Research Skills: How to Gather, Evaluate and Use Information
Research skills are important not just for students, but for everyone. Whether you’re looking for a new job, investigating a medical condition or trying to find the best holiday destination, being able to research effectively can make all the difference.
But what makes good research? How can you be sure that the information you’re finding is accurate and reliable?
In this guide, we’ll take a look at what it takes to carry out successful research, from identifying reputable sources to using your findings to make decisions.
Identifying good sources of information
When you’re carrying out research, it’s important to use only reliable sources of information. After all, if the information you’re using is inaccurate, your research will be too.
There are a few different things to consider when you’re trying to identify good sources of information:
– Is the source unbiased?
If a source is biased, it means that it’s not giving you a fair and accurate picture of the thing you’re researching. For example, if you’re looking for information about a new car, an advert from the car company is likely to be biased.
– Is the source reliable?
A reliable source is one that you can trust to give you accurate information. This doesn’t necessarily mean that the source is unbiased – it just means that you can be confident that the information it contains is correct.
– Is the source up-to-date?
It’s important to make sure that the information you’re using is as up-to-date as possible. This is especially important for fields like medicine and technology, where new discoveries are being made all the time.
There are lots of different places you can find information, but not all of them are equally good. Here are a few examples of sources that you might use when carrying out research, along with some things to consider about each one:
– Books:
Books can be a great source of information, but they might not always be up-to-date. If you’re using a book as a source, make sure to check the publication date to see how old it is.
– Websites:
Websites can be a good source of information, but you need to be careful about which ones you use. Any website can put anything they want on their pages, so it’s important to make sure that you’re only using websites that you trust.
– Newspaper articles:
Newspaper articles can be a good source of information, but you need to make sure that they’re from a reputable source. Any newspaper can have political or commercial bias, so it’s important to be aware of this when you’re reading them.
– TV and radio:
TV and radio can be a good source of information, but you need to make sure that they’re from a reputable source. Any programme can have political or commercial bias, so it’s important to be aware of this when you’re watching or listening.
– Personal experiences:
Personal experiences can be a good source of information, but you need to be careful about how you use them. If you’re basing your research on someone else’s personal experience, make sure that you take into account the fact that they might not be impartial.
Evaluating the information you find
Once you’ve found some sources of information, it’s time to start evaluating them. This means looking at the information you’ve found and deciding how useful it is.
There are a few different things to consider when you’re evaluating information:
– Is the information relevant?
Make sure that the information you’re looking at is relevant to the thing you’re researching. If it’s not, then it’s not going to be of any use to you.
– Is the information accurate?
Make sure that the information you’re looking at is accurate. This means checking it against other sources to see if it lines up.
– Is the information up-to-date?
As we mentioned before, it’s important to make sure that the information you’re using is as up-to-date as possible. This is especially important for fields like medicine and technology, where new discoveries are being made all the time.
– Is the information from a reputable source?
As we mentioned before, it’s important to make sure that the information you’re using is from a reputable source. Any website can put anything they want on their pages, so it’s important to make sure that you’re only using websites that you trust.
Once you’ve evaluated the information you’ve found, you can start using it to help you with your research. Remember to cite any sources that you use, so that you can give credit where it’s due.
