Finding, Analyzing, and Documenting Information Module Twenty Two McGraw-Hill/Irwin Copyright © 2014 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc All rights reserved Learning Objectives LO 22-1 Apply strategies for print and online information searches LO 22-2 Apply strategies for web page evaluation LO 22-3 Apply strategies for survey and interview question use 22-2 Learning Objectives LO 22-4 Identify respondents for surveys and interviews LO 22-5 Analyze information from research LO 22-6 Practice common citation styles for research documentation 22-3 Types of Research  Primary  Gathers new information  Includes surveys, interviews, and observations  Secondary  Retrieves published information  Includes library research and online searches 22-4 How can I find information online and in print?  Keywords  the terms that the computer searches for in a database or on the web  At the beginning of a search, use all the synonyms and keywords you can think of 22-5 Examples of a Boolean Search 22-6 Sources for Electronic Research 22-7 Sources for Web Research 22-8 Using the Internet for Research  Finding Web pages  Use root words to find variations  Use quotation marks for exact terms  Uncapitalize words 22-9 Using the Internet for Research  Evaluating Web pages     Use reputable sources Look for an author Check the date and source Compare the information with other sources 22-10 How I write questions for surveys and interviews?  A survey questions a large group of people, called respondents or subjects  Questionnaire  a written list of questions that people fill out  Interview  a structured conversation with someone who will be able to give you useful information 22-11 How I write questions for surveys and interviews?  When asking questions  Use phrasing that doesn’t bias the response  Avoid questions that make assumptions about your audience  Use words that mean the same thing to you and your audience 22-12 How I write questions for surveys and interviews?  Closed questions have a limited number of possible responses  Open questions not lock the subject into any sort of response 22-13 Closed and Open Questions 22-14 How I write questions for surveys and interviews?  Branching questions  direct different respondents to different parts of the questionnaire based on their answers to earlier questions 22-15 How I decide whom to survey or interview?  The population is the group you want to make statements about  Defining your population correctly is crucial to getting useful information 22-16 How I decide whom to survey or interview?  Random sample  each person in the population theoretically has an equal chance of being chosen  Convenience sample  a group of respondents who are easy to get  Judgment sample  a group of people whose views seem useful 22-17 How should I analyze the information I’ve collected? 22-18 Analyzing Words       Have things changed over time? Does geography account for differences? What similarities you see? What differences you see? What confirms your hunches? What surprises you? 22-19 Checking Your Logic  Causation  means that one thing causes or produces another  Correlation  means that two things happen at the same time 22-20 Checking Your Logic  Identify changes that might yield a different result  Discuss circumstances that may have affected the results  Summarize your negative findings in progress reports  Remember that negative results aren’t always disappointing to the audience 22-21 How should I document sources?  The two most widely used formats for endnotes and bibliographies in reports are those of the Modern Language Association (MLA) and the American Psychological Association (APA) 22-22 How should I document sources?  Citation  means attributing an idea or fact to its source in the body of the report  Documentation  means providing the bibliographic information readers would need to go back to the original source 22-23 MLA and APA Formats for Documenting Sources 22-24 MLA and APA Formats for Documenting Sources 22-25