Transcript Analysing the Information’ - London Metropolitan University

‘Analysing the Information’
LT1H02N
Lecture Aims
 To
discuss the sources of information that
are available to students
 To
introduce the concept of critical
analysis.
 To
provide guidance on how to use the
internet for academic research
Lecture Outcomes
 You
will be able to analyse sources of
information
 You
will be aware of the need for caution
when using the internet as a research tool
Overview
1)
Sources of Information
2)
How to Analyse Sources
3)
The Internet as an Academic Source
Sources of Information
You will be aware by now that there are a
wide range of information sources that
you can utilise as a student.
You should also be aware that not all
sources are of equal use to a student.
Critical Analysis
As a student you will be required to analyse
information.
Analysis needs to be applied to all sources
of information that you deal with.
This is a skill that you will develop and
refine throughout the course of your
degree.
How to Analyse
Information
Critical analysis requires you to interrogate
each source you use.
This involves asking a number of questions
about the information.
Basic Questions
The key questions you need to ask are:
who are the authors?
 who is the intended audience?
 what is its purpose?
 is it relevant?
 what evidence is it based on?

Authors
The ‘author’ can be either an individual(s) or an
organisation.
What are their credentials?
Is the author recognised as an authority in the
field?
Are they reputable?
Audience
What is the target audience for this
particular material?
Is it aimed at a specialised or general
audience?
Is it appropriate for a scholarly, academic
audience?
Purpose
Is the information fact, opinion, advertising
or propaganda?
Is the piece intended as serious analysis, a
general overview, or as humour?
Relevance
Is the material still up-to-date?
Could you locate more recent data from
another source?
Will the information be useful for the task
you require it for?
Evidence
This is the most important element in evaluating
the value of an information source.
This is because the strength of any argument
rests on the evidence that is used to underpin it.
Therefore, you will need to evaluate the evidence
on which the piece is based.
This is a difficult academic skill, and you will
become better at it as you advance as a student
Evaluating Evidence
What evidence, if any, has the author used
to underpin the piece?
Is this evidence itself credible?
Have a wide and balanced range of sources
been consulted?
The Internet
The internet has
emerged as an
important research
tool, but it is one that
MUST be treated with
caution.
What is the Internet?
The Internet is not, in itself, a source of
information.
Instead, it is a tool for accessing
information.
The actual information is contained in
millions of individual web pages.
Web Pages as Sources
The internet is a useful research tool, particularly
for locating very recent information.
It also provides access to a massive range of
sources, which reflect different thoughts and
opinions.
Caution is necessary, however, as there are no
filters between the raw data and the audience
The Need for Caution
Much of the material available on the internet is
unsuitable for academic purposes.



non-academic (too simplistic)
biased
inaccurate or incorrect
You need to develop the skills to avoid using such
flawed sources
How to Analyse Web
Pages
You must analyse the content of each
individual web site.
Apply the same basic principals as you
would to any source of information
When to Use the
Internet
To locate information that is not available
through other sources.
University staff can direct you towards
useful web resources.
When Not to Use the
Internet
Ask yourself, why are you using the internet
as a research tool?
Ease of access should not be your only
justification for using the internet.
The internet should not be used to replace
other sources, it should only be used to
supplement them.
Conclusions
Not all information sources are appropriate
for academic research
This requires you to carefully analyse every
source of information that you come
across
Particular care must be taken when using
the internet as a research tool