Citations

Conducting Personal Interviews in Qualitative Research

July 18, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

Many research methods exist for gathering information in a study. Whether on the phone or in person, the personal interview is an important strategy for gathering information and arriving at important conclusions.

The Interview Approach

When conducting a personal interview, the interviewing technique is of the utmost important. An unskilled interviewer can impact the outcome of a study just by virtue of the way he or she phrases questions and responds to study subjects. Therefore, interviewers must possess key characteristics and undergo specialized training.

Characteristics of the Interviewer

Here are a few important qualities of a research interviewer:

Clarity: The interviewer must speak clearly and ask questions that are easy to understand and uncomplicated.

Knowledge: Familiarity with the study parameters and the general study topic are important for directing the conversation and making important observations.

Objectivity: An interviewer must not have preexisting judgments about study outcomes or negative reactions to interviewee answers based on personal and subjective opinions.

Structure: A skilled interviewer understands how to steer a conversation, and structures the interview in such a way to minimize tangential information. The interviewer adheres to the key points relevant to the study.

Personal Interview Methods

Study interviews can be conducted over the phone, via videoconferencing or in person. The telephone method can be convenient, saving commute time for both the interviewer and the interviewee. Additionally, an interviewee may feel more comfortable over the phone.

Videoconferencing also saves commute time and allows the interviewer to observe mannerisms and body language. In-person interviews are arguably the most ideal format, allowing interviewers to establish a rapport with interviewees that may lead to obtaining more in-depth answers.

Filed Under: Citations, Educational Resources Tagged With: Interview, Social sciences, Videoconferencing

Citing References Correctly in a Research Paper

May 12, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

Image by SBellavance via Flickr

For those who know, researching a paper for school can be challenging. Trying to find the right resources for your topic and then putting that information into an insightful and meaningful research paper can be very time consuming.

The information you are putting into your own paper will no doubt come from many other research papers. From researchers and scientists who have invested a great deal of time to potentially discover something new about the world. As such, it is important to cite the researchers you are getting your information from correctly. If you don’t it could be viewed as plagiarism.

Depending on the kind of research paper you are writing, there will be a specific lay out required for how you cite and reference your sources. The two most popular styles of referencing are APA style and Harvard style. These two styles are what are referred to as in-text referencing styles. This means that a source will be referenced both in the research paper and in a separate listing of references at the end of the research paper.

The APA style of referencing comes from the American Psychological Association and is thus used by all professionals and students in the field of psychology. It is also used across a number of other disciplines relating to behavioral and social sciences. It is a very specific way to reference sources.

The Harvard style encompasses any style which is set out in an author then date style. Like APA style, it contains in-text citations and a reference list. This is a broader style which APA style is based on.

Filed Under: Citations, Online Resources Tagged With: APA style, Citation, Research

Checking Your Resources

February 23, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

When doing a research paper today, there are few people who would not use the Internet. The Internet is easier than the library and let’s face it, there is more knowledge in cyberspace, and it is easier to access. With just a few keystrokes and the click of a mouse, you can get any information you are seeking, and lots of it. If you use this information you have to give credit to the writer, just as if you were using reference materials.

There has even been a remake of the traditional bibliography to include the way to site information found on the Internet. Research papers still require you to tell where you found the information. All information sites have a URL, an address of sorts, to let the reader know exactly where they are in cyberspace. Some professors will just require you to acknowledge the site as a point of reference. Some others will want the work cited, as well as the line you took your information from. When using a site on the Internet, the new glitch is that you need to confirm that the information is indeed correct and from a reliable source.

Using the encyclopedia as a reference material is pretty cut and dry. However, on the Internet you cannot always be sure that the work you are citing is based in fact, which may take a little more research. You will need to check your bibliography guidelines to see exactly how you need to cite the work. The information on the Internet is for the most part, useful and interesting, and can help you with your research. You just need to make sure that it is actually true and correct.

