Module 22 offers strategies for finding, analyzing, and citing information more effectively. We can find information in the library and online, or we can gather new information by making surveys, interviews, and observations.
When searching for information online, we need to use keywords, which “are the terms that the computer searches for in a database or on the web.” We also need to use and, or, and quotation marks to narrow our search. It is important to evaluate the information we find on a web page before using it, because anyone can post on the internet. We should ask ourselves: Does the website have an author and date? Is the author an expert? Can I confirm the information provided by the website somewhere else?
It is important to remember that we cannot only rely on websites for our research. We need to check other sources, such as periodicals and journal papers with peer reviews; because those documents are checked before they are published.
If we are gathering information with a survey, we need to prepare a questionnaire. Questionnaires can have yes or no questions, multiple choice questions, and open questions. Surveys and interviews can provide useful data as long as the questions are well designed.
MLA and APA are the most used formats for endnotes and bibliographies in reports. A good report has its sources cited and documented, so it is easy for the readers to find the original source of the information.
I find useful the lecture’s advice on how to organize the questions in a survey. It suggests putting harder questions, such as those about income and age, at the end of the survey. If people do not want to answer them, we will have at least the first ones filled out.
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