Information gathering

What is information gathering?

The collection of information for project or research It consists of systematically gathering data from various sources in order to have the most complete possible view of the object of the study. These data, as a first characteristic, must be exact and truthful, which does not mean that in some cases they can be subjective..

The collection of this information can be done by various methods and techniques, from interview to observation. The object of the research or project will sometimes define the type of collection method, although in general several of them are used at the same time.

All fields of study require this data collection in order to conduct research. They are especially important in the social and physical sciences, but also in the humanities, business or medicine.

Once the information deemed necessary has been obtained, the team or person in charge of the project must process it. The goal is to turn that information into useful knowledge and incorporate the findings into your research..

Information gathering methods

When collecting information for a project or research, several methods can be used. The best known are interviews, observation, surveys or written questionnaires. At present, in addition, the capture of data from digital sources has gained special relevance.

The interview

One of the most common data collection methods is interviews. These are conversations between a party that is looking for information and another that is the source to get it, either because of their quality of expert, direct witness or student of the subject in question..

These interviews can be done face-to-face, by phone or, if necessary, by email. Before starting, the interviewer should thoroughly prepare the questions and establish the format to make it as productive as possible..

Among the aspects to be decided is the type of questions, which can be open or closed, the time during which it will be prolonged and the place. Likewise, it is important to request permission to record it, since it will be the best way to ensure that all the information collected will be retained..

The interviews have been divided into two types depending on their structure:

• The structured: they are easier to carry out and to evaluate. They tend to last less time and the information obtained is more objective.
• The unstructured: they are characterized by offering more freedom to both parties. Thus, non-agreed questions can be entered, so it will be possible to expand the required information if new topics arise during the conversation..

One of the examples of this type of data collection method is interviews with experts on a disease in order to carry out research on it..

Polls

Surveys consist of asking a question about a topic to a sample of the population that is considered representative. This is intended to know the majority opinion on a specific issue..

This method of gathering information is not interested in the opinion of the specific individuals who have been surveyed, but rather the most representative of the group..

The sample to which the survey is carried out is chosen according to the subject studied. Thus, for example, if the object of study is alcohol consumption among youth, the survey will be directed to this age group.

The most popular type of survey is electoral, but this system is also used to find out the opinion on a specific event, on consumer trends or on the way of life.

Observation

Another technique used for certain types of research is observation. This consists of the presence of the analyst in the place where the events studied take place. The researcher thus becomes a direct viewer and can extract his own data on the subject..

There are three different ways in which the researcher can carry out the observation:

• Do it without the observed knowing and, of course, without interacting with them.
• Observe without participating in anything but with knowledge of the observed.
• Interact with the main subjects of the observation. In this case, the investigated, in addition to observing, also asks questions or asks for the explanations he considers.

Observation has historically been widely used in anthropological research. It is known, for example, the stay of Bronisław Malinowski in the Trobriand Islands, where he lived with the natives to study them.

Questionnaires

An alternative to interviews are questionnaires. This is a series of questions that is sent to the source of information for them to answer..

In this method, it is essential to prepare in depth the questions you want to ask. The researcher can choose between the two existing questionnaire formats:

• Open questionnaire: it is used when the answers sought cover aspects such as opinions, feelings or the more general experiences of the subject. The structure of the questions should give the opportunity for the author of the answers to elaborate with the reasons that support their ideas..
• Closed questionnaire: the answers are more limited, as well as the topic to be discussed.

An example of this type of method to obtain information is the questionnaires on the opinion of a client of a hotel, with which ideas should be obtained to improve the service. Another example is questionnaires for students to offer their point of view on current issues, such as bullying..

Document Review

To investigate some topics, especially historical ones, one of the best sources of information is the documents from the time to be studied..

These documents are a great source of information to know the social reality of the moment in which they were written, although aspects such as who their authors were and their interests must always be taken into account..

One of the best examples of the use of documents in research is the codices produced by the pre-Columbian cultures of Mesoamerica, which are often the only source of data on that time..

Digital data

With the universal expansion of digital devices and the internet, a new method of information gathering has appeared.

All these devices are an important source of data that allow the researcher to know many aspects of the way of life of each person. The trace left by using a credit card, cell phone or smartwatch can be converted into accurate information for an investigation.

One of the applications of this type of information is, for example, to know the mobility of the inhabitants of a city. Cell phone tracking has been used in some countries to develop research on how that mobility affects the spread of disease..

References

Documentary research 

Field research

Scientific method

Investigation project