Information quality
Describe how information from different sources may vary in quality, and how to differentiate good quality information from poor quality.
When undertaking research there are many resources to draw information but they are not all of the same quality. As some may not be accurate, out dated, or backed by quantitative and qualitative research. So time needs to be taken to filter through the good from the bad. After doing some research there are curtain techniques you can use, and curtain things to look out for to save you time sorting through them.
Firstly published articles and books generally have to go through a series of editors and publishers before it can be viewed by the public. It is more likely to be valid and accurate, but that still doesn’t mean it will be quality in comparison to others available. So filtering through them is still needed.
The internet is a great resource of information, that is easy to gain access to, so good that it ‘has given people from all over the world and from all walks of life the opportunity to utilize tools such as blogs, wikis, personal websites etc and to have a voice'.(Suite109.com 12/11/2009). This is the reason there is so much information but also brings the problem of validity. There are some ways to get through it and identify the weak or invalid ones.
• Quantitative and qualitative / evidence-based research -Look for sources to be cited in an article particularly where facts and figures are referred to, this help to validate the information on the website. (Suite109.com 12/11/2009). This will help to back your research and your claims. It might also give you better material to work with, if you can use examples from those figures.
• Taking a look at the writer's credentials can help. A writer with qualifications or extensive experience, with a track record of writing on a subject, is likely to offer good, knowledgeable articles (Suite109.com 12/11/2009). This can help with information published in books too. You wouldn’t want to base your research on someone’s hearsay
• Many articles are not dated and this means that if they have not been carefully worded, the information can be ambiguous (Suite109.com 12/11/2009). This can also be a problem if the information is out dated and no longer accurate.
Because of the huge amount of information available from books, articles and the internet, you need to know how to filter through it, to save you time and prevent you from researching unproven theories. The main things to be aware of when looking for quality information are that the author has proven experience in a field, and/or the material is backed by quantitative and qualitative research. Without this there is no way to know the level of validity or quality of the information. This would then be passed on though your own work or study which you wouldn’t want.
References:
K, Pullen, (12/11/2008). How to Find Quality Information, Suite109.com. Retrieved 19/03/2009 http://internet.suite101.com/article.cfm/finding_good_quality_information#ixzz0ABZGEaSd
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Heh Simon this is really excellent work. Good for you - just a few notes - mostly check how you reference - in the body of your text just put the author and date in brackets or the url if you dont have an author. You are right too - you have to go that extra mile to get the date - even if it means emailing the author... I had to do this for the notes I made for Mondays lesson!!
ReplyDeleteA couple more notes below! Again I will italicise my corrections and comments. Very cool stuff! Thankyou
Quality Information
Information quality
When undertaking research there are many resources to draw information but they are not all of the same quality. nice opening sentence full stop - new sentence
As delete and capital S some may not be accurate, out dated, or backed by quantitative and qualitative research. So time needs to be taken to filter through the good from the bad. As the researcher becomes more experienced(?)- After doing some research there are ce sp. rtain techniques you can use, and curtain ce sp. rtain things to look out for to save you time sorting through them.
Firstly published articles and books generally have to go through a series of editors and publishers before it can be viewed by the public. It These areis more likely to be valid and accurate, but that still doesn’t mean it will be quality in comparison to others available. So filtering through them is still needed.
The internet is a great resource of information, that is easy to gain access to, so good that it ‘has given people from all over the world and from all walks of life the opportunity to utilize tools such as blogs, wikis, personal websites etc and to have a voice'.really nice point here but reference is (Pullen,2008) not(Suite109.com 12/11/2009). This is the reason there is so much information but also brings the problem of validity. There are some ways to get through it and identify the weak or invalid ones.
• Quantitative and qualitative / evidence-based research -Look for sources to be cited in an article particularly where facts and figures are referred to, this help to validate the information on the website. ditto K, Pullen, 2008)not(Suite109.com 12/11/2009). This will help to back your research and your claims. It might also give you better material to work with, if you can use examples from those figures.
• Taking a look at the writer's credentials can help. A writer with qualifications or extensive experience, with a track record of writing on a subject, is likely to offer good, knowledgeable articles (Suite109.com 12/11/2009). This can help with information published in books too. You wouldn’t want to base your research on someone’s hearsay.
• Many articles are not dated and this means that if they have not been carefully worded, the information can be ambiguous (Suite109.com 12/11/2009). This can also be a problem if the information is out dated and no longer accurate.
Because of the huge amount of information available from books, articles and the internet, you need to know how to filter through it, to save you time and prevent you from researching unproven theories. The main things to be aware of when looking for quality information are that the author has proven experience in a field, and/or the material is backed by quantitative and qualitative research. Without this there is no way to know the level of validity or quality of the information. This would then be passed on though your own work or study which you wouldn’t want.It would be nice to see a concluding sentence here - that is try and round up what you have been saying and the main point you have been considering.
Looking forward to the next blog!
References:
K, Pullen, (12/11/2008). How to Find Quality Information, Suite109.com. Retrieved 19/03/2009 http://internet.suite101.com/article.cfm/finding_good_quality_information#ixzz0ABZGEaSd