PREFACE
This guide is for you if you're new to using the computer for research, or if you're an experienced "hacker" who now has to write a college term paper. Included are suggestions for using the power of computers to ease your research and the reporting of it.
You will succeed if you understand the nature of electronic research before you begin. Take some time now to skim over the various headings in each chapter. Read parts I and II before turning to the computer so your time (and often your money) will not be wasted. By design, there are portions you may be able to skip or quickly skim. Key terms are in boldface.
Once you begin your research, keep this guide handy while you are working at the computer. Internet addresses are listed at the end of the book, and tips on various services are included in Part III.
When you're finally ready to write the report, use Part IV to supplement any directions your teacher has given you.
This book is not a comprehensive guide to the Internet. For detailed coverage of UNIX, see Pitter, Keiko, et al. Every Student's Guide to the Internet. McGraw-Hill, 1995. An interactive guide to the Internet is now available on computer diskette: Every Student's Internet Resource Guide by Sara Amato (New York: McGraw-Hill, 1996).
Information about both works can be found at McGraw-Hill's Web site: http://auth.mhhe.com and this book can be found at http://auth.mhhe.com/writers where links will be updated regularly.
I hope that you find this guide helpful. All Internet addresses are current as of June 1998. If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions for revision, please E-mail or write me:
Professor Diana Roberts Wienbroer
English Department
Nassau Community College
Garden City, NY 11530