated.
>>
>> Thanks,
>> Joseph Gelfer.
>>
>> www.gelfer.net
>>
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>
>
> Suzana Sukovic
> PhD Candidate
> _________________________________________
> Information & Knowledge Management
> Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
> University of Technology, Sydney
>
> PO Box 123
> Broadway NSW 2007, Australia
> www.hss.uts.edu.au/research/research_students/suzana_sukovic.html
>
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jeremy hunsinger
Information Ethics Fellow, Center for Information Policy Research,  
School of Information Studies, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee  
(www.cipr.uwm.edu)

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