Doing a research paper used to require a trek to the library — but a new study reports most college students conduct research online without leaving their dorm room.

The report shows 73 percent of college students surveyed prefer the Internet for research. Surveys were given last spring to 2,054 students in 27 colleges and universities by the Pew Internet & American Life Project. Although Northwestern students were not surveyed, other Illinois schools such as the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, University of Chicago and University of Illinois at Chicago participated in the research.

Steve Jones, head of the communication department at UIC, authored the study. Jones said the study was conducted because today’s college students are the first wired generation.

“Today’s college students grew up with a PC in their home since birth,” he said. “The computer and the Internet have impacted them in the way that TV and radio impacted older generations.”

Nearly four-fifths of college students agree that the Internet positively has impacted their academic experience, according to the study. Jones said the most interesting finding was the degree that students used the Internet for academic purposes.

This proves true with many students at NU, including McCormick junior Brian Korte, who said he relies solely on his computer for research.

“I haven’t even been to the library since I was a freshman,” he said. “There’s really no need, everything I could want is online.”

However, students use online tools differently, said Denise Shorey, head of reference at the University Library. She said it is possible to conduct thorough research without going to the library, but students would be mistaken to only use public resources such as Google.

“We understand that sometimes students are researching at 2 a.m. for a paper due the next morning,” Shorey said.

She said she was not surprised most students prefer to use the Internet instead of the library for research. But she thinks upperclassmen who are conducting more in-depth and complex research definitely need the print resources.

“Many of the scholarly journals and books simply aren’t available online,” she said.

Shorey urged all students to take advantage of the library’s research consultations. Students can sign up for an individualized session with a research librarian who will guide them through the process, both online and in print.

According to the study, data from the Association of Research Libraries shows reference queries at university libraries have decreased greatly since the late 1990s.

Shorey said NU librarians have noted a drop, but that this is not necessarily a bad thing.

“The number of queries has dropped, but the questions are much more specific and have more depth,” she said, noting Students now find answers to questions online that before required help from reference librarians.