Analyzing and Organizing Information Reported by: Abanilla, Chairmane Cantara, Ma. Raizza Danez, Mercy Carmela Ravalo, Richard

Information Skills In order to use information efficiently and effectively, you need to develop information skills such as being able to: Find information in a variety of formats – eg. Print, online Variety of sources – eg. People, library, media, business Within sources – eg. Using an index, map key, software menu

The Information process Defining Locating selecting Organizing Presenting evaluating

Defining - What do you really want to find out? This first stage involves deciding what information you need and why you need to find it. When confronted with a problem, How can you work out what you need to know? Before you start working on a problem you must understand the nature of the question. The words used to describe the topic indicate different approaches to the topic.

Defining For example, when preparing a report you may be asked to: Analyze a situation Argue a point Compare similarities and differences Define, describe or discuss a topic or idea Evaluate a process Justify your position Illustrate your ideas Review, summarize or trace

Types of questions Directional – where are…? Quantitative – how much…? Factual – who, what, when, where and which…? Reasoning – how or why…?

What type of information is required? Do you need brief facts, definitions, statistical or scientific data, dates or concise outlines? Do you need detailed background information, in-depth analysis of a subject or various opinions on a topic? Then use books or journal articles. Do you need the most up-to-date information on a topic? If so, use the internet, journal articles, newspaper reports or television documentaries.

What type of information is required? Do you need opinions or specialist points of view? In that case, contact government departments agencies or other agencies.

Locating – Where can you find the information need? In order to complete this stage you need to identify possible sources of information based on your previous experience and your knowledge of information sources.

Developing a search strategy: Clarify the problem Fit the topic into a discipline – eg. Computer science, history Make sure you are familiar with the topic – check the terminology What level of detail is needed? Is recent material needed, or historical information? Do you need a particular format – video or periodical article?

Select the Materials Decide whether the information is likely to appear in reference sources Is the information likely to be held by a library, information agency, archive or other source? Do you need to contact an expert in the field? Do you need to search the catalog, or consult indexes or databases?

Prioritize the source Locate the Sources Search Materials Identify the sources in the order of their likelihood to contain the information Locate the Sources Are they in the reference section? Are they held by the library or information agency? Will you need to find another location? Search Materials Search until you find an answer or determine that the answer is not in that source

Evaluate and repeat if necessary Is further clarification of the problem necessary? Is more time available? Compile and present the information When using this search strategy you need to ensure that you have understood: The type of information needed The formats (books, serials, company reports, graphic, aural, etc) The method of presentation The timeline The resource implications Any special sensitivities relating to type of information needed

Selecting – Which information do you really need to use? Once you have located some of the information you are looking for, you need to select the sources and the information which will be most useful to you. How to read selectively Look at the contents page; take note of the sections, headings and subheadings etc. ; get a feel for the emphasis to book gives.

2. Browse through the introduction which gives an overview of the topic. 3. Look at the index using keywords relevant to your subject or topic. 4. Look at the bibliography to see what other sources have been used. 5. Skim through the book looking at its presentation and graphic material.

Selecting an information Source All source material needs to be evaluated before it can be used. Some evaluation is done quickly because you can judge by irrelevant titles or out-of-date publication dates. Usually you will have to skim through source to judge its relevance, currency, credibility and objectivity.

Criteria for Evaluating Sources Author Illustrations Publisher Documentation Title Index Publication date Reviews Preface Expert opinion Table of contents Bibliographies Abstract

Organizing – How can you best use this information? In order to complete this stage you need to decide whether you have enough information for your purpose. You also need to arrange your information in a logical sequence and may need to combine information from different sources. You will need to refer back to your original task to ensure that the information is relevant and to make sure you have covered all aspects of the topic.

Thank You 