THE BODY OF KNOWLEDGE AND THE INTERNET

The Body of Knowledge and the Internet

by JR

I’’ll admit it-since I have started graduate school I have not physically handled one journal to find my research. How many people in class have? I’ve gone to the library to look for books but I have yet to actually crack a spine on a journal like this one or this one. I won’t ask for a show of hands to see if I am the only one who hasn’t but I would bet I am not alone.

Connecting to the body of knowledge begins with connecting my computer to the Internet. Like many others in class I also use Google, Google Scholar, and LORA for my research. Part of my development as a researcher has been in refining my Article1st, and EBSCO keyword selection. I use Google and Google Scholar because the search functions generally yield better results than the libraries databases. What has this done to my ability as a researcher if I haven't dug through dusty tomes of knowledge in the back of the library?

I wanted to bring up another idea that is related to key word search for journal articles. I believe that it was in Conceptual Issues class that we talked about journals and conferences and the perceived notion that some journals and conferences have more prestige than others. What happens to this idea of prestige and credibility when a generation or two of researchers have grown used to research by key word rather than journal?

In Conceptual Issues class we also talked about journals vs. conferences. I have seen that the debate of which is a more desirable method to connect to the body of knowledge depends on the field of study. In JMC, getting published in a journal is the goal of many researchers and conferences hold sort of a 2^nd tier status in the body of knowledge. In my work with RISE, which is concerned with underrepresented minority students in engineering education, conferences are the goal for researchers and journal articles generally fall into the lower tier. The best explanation that I have been given for this preference is that education conferences are looking for ideas, practices, and theory that can be directly tested or implemented in an educational setting .

For my topic, advergaming, I have used journals that are found in a traditional print version as well as online only journals. The Journal of Interactive Advertising was founded in 2000 and is an online refereed journal that is open to submissions and is free to access. This is a different model than the online sites of many print-based journals that require a pay per download or subscription to access. Like many others in class, after Google has done its work, I switch over to LORA to find an appropriate database to find the article since I have already paid (through my school tuition) to access the journal and download the research for free. Is free the way of the future?

Having access to online journals and print journals available online I believe is beneficial to the development to the body of knowledge. Being able to tap into the work of the field anywhere, anytime makes it that much easier for people to enter the academic conversation in a way that was not previously possible.

P.S. play this Indiana Jones-inspired advergame from Legos-it is harder than it seems (check out the Lego-skulls in background!)

Life After Research

Yes, there is life after the completion of a thesis. In fact, I think life after a thesis/project and/or dissertation is more fulfilled because you know you have the intellectual ability to perform academic scholarship. Adding to the body of knowledge on a topic important to you and to the industry you love is an honor. Accomplishing this goal is an amazing feat; one that many people want to quit during the process. However, ultimately accomplishing this goal will make the researcher/student feel a sense of greater understanding and contribution.

I actually plan to use my topic and the information I generated in this course to continue my academic studies in the Gaylord College’s Ph.D. program. I was accepted into the program beginning in the fall, so I’m really excited to actually begin my 6000-level coursework this summer. In addition, I will continue to use the information I learned in the class as a journalism professor at Oklahoma City University and as adviser of the university's Student Publications staff.

Once I complete my Ph.D., I hope to use my dissertation and smaller “break out” types of studies from inside it to make presentations regarding the idea of journalists experiencing trauma as a result of the everyday violent events they cover. Specifically, I would love to present information through the Dart Center for Journalists and Trauma. I also hope to make information from my studies available through the Dart Center’s Web site so others can learn from the work I’ve done. I also would love to publish information about my work in professional journalism publications like the Society of Professional Journalists' Quill and Columbia Journalism Review.

Ironically I also discovered a secondary area of research I’m very interested in during the course of the class. I hope to begin studying (post Ph.D.) the idea of mediated communication and how things like e-mail and instant messaging are changing the traditional ways reporters gather the news. I think methods of news gathering, not just reporting, are changing as we become more multi platform. I look forward to delving into this area once I feel that I’ve done fair justice to the topic about which I’m most passionate.