Chapter 6.

Researching Your Subject

(2 points each)

1. Chapter 6 advises researchers to look for information that is current. List two other characteristics the
chapter says you should look for in information. Answer: Accurate, Unbiased

2. Print is a typical medium for publishing information. However, Chapter 6 identifies four other media.
List two of them. Answer: Online Databases, Web Sites

3. What is the difference between secondary research and primary research?

Answer: Primary research uses a direct source while secondary research is information from a primary source being reported. Primary research involves creating technical information yourself. Secondary research involves collecting information that other people have already discovered or created.

4. What kind of information is found in a periodical index?

Answer: a list of articles classified according to title, subject, and author

5. Chapter 6 lists five characteristics to consider when evaluating information found on the Internet.
Name two of them. Answer: Timeliness (Was the document created recently? Was it updated recently?), Publisher (Can you determine the publishers identity from headers or footers? Is the publisher reputable?)

6. One stage of conducting an experiment is to establish a hypothesis. What is the next stage?
Answer: Testing the hypothesis

7. In general, you should conduct secondary research before you conduct primary research. TRUE or
FALSE Answer: True

8. According to Chapter 6, one disadvantage of a questionnaire is that you cannot be sure the
respondents are representative. TRUE or FALSE Answer: True

9. Government publications are not usually listed in the indexes and abstract journals. TRUE or FALSE
Answer: True

10. Chapter 6 suggests that you do two things after conducting an interview. What is one of them?
Answer: Thank the respondent

11. Your research leads you to the following information. What is the name for this kind of information,
when it is presented in this fashion? Title: ENVIRONMENT: THE THIRD DIMENSION OF THE LAND-USE TRANSPORT INTERACTION Author: WOOLLEY, JE YOUNG, TM Publication Year: 1994 Language: ENGLISH Pages: 22339 Journal Name: PAPERS OF THE AUSTRALASIAN TRANSPORT RESEARCH FORUM, 1994, VOL 19, Journal Number: NA, Journal Volume: NA Corporate Source: UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE. TRANSPORT RESEARCH CENTRE, PARKVILLE VICTORIA 3052 AUSTRALIA This paper outlines some of the interactions and relationships between traffic/transport systems, land-use, and environmental amenity, leading to a detailed discussion of a PC-based environmental impact assessment system. The system consists of a traffic network model, a vehicle energy and emissions (noise and air) model, a pollutant dispersion model, and a land-use impact model. The vehicle energy and emissions model estimates the energy used and the levels of noise and air pollution generated from traffic streams. These traffic streams are a function of traffic flow, travel conditions, vehicle type, and fuel type. The assessment system will allow the user to predict and assess the environmental impact of road traffic, transport infrastructure, and travel demand management schemes. The system has the ability to detect relative differences in levels of pollution and energy use between alternative schemes, while the schemes are still in the planning stage. Considerable community benefits will result from the use of a method whereby route and facility location decisions can be made with full knowledge of the possible impacts.

Answer: Online journal

12. You are trying to identify possible funding sources for a proposal you are developing as part of your
job at a nonprofit organization. Your proposal seeks funds to start a literacy program for children living in rural Arkansas. Which of the following search strategies will likely yield the best information? A. Ask your supervisor if she has any suggestions. B. Try to find someone in the Arkansas state government who can help you find the information you seek. C. Using an Internet search engine, search for literacy and funding. D. Using an Internet search engine, find the Web site for the state of Arkansas by searching for Arkansas state. Answer: B

13. Two new types of digital cameras have recently been developed. A manager has asked a writer to
recommend the best type of digital camera to buy for the companys publications department. Which of the following types of media is the best source of information for this report? A. Web site B. book C. scholarly article D. abstract service Answer: A

14. A writer is developing a questionnaire asking users about their experiences with a companys Web site.
All of the following questions are flawed EXCEPT A. I was able to easily find answers to my questions. Disagree Neutral Agree B. Should we make this site better? Yes ___ No ___ C. List the top three reasons you visit this site: ____________ ____________ ____________ D. The flawed graphics made it hard for me to order parts using this site. Yes __ No __ Answer: A

15. A writer who is researching a state agencys transition from paper-based reports to electronic (or
paperless) reports has scheduled an interview with a senior writer at the agency. Which of the following interview questions is most effective? A. How do you think electronic reports will change your job? B. What is the future of paper? C. Do you think paperless reports are worth the effort to learn the new software? D. Why do you write reports? Answer: C

II. APPLICATION OF YOUR UNDERSTANDING - YOUR INTERNSHIP RESEARCH ASSIGNMENT (10 points for extensive response. Type your observations on this sheet and HAVE YOUR INTERVIEWEES SIGN OFF AFTER THE NAME) SITUATION: Researching Research in the Workplace Here's a useful way to think about research: Professionals do research because they need the answer to a question in order to accomplish some goal. Let's suppose that you have a goalto motivate yourself to care enough about your research assignments that you will do good work on them. And to achieve that goal, you need the answer to a question:

How is research used in my workplace?

So your assignment is to research the answer from people on your internship site. Find two or more people you know on the site with jobs that you might like to havework that you can imagine doing. Ask them about research on their job. Don't just stop with those activities they call research. Ask about any tasks that require them to find out something they didn't know in order to accomplish some goal. Also ask how much those skills matter in their evaluations of their colleagues.

My Internship site is at: Reynoldsburg branch of the Columbus Metropolitan Library in the Homework Help Center

The names and job functions of the people that I interviewed are: 1)

2)

*3)

*4)

*If applicable DONT FORGET TO HAVE YOUR INTERVIEWEES SIGN OFF AFTER THE NAME Fill in your information on the next page

As a result of my conversation with them, what specific ways does research take place among the staff?

The way the Homework Help Center (HHC) staff collects data and does research is predominantly through an electronic form that is filled out by students upon entry of the HHC. This method allows for objective data collection, but does have some flaws. For example when the HHC is busy it is possible for a student to work in the HHC without signing in. Another problem can occur when people do not use their library card when signing in, as the system relies on the owner of the library card being the same as the user of the HHC services. These problems can lead to misrepresentative data and, thus, conclusions cannot be properly drawn. The HHC resolves this issue by hiring professionals, who deal with data assessment regularly, to compile and draw conclusions from the HHCs data. It is important to continue to improve the library through this data collection process to fit the needs of the students who use the librarys services for their own research. The end goal of the HHC is to be the most effective they can by helping students learn skills important to living, and learning, in modern society.