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Sources of information

Sources of information. Where and how do we get our information?. Three ways to gather information. Direct observations Field visits, experiments Interviews, surveys Participatory appraisal, focus groups. Primary information. Documents Materials already written Desk study.

barbara-orien
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Sources of information

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  1. Sources of information Where and how do we get our information?

  2. Three ways to gather information • Direct observations • Field visits, experiments • Interviews, surveys • Participatory appraisal, focus groups Primary information • Documents • Materials already written • Desk study Secondary information

  3. Advantages Easy and quick to do Based on documents already written Possible to evaluate wide range of evidence Detached, objective Disadvantages Do not meet people affected Depend on what has already been written and published Lack immediacy, personal impact Can be boring! Desk studies

  4. Types of secondary information Conversations Phone calls Gossip Commer-cial info Blogs Emails Refereed journals Policy briefs Research papers Web-sites Online books Textbooks Media reports Conference proceedings NGO documents Academic books Parlia-mentary records Conferences Stat-istics Seminars Meetings Laws

  5. Credibility of sources Reliable, objective, unbiased, accessible Unreliable, putting one point of view, inaccessible Refereed journals Scientific reports Laws Non-refereed papers Professionally edited reports Official statistics Self-published information Unedited reports Lobbying materials 1-person views Blogs Unpublished materials

  6. Which sources to use? • Reliable, credible, objective • Do not reflect individual interests • Reflect wide range of research, not just a single experiment or case • Refereed, published

  7. Finding sources • Internet search • Don’t just rely on Google • Also use specialist search engines • Eg, Scirus for scientific info • Get a librarian to help • Specialist skills, access to large document collections

  8. Finding sources • Library search • Private document collections • Maybe they have just the document you need • Full literature survey? • Time-consuming and too much detail?

  9. Finding sources • Phone calls/emails to key individuals • Call for information via mailing lists • Join a Community of Practice • Group of people interested in the same topic, who share information • Contract out review to an expert • Make sure you get the right person!

  10. Not enough information? • Not very likely! • Think of other search terms • Call some experts • Reformulate your question

  11. Too much information? • Use more specific search terms • Tie your search terms together with and or + • Use quote marks (“ ”) to search for set phrases • Exclude items you don’t want (with - ) • In Google • Search for Paul Mundy finds an Irish musician as well as a communication specialist • Search for “Paul Mundy” +communication -music

  12. Too much information? • Identify a few key documents • Focus on the main points • Don’t get bogged down in detail • Keep your main questions in mind

  13. Cite your sources! • Use footnotes or references • Make it clear who says what • “John Farrington of the Overseas Development Institute, a British research group, says…” • Provide balance • “The industry favours XYZ, while NGOs press for ABC”

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