The Stanford Law Library has recently published some very interesting results of their three year survey of law student’s online research habits. The study is entitled, Book Lovers Beware: A Survey of Online Research Habits of Stanford Law Students (Robert Crown Law Library Legal Research Paper Series, Paper #2, June 2005).
The study found that “in 2002, 75% of the first year class stated that they performed at least 80% of their research online; in 2003, this percentage grew to 83%; and by 2004, the number had increased to 93%.”
Wow – I knew the online preference was high, but I didn’t realize that it was that high! I have to admit, I prefer online sources also – BUT – I know that sometimes the better source exists in print. It’s unfortunate that this realization seems to be escaping students. Just wait until they see their first Lexis / Westlaw bill.
Source: The E-LawLibrary Weblog