THE ROLE OF THE INTERNET IN RESEARCH AND INFORMATION DISSEMINATION AMONGST STUDENTS

This study does not also condemn the traditional means of researching but complements it with the new medium. It also enlightens resources on the fact that their works can be published online for other researchers to access.

The rapid growth of the internet and the advantage of the medium over traditional communication format in terms of flexibility, ease-of-access, speed and reach, makes it an obvious route for research. At the end of 1998, it was estimated that the total number of internet users were about 150 million and by year 2000, it had reached a total of 500 million users, this figure have doubled over the years indicating that people have been turning more to the internet as time advances. The advantages of the internet over traditional media are numerous. In this new electronic environment, flat, paper-based research articles can become multi-layered, cross-referenced, live resources with integral audio and visual material and links. Users can, from a single entry point, explore and capture numerous additional bundles of information from organizations and individuals across the world. Though a growing number of e-mail news groups and discussions forums online, researchers can communicate, share ideas and collaborate with networks of people, professionals and interest groups. It is this speed and flexibility of information exchange that represents probably the single most important benefit of the internet.