| 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've completed the module Finding & Collecting Data for Your Research. Take a few minutes to check your understanding of the information covered by answering the following questions. Click on the "CHECK YOUR ANSWER" link to see how you did.
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1. In this module, we identified three broad strategies for obtaining research data. What are these three strategies? a - Getting it from government web sites, looking at what other researchers have collected, or searching the web using a search engine. b - Collecting the data yourself, gathering data collected by someone else, or combining these strategies together. c - Using an open-ended survey, using observation to gather data about your subject matter, conducting personal or group interviews. d - Using the wide range of data available through the U.S. Census, harvesting data available through data repositories, finding data available through public polling sites. What do you think?
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2. Using existing data collected by someone else is a common practice among student researchers. Which of the following are advantages to using existing data? (select all that apply) a - It is often more cost effective. b - A wide variety of data are available online. c - It saves you time. d - It is likely you will find the perfect data for your research project. What do you think? |
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a - Government agency web sites. b - Data repositories. A wide variety of both general and discipline-specific repositories where data are preserved and made available for sharing exist. c - Organizations with an interest in your research topic, such as non-profit research centers, foundations, trade associations, etc. d - All of the above. What do you think?
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4. Collecting original data has many advantages. Which of the following are among these advantages? a - You have complete control over the variables included in data collection. b - You have greater understanding of the data collection process that was used allowing you to ensure the accuracy and integrity of data collected. c - You are able to collect data that no one has before. d - All of the above. What do you think?
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CHECK YOUR ANSWER