Introduction. Undergraduate students of midwifery were observed with insufficient skills to use all the information they need. Therefore, we propose to determine the level of knowledge, practices and skills in finding information on the Internet, as well as student perceptions about the training provided by the university and research level. Subjects and methods. Descriptive study period April-July 2009, 150 students of midwifery of the Faculty of Medicine of the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos in Peru. Through a structured questionnaire, we conducted a univariate analysis. Results. 78.7% had low knowledge, 55.3%, malpractice, and 74.7%, impaired ability to perform a search. 60% felt that the preparation in search of information was fair or poor, with equal proportion to the publishing process, writing, critical reading and research methodology. Conclusions. Identify the knowledge, practices, skills and perceptions of the research is important to promote extracurricular training programs for undergraduate students. © 2011 Educación Médica.