Chapter 6
Locating and Using Information
Objectives and Outcomes
Identify and use electronic database resources relevant to your research
Execute a specific, targeted electronic search using advanced search techniques
Gather research data using several nonelectronic techniques
Integrate research successfully into your text
Avoid plagiarism
Locating Primary and Secondary Sources
Primary source information is first-hand information reported by people directly involved with an action or event, not interpreted by a second or third party. Secondary source information does not come directly from people involved in the action or event. Instead, the information is interpreted and reported by a second or third person.
Some ways of collecting information includes print and electronic resources, internal records, personal observations, interviews and letters of inquiry, or surveys and polls.
Finding Information Using Electronic Resources
Probably the most used resource today is electronic; not only in the World Wide Web form, but in library databases and online catalogs.
The internet is not always the most accurate and reliable resource. When researching a new topic, consider the following order:
· Library’s online catalog
o A database that lists all of the library’s holdings including books, bound periodicals, audiovisual, and electronic resources.
· Online reference materials
o Available through electronic library resources include handbooks and specialized encyclopedias, give a general overview of a topic before you continue with more specific research.
· General reference databases
o Include published articles in the common general reference databases available at most college, corporate, and community libraries. Three common databases found are Expanded Academic ASAP, LexisNexis, and Web of Science.
· Discipline-specific databases
o Most academic majors have electronic databases that index research and publications in that specific field. Some are published by professionals, others by for-profit companies. There are hundreds of discipline-specific indexes available.
· Government databases
o The U.S. government is required by law to post many of its documents, research findings, and proceedings online, making their information easily and cheaply accessible.
· The Internet and World Wide Web
o The web might have the most resources however if proper research is not done it can also be highly opinionated. Anybody can create their own webpage with inaccurate knowledge.
Finding Information Using other Resources
Electronic databases provide a lot of information but cannot always provide specific data. There are a variety of other sources available for this task.
· Internal records
o The data an organization keeps about its own transactions- often serve as supporting material in documents, presentations, and visuals. Might provide facts and details about finances, personnel, manufacturing, marketing, or shipping.
· Corporate libraries
o Many organizations build extensive resource libraries for their employees. This estimates that it saves employees some 28 hours per project.
· Personal observations
o Personal observations are legitimate primary sources if the observer is trained in the area of investigation. Even if you are not a specialist, your own involvement and observations are important and valid sources of primary information.
· Interviews and letters of inquiry
o When you’re conducting an information interview, you need to be prepared and persistent about asking the right questions in order to get the information you need. Three ways you can prepare are by gathering necessary information, approach the person you want to interview, and identify the categories of questions you want to ask.
· Surveys and polls
o Surveys and polls are extremely useful tools for gathering information about opinions and preferences from large groups of people. They are usually based on a set of questions called a questionnaire which can be administered in a variety of ways.
Using Sources Ethically
As a writer and reader, you are responsible for assessing and using information ethically.
· Assessing Credibility
o Many readers assume that information published in professional journals or books is reliable and valid because of the peer-review process. The ease of posting information on the Web has changed how you need to approach online information.
· Avoiding PlagiarismAvoiding plagiarism is just as important in the workplace as it is in academics. Plagiarism is using work that is not your own without giving them proper credit.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
20 comments:
This chapter highlights key ideas on where to find useful information. For most papers I have been assigned in college, I use the internet because the topics are usually present day issues. I don't usually go to the library and cite books only because its so time consuming. However, I do find it very useful to use the library database for writing papers on things that have happened in our past or about a certain subject that doesn't change day to day. I'm still going to stick to the internet because I have a good sense when the source is legit or not.
I agree, Electronic resources are very important to me and our society today. Most papers we receive for assignments at school here require us to correctly use primary and secondary sources. The Internet is a great secondary source where you can find a ton of information, however there is a lot of false information that is available on the web. That is correct that the library is a great place to look for primary sources. Although it may take some time to find what your looking for, the information you get there is most likely legit. As time goes on Electronic sources are becoming more and more popular.
Again, this chapter came to be very helpful since I am an English major. I spend most of my writing time doing research and making sure my sources are legitimate. Although I knew most of the information provided in the chapter, it was good to read the information again to reinforce how to search for sources over the internet.
I think this is a really important chapter to read and understand. Especially if you're in the science department here at MSU. Finding reputable and accurate sources is essential to writing any scientific document. We are required in most of my classes to use the online journal publications that our library has so graciously made available to us for free. It’s very convenient to be able to do my research from the comfort of my own home on my own computer rather than having to trek to the library. It is also important that they mentioned the topic of using the sources ethically by citing where the information came from.
Although some may thing a construction managment major would not have to find scholarly journals or other references as much as others, their wrong. So many different asspects on life need to use accurate resources in order to succeed at their job. House specs or building ideas are very useful when reading a paper or resource online because it saves so much time and when you find an online resource with good background, you know its going to be benifical for you in a long run. All in all, an online library database gets you the information you need and saves you a bundle of time.
I think it has become increasingly important in today’s society to know how to effectively research, analyze, and manage information. With the use of the internet becoming more and more popular as a means of research, we need to keep in mind that the information we find out there on the web may not always be accurate or unbiased. This chapter explains very clearly how we can more effectively search our electronic resources. Again, this is such an important point to emphasize in our technologically advanced world. I also liked that the chapter outlined various other research methods that we may not normally utilize. I think we need to remember that variety is key when researching for projects, papers, presentations, etc.
