Introduction

In the previous chapter we discussed analysing and interpreting the assignment topic and compiling a work plan. In this chapter we will learn how to search for and find relevant information so we can write an appropriate and relevant assignment answer. We are going to look at what information we need to retrieve; where we will find this information; how we will retrieve the information; and how we know which retrieved information is best for our task.

The keywords, headings and subheadings on the work plan are a good place to start. They indicate what information we need but now we need to consider where we will find this information.

What does retrieving information involve?

Retrieving information involves two steps:

1. 1. Locating relevant sources

2. 2. Selecting the information

These two steps involve several activities. To retrieve information we need to locate sources in a collection either by physically going to the library or accessing sources via the Internet and then selecting relevant information from these sources. Relevant information is information that directly applies to the assignment topic. For example, look at the following assignment question:

Relevant information has a direct relationship to the keywords and headings which we have jotted down on the work plan. We identified the keywords as Internet search engine; Google; Yahoo; evaluate website. Also on our work plan we jotted down various subheadings under the main headings. (Refer back to the work plan in Chapter 8 for these headings.)

When we start looking for information it is generally easiest to turn to our own collection of books and periodicals. However, our own collection of books and sources are generally not extensive and will therefore not give us enough relevant information for completing an assignment. An external collection, such as a library, on the other hand, contains so many different information sources that our search for information will be more complicated. Either way, the steps involved in searching for information are the same, whether they relate to an internal or an external collection. The steps are just simpler when the collection is small and when we are familiar with using it.

Introduction

In the previous chapters we have already focused on many of the prewriting activities necessary for writing an essay assignment. We have discussed the work plan and taking notes; evaluation of your information and ensuring your information is relevant to the topic. In this chapter and the next chapter we are going to focus on the main activities involved in the actual writing process including the prewriting activities, drafting, rewriting, organisation and structure, final editing and proofreading. We hope by giving you some pointers and showing the various techniques you will be better equipped to face this task and feel less anxious about writing an essay assignment.

Writing is not an easy process even for experienced writers. To write well you constantly need to reshape, refine, and rewrite. Inexperienced writers often write poorly because they do not realise that writing is not a linear process but requires constant reworking and revision of their initial ideas. In other words it is an iterative process.

Prewriting

Prewriting activities are the processes you go through before you even begin writing. Prewriting activities give us a better idea of what we want to communicate, how we are going to say it and why we want to communicate it to a reader. In writing you need to first identify your audience and your purpose. These are both important prewriting activities that you need to do before you can begin writing.

Some of the important questions you need to ask yourself before beginning are:

• • Who are your readers?

• • What do they expect?

• • What do they know about the subject?

• • What special terms or concepts might you use that will have to be explained to your readers?

• • What is the purpose of your writing?

Time spent in prewriting activities will not be wasted because these help you to make sure that you answer the assignment question, and are aware of your purpose and audience.

Lecturer as an audience

When you write an academic assignment it is a particular situation with particular requirements that have to be met. Although you know that the lecturer reading and evaluating your assignments is knowledgeable about the topic, you have to write as if he or she knows nothing about the topic.

Introduction

Read the following scenario and then answer the questions below:

If we look at the scenario above we can see that Veli had problems with her assignment because she wanted to start writing as soon as possible. She skipped the interpretation and planning stage and began immediately looking for information. As a result she read sources and took notes without a clear idea of what was relevant. All she had was a very general idea of the topic. Then when she sat down to write the assignment she found that some of her notes were irrelevant and she did not have enough information on some of the important aspects of the topic. She also found that her marks did not reflect the amount of work that she had put into the assignment. This could have been avoided by spending some time interpreting the topic.

• • Do you take time to read and analyse an assignment question? Yes/No

• • When you start working on an assignment do you have a work plan? Yes/ No

• • Do you identify the keywords in the assignment topic before you begin finding information? Yes/No

If you answered no to these questions then it is very important for you to study this chapter because in this chapter we will learn how to analyse an assignment topic and develop a work plan.

Introduction

In the previous chapters of the book we discussed traditional resources that are commonly found in a library. In this chapter we will discuss the Internet - one of the most influential technologies developed in the past few decades. Even if you do not own a computer the Internet will affect many areas of your life, such as ATMs for banking. But from our point of view the most important aspect of the Internet is our ability to access a wide range of information and information sources and to communicate with people in a variety of ways all over the world. In this chapter we will discuss the Internet, and various things you can do on the Internet such as e-mail, share files, Facebook and so on. The various ways of accessing information via the Internet will be discussed in Chapter 7.

What is the Internet?

The Internet is a worldwide network of networks, a networking infrastructure. It connects millions of computers together globally, forming a network whereby any computer can communicate with any other computer as long as they are both connected to the Internet. Information that travels over the

Internet does so via a variety of languages and protocols. Protocols are the technical standards that are required for the computers to communicate.

Data travels across ordinary telecommunication lines (such as cable, telephone, radio, or television lines) and so it is very easy for individuals and organisations to connect to the Internet. It is impossible to say how many computers are hooked up to the Internet as the number is constantly growing.

What is the World Wide Web?