Filed Under: Citations, Online Resources Tagged With: Cyberspace, Research, Uniform Resource Locator

Computer Education

February 16, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

Most of us use our computers to find places we need to go, do research for school, check out a new restaurant, the very basics that a computer is capable of. We have not even scratched the surface. The capabilities of a computer are virtually endless, cyber space awaits. There are courses in computer education offered at every college in the country, and most high schools who offer night school for adults. These courses cover the very basics in computer knowledge, starting with turning the computer on, to navigating and surfing the web with ease. If you are taking this course through an adult education program, the cost is minimal and the benefit is more than worth it.

A good computer education course will start with putting you at ease with your computer. Knowing how to do things makes people more comfortable with them. Perhaps understanding where your computer goes to get the information it is bringing you can make using it much easier. You may even learn some techniques on fixing small glitches, getting your computer up and running again, avoiding the high cost of computer experts, or the time wasted dropping off a computer at a shop to be fixed. Of course, more serious problems will need to be taken care of by professionals, but many computer problems can be handled by just a few keystrokes or resetting the unit itself, all of which you will learn in a general computer class.

You can also bond with the other computer virgins, and find out that you are not alone on this journey. Computers are here to stay, most high schools now distribute them to incoming freshman in the form of laptops. If nothing else, learn how to keep an eye on what your children are doing. While the Internet is amazing, our children can go places they should not, and your knowledge of the way the computer works will help you keep an eye on this.

Filed Under: Citations, Educational Resources Tagged With: Adult education, Continuing education, Education

How To Talk To The Internet

February 7, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

The home computer. How did a family ever survive without it? The kids can navigate it like it is their best friend and some of the adults attack it as if it were their worst enemy. Becoming familiar with how to navigate through cyber world will make the trip that much easier. Learn how to use your home computer. Ask the kids, they will show you.

Most home computers are set up such that as soon as you turn them on, you will be taken to your own home page. Whoever set up the computer for you has probably taught you how to get to at least this part. On most home pages there is a search engine. This is your question and answer place. This is where you can find the information you need, or at least find a way to the information you may need. There are search engines that are set up so that you can ask for the information you need in the form of a question. The computer will then give you suggestions of sites that contain the information you are looking for.

Phrase your question carefully. Do not ask, “Where can I get my hair done?” if you are looking for a beauty salon, rather ask “Where are the salons in . . .?”, placing the name of the city and state in which you are looking. Remember that many states have the same city names, so be as specific as possible. Use adjectives to describe what you are looking for, it will narrow your search. Instead of looking for a “field”, ask for a “white corn field of more than 10 acres in . . .” again stating the city and state in which you are looking.

Think of the search engine as a telephone operator, the more information you give, the more likely you are to get the right number, and then you can talk to the Internet.

Filed Under: Citations, Educational Resources Tagged With: Information, Internet marketing, Web search engine

Using a Search Engine Effectively

February 1, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

Everybody says it is so easy to find anything you need on the Internet. Just log on and ask a question, and the answers will flow. You have not found it that way. You seem to reach a dead end every time, or get the answers to every question in the universe, except the one that you need the answer to. Even if you google search for a search engine the possibilities are endless. What is the right thing to do? How do I get to the answer I need? How do I use the search engines of cyber world to the best of my ability?

There is probably not one set answer. Navigating the Internet is easy, but there is a lot of information out there. Narrowing it down to exactly what you need is the tricky part. There are specific search engines for specific jobs. Google itself has a myriad of search engines for job specific sites.

The best way to start is just to ask the question. For example, let us just say you are doing a research paper on the planet Mars. You might google search “Mars.” The tricky part is that every website that has the word “Mars” as part of its content is going to come up and you can literally get over a million hits. If you choose the first couple, you can be clicking and searching for hours. Narrow your search down such as, “What is Mars surface made of?” or “How far from the Earth is Mars?” While you will still get hundreds of websites, you will have seriously narrowed down your search. The more specific you are with the question, the more likely you are to get your answer in the swiftest amount of time. You can also ask the same question in different ways, such as “What particle make up the surface of Mars?” or “Could a human walk on the surface of Mars?” Just keep asking questions, the answer is out there.