Chapter 6 applies to everyday life. People need information to perform certain tasks when they are at their job, for entertainment, for school or many other reasons. Whenever people look up information, where ever it may be, we want it to be accurate so we can use it and apply it to things and ideas. Overall, I think that everyone needs to read the information they want to use carefully before using it, that way they can concur that is indeed accurate. When using this information people need to be very careful about plagiarism. Here at MSU, plagiarism is a big deal and isn’t taken lightly. If caught plagiarizing, students could possibly be expelled.
I fully agree that the internet is not always the best source for information. Although it is very handy and convienent government databases, and library resources would be a better choice. In my past research I have found the governments databases of information very helpful. The databases often hold factual information about vehicles of the past and present. I have had to write reports on fuel economy and have found crediable reports. Credibility and plagerism i agree is something to stay away from. Having a report due in the future, i became a member of the Society of Automotive Engineers to recieve monthly reports.
Some things I look for when determining if an electronic source is credible are: Published date, authors, sources used, and history provided. These have been helpfull to me as an English major looking for credible sources for research papers. My favorite electronic source for journals is JSTOR. You can find this on our school's website under Library Services.
Researching accurate information is very important and in Chapter 6 they outline the key points very good. Being able to to research information from different sources. I know when I have to write research papers for classes I try using the academic journals on the MNSU library site to get accurate information. I use the internet for most of my reseach though but I try to use more primary sources because the information comes directly from the event. I think it is easier and more time efficient to use the internet to find information then going to the library.
As a college student, it is important to know how to research using the Internet. The biggest factor in using web resources is credibility. Since the Internet is open to everyone, people can publish misleading information on specific subject. I remember I was searching for information on the country Turkey and came across a site. The site purpose was to show the tourist site in Turkey. I kept on browsing and found that the pictures on that site was of a different country. The information posted was also misleading. I search for the author or contact info but couldn't find any. Then I knew that this site is a misleading site.
I believe that this chapter was important and useful to me as a college student because I write so many papers, and a lot of them are research papers, in all of my classes. Of course the easiest source to use for me is the internet, because there is so much information available on any and every subject and it is so easy to access. I know I have run into trouble before because I do not always check to see how reputable the source I am using is, that is something all of my professors push really hard.
Chapter 6 pretty much explains what everyone has done in the past to collect information for a paper or essay of some kind. The internet is probably the most frequently used source for finding information. As explained in the text its not the most accurate or sometimes up to date, but its the most convienent source to be used. I usually state with the internet for assignments that involve research. The most accurat and usefull information that anyone could get is by conducting interviews about a spcific topic with specific people who are related to that topic.
This chapter reminds us all that there are endless supplies of information out in the word and there are many, many ways to find that information. Whether it be on a computer or in a library. One thing that makes me laugh is when people go on the internet and search for information and they find the first sight whether it be a primary source or secondary source, and just assume that it must be the truth or have all the right information. You really have to be careful of using the internet to get the proper information. Not everything on the web is fact.
I think that we students are very very fortune to have the privilege to access so many different informational sources that several decades ago didn't have. We now have the amazing internet which we can find anything we would wish in a blink of an eye. The only thing is that we need to differentiate if is relevant information or not. Being a college students we are force to write tons of research papers, essays etc. and internet is out main electronic information source because is easy and fast , but the I think we need to stay away of what is the easy way out and take advantage of the books, journals... that the library offers to us.
Be careful when you gather information for your papers, articles and stories. I've seen writers get fired first hand because they did not credit their sources. I caught hell a couple weeks ago when we ran a Free Press photo on the front of the Reporter and didn't credit the FP. I had no way of knowing that it was their photo because it wasn't credited on the website I pulled it from. I've also been accused of twisting peoples' words in quotes even though I had the proof of what they said on my recorder. So be careful.
There are so many different resources that we can use today but we are often not aware of all of them. I personally usually use the internet for papers that I need to write or I use the library database on the schools website which has different articles and I trust them to be pretty truthful. The internet is a great tool to use but the information can sometimes be false. Reading the summary on chapter 6 has provoked me to possibly start using different resources rather than always running to the internet.
When locating and using information for different works or projects I think that it is key to use more than one type of the information. If you use only one form of the information you are only getting info from one point of view of the actual event or action. When using multiple viewpoints or opinions you will be able to have a better standpoint on what the information actually is and ultimately come up with a better source of information.
This chapter tells it truthfully that the internet and some other sources are not the best way to go about finding information. I think interviews, surveys or observation are great ways to find out the information you need. These are primary ways and you don’t have to worry about things getting changes or lost along the way. Personal observation is something I have done a great deal of and find it to be very helpful along with during this time you get the chance to ask what ever questions you feel if something doesn’t seem right or doesn’t make sense. With this you can make your own conclusions and decide if it is right or wrong. So over all I think that the internet is good to some extent but primary is the best over all which most already know.
Knowing where to find useful information is important for students but it's also important for non-students. Just recently while working on my presentation for this class I had to look for reliable and useful articles. I couldn't just go out to some random .com and find a decent scholarly article so i had to know where to look. I'm glad that the book included this material.
Post a Comment