10: Researching Like a Pro in Visual Studio .NET

Encoding QR Code 2d barcode in Visual Studio .NET 10: Researching Like a Pro

Statistical information, delivered as part data for software designed to handle quantitative data (a spreadsheet program such as Excel is the simplest example) A software program, with or without data, perhaps created using the Google APIs, as explained in Part IV Making assumptions about format without asking is unwise In fact, the results could be disastrous if you don t meet the client s expectations The best way to find out about how a research client likes to get answers is to ask the client For example, the client might require the information to be posted on a Web site with plenty of cross-referenced links; if you present the answer to the client as a PowerPoint presentation, your answer may prove to be useless to them, even though it contains the correct information If you re a professional researcher, it is important to have a written contract as well as an agreement during a reference interview The Association of Independent Information Professionals (AIIP), wwwaiiporg, provides a sample contract and more information about best business practices for researchers

Serious researchers tend to spend most of their time online, or in libraries, not conducting interviews Even movie action hero Indiana Jones, who says Seventy-five percent of all archaeology is done in the library, researching, reading, has realized this (although he seems to spend most of his time hanging around beautiful women, falling out of airplanes, and so on) However, sometimes even the most introverted researcher needs to conduct interviews inperson or on the telephone These interviews differ from reference interviews because they are solely used to uncover information, and they are not conducted with a research client Quickly getting valuable background information about an industry, technology, or trend is the most common reason to conduct a research interview When you interview an expert for this purpose, you should follow the guidelines I explain for reviewing background information in a reference interview Another reason to conduct an interview is to find out about something firsthand, from a primary source Interviewing people who actually witnessed something can yield surprising results, but these results need to be analyzed with care because human memory is often unreliable Conduct an interview with a primary source in a very open-ended fashion Remember, from a primary source you usually want to find out what happened, not an opinion about why it happened In addition, research interviews are often used in connection with consumer and voter behavior These kinds of interviews involve a number of special methodological considerations and statistical analyses

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Make sure to wrap up the reference interview with a recap, in your own words, of what has been discussed and decided That way both you and your client can make sure you re on the same page You should plan to think carefully about your business practices Although the steps you take depend on many factors, including your relationship with your research client and the project budget, before you start your research you should have a signed contract, a written summary of the reference interview (including schedules, potential conflicts, and contact information), and a list of tools or materials that the researcher is to be provided (if any) to complete the project

Google is not the Internet and it s not the Web Actually, even the Web is not the complete Web there is a great deal of useful information that you can t access it on the public Web Some of this information can be accessed through for-fee databases (see Using a research database ) or (if you ve subscribed) via a Web interface (see Other online research services ) Still other information can only be obtained offline in libraries and government public records repositories If you re planning to use Google primarily for your research, you should know how Google works, what its limitations are, and why you might need to use additional resources to complete your research