Filed Under: Citations, Online Resources Tagged With: ask the question, Earth, Web search engine

The Advantages of Online Surveys

February 1, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

Online surveys are a great business tool. While they do a lot of things – and do them well – there are three main advantages to them when it comes to determining what you should be doing with your business. First, they provide you with a plethora of information. You can’t get the same kind of information, and in such large quantities, any other way. You have to have a survey to really dig deep into what your customers want and need. By doing so, you’ll be able to help them out much more easily because you’ll have a better understanding of them. In order to sell to your customers in a way that remains profitable for you, you have to really get to know the kind of people that you’re selling to.

Second, you get instant feedback when you use online surveys. Just as soon as someone fills out the form, you can see the results. There are plenty of programs that can compare and contrast (and compile) these results, too, so you’ll be able to easily see what people are saying about your business. You may need to make some adjustments, but at least you’ll know what those adjustments should be. By compiling the information you get through surveys, you can reach your net promoter score – the measure of how likely people would be to recommend you. Constant improvement is possible through monitoring of this score.

Third, and finally, you can customize the surveys that you’re offering, so that there are different ones for new customers, returning customers, etc. The customization of surveys that you can offer online is a large part of what makes them so great. Each business can do what it needs to with a survey, and each business can also have more than one survey for the groups of people who will be taking it.

Filed Under: Citations, General Tagged With: Business, Market Research, Net Promoter Score

Four Things to Help Students Choose a College

December 6, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

: Image via Wikipedia

One of the most important decisions that a student is going to make after they have decided on their major is where they will go to college. Here are some things that they should think about when they are choosing a college to apply to.

” Tuition ” The first thing that a student should consider is their tuition. Some of the colleges are more expensive than others, so whether they are going to be able to afford the tuition is going to be one consideration.
” Live in or Commute ” The second thing that they have to decide is whether they want to commute or they are going to live at the college. Remember that if they live in, they are going to have room and board to pay. If they commute, they are going to have gas and wear and tear on the car.
” Grades” The third thing that will be a consideration is what kind of grades they got when they were in high school. Depending on how good or bad their grades were, they may not be able to get into some of the colleges.
” SAT Scores ” The final thing that they want to think about when they are applying to colleges is their SAT scores. Some colleges put more stock in this than others, so it’s important to know what expectations the college has for admission and how the person did on their SAT’s.

These are the four things that students should think about when they are looking at colleges. There are colleges that are looking for more than others, and that is going to make a big difference on whether or not the person is accepted when they apply to the college that they want to go to.

A person should look at the admission requirements, the price, and the distance and use those things to make his or her decision.

Filed Under: Citations, Educational Resources, Online Resources Tagged With: College, Colleges and Universities, Education, Student

How to Give Proper Credit to the Resource with the Answer

December 2, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

Information is readily available on the internet. When you have a difficult question and find the answer on the internet or other source, be sure to credit the source that provided your answer.
It is difficult to know exactly how to cite some materials but this should not dissuade you from giving credit where credit is due. It only takes a few minutes to search for the proper way to cite the particular medium in a reference. There are even websites that have tools for you to enter your title and author information and the tool will format it for you. You will also tell the tool what type of source you are requesting. Movies have different citation models than research papers, and different citation requirements than books. If you are unsure check with a knowledgeable source to be sure this is done correctly.
Many professors will base part of your grade on a proper APA or MLA citation. In these cases, you will be penalized if you fail to take a moment to look up the procedures. To save even more time, print out an example of different citations for different sources, pin this information to your desk for fast reference.
The general rule of thumb is to use the APA or American Psychological Association citation methods unless specifically directed otherwise. The next most common citation requests are the MLA or Modern Language Association. If you are citing an online source, it is proper to get permission to use the information before simply taking it. The use the electronic citation format to give credit to the person that provided you with the answer to your question.
Using quality resources is a cornerstone to writing credible papers. When you have used a source that makes your paper better-CITE IT because it’s the right thing to do. Plus, not providing a citation is plagiarism.

Filed Under: Citations, Educational Resources Tagged With: APA style, Citation, Modern Language Association