Aaron Albertson Research & Instruction Librarian, Social Sciences (651) 696-6530 albertson@macalester.edu |
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Beth Hillemann Research & Instruction Librarian, Social Sciences (651) 696-6704 hillemann@macalester.edu |
Congratulations! You have completed the module What is Research Data? Take a few minutes to check your understanding of the information covered in this module by answering the following questions. Once you've gone through each question, click on the "CHECK YOUR ANSWER" link to see how you did.
1. Research data can take many forms depending on the academic area in which the research is being conducted. Using the definition that we've provided, which of the following would NOT qualify as an example of research data? a - Photographs taken each year in mid-June of a prairie landscape documenting the changes that have occurred over a twenty year period. b - A series of case studies examining eight unique musical works in an effort to understand the impact of technology on the creative process of composing music. c - Audio recordings of campaign speeches from presidential candidates in 2012. d - Dried fungal specimens native to the Minnesota River valley. e - None. All of the above are examples of research data. What do you think? E is the correct answer. Research data are any information collected, stored, and processed to produce and validate original research results - that is, to prove or disprove a theory, to bolster claims made in the research being conducted, or to further the knowledge around a specific topic or problem. All of the examples meet that definition.
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2. Data typically falls within one of two categories: qualitative or quantitative. Which of the following are examples of quantitative data? a - Hourly air temperatures in Fahrenheit recorded at Macalester's Ordway Field Station for the years 2010 - 2015. b - Photographs recording the starting stances of Olympic runners in the 2016 Olympic Games. c - Listing of gross domestic product, unemployment rates, consumer price index numbers and industrial production of European Union member states. d - Tally of the number of cars that passed through the intersection of Grand and Snelling Avenues last Friday between 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. e - Letters and diaries written by First Minnesota Infantry Regiment veterans who fought at Gettysburg during the U.S. Civil War. What do you think? A (hourly air temperatures), C (economic data from European Union member states) and D (numbers of cars going through intersection) are all examples of quantitative data. Remember that quantitative data allows the researcher to quantify a problem. Each of these data examples counts something or can be compared on a numeric scale. They can be fed into statistical analysis software to help the researcher better understand the message the data tells without the need for the researcher to do coding or interpret the data.
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3. Research data are often grouped into one of four major types based on the methodology used to collect it. What data type is generated by imitating the operation of a real-world process or system over time using computer test models? a - Observational data. b - Experimental data. c - Simulation data. d - Derived / compiled data. What do you think? C (simulation data) imitates the operation of a real-world process or system through modeling. An example of this would be to use modeling to forecast weather conditions or to anticipate future seismic activity based on past or current seismic activity.
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