Google defends search engines
Tuesday, 15, Jan 2008 11:24
Part of a student's education involves assessing the quality of information provided through search engines, a leading portal has claimed.
Spokesman for Google Oliver Rickman made his comments to BBC Radio 4's PM programme, in response to University of Brighton professor Tara Brabazon's comments that search engines are negatively affecting the way students source material.
According to the academic, students are encouraged to turn to the "University of Google" to study, rather than conducting thorough research.
Furthermore, she suggested that sites based around user-generated content, for example Wikipedia, are effectively ending debate by providing consensual information.
However, Mr Rickman said the internet has revolutionised the availability of information, which is a "tremendously good thing".
"It is certainly a very important and integral part of scholarship to be able to assess the importance of different sources but this is nothing new," he continued, arguing that GCSE history students are taught to assess the reliability of sources from years ago.
