Finding Evidence ch.17

   The article goes into depth of the different forms of evidence. Such as journals, scholarly books, records from archives, personal observations, field work, and also surveys. In addition to evidence, the quality is important too. Questions that need to be asked to ensure the quality of the evidence are how it was collected, the purpose of what is collected, and who was it collected by.

  As stated, it is important to consider the rhetorical situation and to understand that quantitative data can be observed as well as counted. What is observed and counted, also needs to be appropriate for the situation. They also suggest to use library resources such as printed works and databases. Then after gathering your evidence its important to get some feedback and discuss with a professor or librarian about your argument.

  Additionally, it is vital to determine the kind of sources needed for the project. The different types of resources include online, interviews, self collected data, questionnaires, and also resources. Specifically in regards to self collected data, experiments must have control as well as an argument. When making observations it is also key to determine what you want as an outcome. You have to ask yourself what you want to see and also what you want to expect. In regards to observations, they directly need to relate to your claim. It is also strongly states to not let your own biases interfere with your collected data. Now when it comes to interviewing, you first need to determine your purpose of the interview and how the results relate to your claim. Important necessities before conducting your interview include a written list of both factual and open ended questions. While at the interview it is also important to record the full name and title, the date, time, and place in which the interview is being conducted. Also, without hesitation you should thank your interviewee for their time. Now, when it comes to questionnaires and surveys, they need to be easy to understand, Make sure your interview or survey directly relate to your specific purpose. Also prior you should have brainstormed your questions and determine if they relate to the purpose of the interview or survey you conducted. You have to take into consideration the demographics and determine the size of survey as well as the amount of people you will be surveying. The most important thing is to free any biases of the survey you are conducting. The strongly state that proof reading is key to a successful outcome and to make sure it all relates to your purpose. To include your personal experiences will help you relate to your own personal claim.