9. Electronic Sources

Academic research has been changed forever by the availability of the internet and other electronic media; in fact, the changes are occurring so rapidly that it is difficult, even frustrating, to keep up with them. It is also challenging to scholars to evaluate and account for all the information available, especially given that internet sources that are available one day may disappear the next. In addition, the internet is a medium that defies traditional ideas of legitimization, such as authorship, copyright, authoritative opinion, and so on.

On the other hand, access to electronic information has also made much of the scholar’s task easier and swifter. It has “democratized” and freed information so that it is no longer the exclusive property of specialists. Voices that were never heard before may now participate in academic dialogue. And in any case, electronic media are here to stay.

Whatever the medium, the scholar’s responsibility to do thorough research, give credit where it is due, and help other researchers find the same material, remains the same.