Google research tool...

Users of Google Apps may have noticed a new research option in the tools menu of Docs... choosing research on that menu opens a pane that allows a writer to search form the same frame of the web browser. You can even insert a link to a web site or cite a site (hey read that our loud it is funny!).

The citations are loosely based on MLA, I would expect my students to find more the necessary information, but of course, we should not encourage emerging researchers to rely on web sites for their sources anyways.

I do think this tool will be useful in encouraging emerging researcher to keep track of their sources and at least be able to go back later and find the full reference. Sort of a modern version of my practice from my days as an undergraduate student... I would record the card catalog number (later when I discovered ISBN's I used them) on the top of my notebook page on which I took notes from a book... journal articles we a bigger problem...

Soon, I expect, Google will allow users of this tool to enter a doi or ISBN and click to cite a resources form the research pane.