The World Wide Web or WWW or Web (we will use the WWW in this book but all are acceptable) is a way of accessing information through the Internet. It is an information-sharing model that is built on top of the Internet. The WWW uses the HTTP protocol and is used to transmit data over the Internet. The WWW also utilises browsers (software which you use to connect to and view WWW pages), such as Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox, to access web documents called web pages that are linked to each other via hyperlinks. Web documents can contain graphics, sounds, text and video.

Introduction

In this chapter we will discuss different types of reference sources. The best known types of reference sources are dictionaries, encyclopaedias, directories, almanacs, yearbooks and atlases. These sources are arranged so that you can access them easily and find factual information quickly. Bibliographies, indexing and abstract journals are also reference sources but as these serve a different purpose (they refer one to information sources) we discuss them separately in Chapter 5.

As pointed out in the previous chapter, when you go to a library you will usually find that the reference sources are housed in a separate collection. They may sometimes be shelved with the other information sources, but the prefix REF, or perhaps just R, is usually included in the call numbers of reference sources so that you can clearly distinguish them from other information sources. If you look up a subject in the library catalogue and some of the sources you find have call numbers which include the letters REF or R before the classification notation, you will know that these are probably arranged separately in the reference section of the library and can only be consulted in the library.

Reference sources used to be available only in book or printed form but many of these reference sources are now also available in electronic form (for example CD-ROM or online on the Internet). Some of these are available to you free on the Internet but for most reputable reference works you need to be a subscriber in order to consult them.

You can consult different types of reference sources to find different kinds of information. We will look at some of these types of reference sources so that you have a better idea of where to find the information you need.

Dictionaries

We are all familiar with language dictionaries, but there are various other kinds of dictionaries. There are, for example, subject dictionaries and biographical dictionaries too. Language dictionaries and subject dictionaries are good sources to consult when you start an information task such as an assignment. You can ensure that you understand the terminology used in the assignment topic and in the books that you consult. Dictionaries may also be consulted to check the spelling and pronunciation of difficult words. Let's look at some of the types of dictionary in more detail.

In addition to time, patience, and a beverage of your choice…

This book is primarily intended to teach you how to program in Perl. But in order to do that we want you to first learn some Unix skills. You will need access to a computer that is capable of running the Perl programming language and a Unix or Linux Operating System (OS). You will also need to use a code editor program to write your Perl scripts. We’ll talk about what specific software to choose in the next chapter, but first let’s consider the bigger picture, including a brief overview of how Unix and Linux differ and whether that even matters.

What computers can run Perl?

As a programming language, Perl is platform agnostic. You can write (and run) Perl scripts on just about any modern computer. We will assume that >99% of the people reading this use a PC (running Microsoft Windows and/or Linux), or an Apple Mac. A small proportion of you may be using some other type of dedicated Unix platform, such as a Sun or SGI machine. None of this really matters too much. All of the Perl examples that we demonstrate in this book should work on any machine that you can install Perl on.

Introduction

This book deals with information skills. Before we can start learning these information skills we need to understand why we need them and what they are. In this chapter we will discuss the particular changes that have taken place in the last fifty to sixty years that have made it necessary for us to learn these particular skills and also what these skills consist of. In this chapter you will learn about the information society and information literacy. You will also learn why it is important to have information skills and more about the particular skills which you need in order to utilise information effectively.

Development of the information society

The information phenomenon is one of the defining features of the modem world. The creation, packaging and use of information have accelerated so much over recent years that it is often referred to as an information explosion. According to some writers this exponential increase in information combined with technological developments resulted in a new type of social system - the information society. This is also referred to as the post-industrial era or the networked society. In this book we will refer to it as the information society.

Changes in society can be described and shown in many ways. A common way of marking these changes is to divide history into several eras or time spans. Each of these eras covers a chronological time period, and relates to the particular aspects of society during that period in history. The way you choose to divide the time period will depend on which characteristics of society you focus on. However, it is important to remember that these divisions are artificial and can vary depending on one's perspective and the purpose of the division. From the point of view of production of goods, history can be divided into three eras: the agricultural era, the industrial era and the information era, as shown in Figure 1.1.

It is important to remember that these divisions are artificial and that characteristics or aspects of the previous eras will be found in a society as it moves from one era to the next.

No mouse required!

By this point you should have a computer that runs a version of Unix or Linux. Everything we do in this part of the book will involve typing commands using a program known as the terminal (more on that in the next section). Unix contains many hundreds of commands, but we only need to learn a small number in order to achieve most of what we want to accomplish.

You are probably used to working with programs like the Apple Finder or the Windows File Explorer to navigate around the hard drive of your computer. Some people are habituated to using the mouse to move files, drag files to the trash, etc., and it can seem strange switching from this to typing commands instead. Be patient, and try – as much as possible – to stay within the world of the Unix terminal. We will teach you many basics of Unix, such as: renaming files, moving files, creating text files, etc. and you may sometimes be tempted to resort to doing this without using Unix. Initially it will feel wrong to do something as simple as moving a file from one folder to another by typing a command. Stick with it and it will start to become second nature. Learning to do things by typing commands also gives you a back-up plan if your mouse breaks!