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Starting their projects at the same time, the two students have incredibly different experiences. The first student takes a week or so to familiarize himself with some of the software programs recommended to him by his friends and adviser. He then starts working on his dissertation. First, he uses the library's gateway to online databases on the internet to search for potential sources; when he identifies potential source works, he downloads the publication information, along with the abstracts, into a bibliographic database program. to list potential sources, Adobe Acrobat (to receive pdf versions of articles he needs to read), a word processor to compose a prospectus for his dissertation, bibliographic software to generate a working bibliography to be submitted with the prospectus, email to send the outline to his dissertation director, email to distribute a survey and conduct his research, a statistical package to analyze the data he collects, bibliographic software to find notes and sources he's taken for different sections, word processing to write the dissertation itself, and, finally, bibliographic software to format his references. The second student uses his computer only for word processing and email, reasoning that learning to use additional software packages will take time and effort he can't afford. He starts working on his dissertation by going to the library. To select a topic and then identify potential source works, he thumbs through the card catalog and printed indexes; he writes titles and publishing information out by hand on a pad of paper (he can't carry his computer with him to the library), and then spends hours searching for these works in the stacks. Some of the works he needs to look at are not in the library, and some are out to other students. He rules out the works not carried by the library, puts his name on a waiting list for the others, checks out the books he can find, and sits down to read a few of the articles. He takes notes on index cards, and writes out the bibliographic information by hand. He spends several weeks like this, traveling to and from the library. Once he has his topic selected, he writes out his prospectus, uses the style guide to make certain he is formatting the references for his working bibliography correctly (this takes a fair bit of time). Once the document is finished, he sends it to his adviser as an email attachment. He then starts reading through the full list he has compiled of potential sources, taking notes on his word processor, compiling and analyzing data from his survey by hand, sorting through his notes for relevant evidence and support as he drafts the chapters, and formatting the references by hand. The difference in the processes undertaken by these "two students" Rudestam and Newton describe is fairly stunning: the student who was able to use technology effectively finished his dissertation 8 months ahead of his peer. The moral of the story is clear. Research methods that were perfectly acceptable -- even laudable -- five or ten years ago, are no longer the best research methods for students. Beyond this, however, I think the "tale of two students" makes an even more important point. We've emphasized the role research writing plays in the educational experience -- but learning to use current technology is equally important in this regard. Students who are adept at using technology bring a wide range of valuable skills to the job market. Those who are reluctant to use the software tools available to them "remain frozen in the world of those who know only how to do word processing, a virtual computer illiterate in the world of the 2st century."
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