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Do fieldwork in Asia

Fieldwork based studies form the basis for our understanding of Asian politics and societies, but doing Fieldwork can be an eye-opening but also frustrating experience. Experienced researchers here share their pro and cons:
Doing fieldwork in China / ed. by Maria Heimer and Stig Thøgersen. Cph.: Copenhagen: NIAS Press, 2006 is very interesting journey into the practise of fieldwork. Please find examples as pdfs
Chapter 2: Kevin J. O'Brian: Discovery, Research (Re) design, and Theory Building
Chapter 4: Maria Heimer: Field Sites, Research Design and Type of Findings

Duke University Library maintains a guide to Doing Research on Japan with information on libraries, archives, museums of historical collections as well as a guide to life in Japan.
Doing Fieldwork in Japan. Edited by Theodore C. Bestor, Patricia G. Steinhoff, and Victoria Lyon Bestor. University of California Press, Berkeley, 2004.

For more references please consult the annotated bibliography created by NIASLinc staff members.


Create questionnaires and surveys

A questionnaire is a self-administered statistical survey. Questionnaires have advantages over some other types of surveys in that they are cheap, do not require as much effort from the questioner as verbal or telephone surveys, and often have standardized answers that make it simple to compile data.
WEB online surveys
http://web-online-surveys.com/ Björn Gustafsson and Li Shi's chapter in Doing fieldwork in China / ed. by Maria Heimer and Stig Thøgersen. Cph.: Copenhagen: NIAS Press, 2006: Three Ways to Obtain House Hold Income Data (pdf) describes and discusses how to use quantitative data.


Study Asia :E-based learning and how to use reference management tools.

Freeware for study use guiding researchers and students to the best of the Web for their education and research. We offer a range of free materials for NNC members to use to support effective Internet searching and research in their own institutions. You are welcome to copy or adapt these materials for educational purposes.


Internet tutorials

The Intute: Virtual Training Suite provides free Internet tutorials to help you learn how to get the best from the Web for your education and research.
http://www.vts.intute.ac.uk/

SWIM (Streaming Webbased Information Modules) from Aalborg University. SWIM use pictures and sounds so you need Flash on your computer

NIAS LINC tutorials: How to search for information


Evaluate Internet Resources

Evaluating the quality of information provided on a Web site involves more than determining its authenticity. An author may write with genuine passionate belief in that which he says, but the facts may not support his contention so before you rely on information, you should:

Determine its origin.
Discover the author AND the publisher.
Ascertain the author and publisher's credentials.
Discover the date of the writing. This gives the information historical context.
Verify it. Find another reputable source that provides similar information.
Some of the Indicators of Information Quality

Source Selection Tip:
Try to select sources that offer as much of the following information as possible:
Author's Title or Position
Author's Organizational Affiliation
Date of Page Creation or Version
Author's Contact Information
Some of the Indicators of Information Quality (listed below)

Checklist for Research Source Evaluation

Credibility
trustworthy source, author's credentials, evidence of quality control, known or respected authority, organizational support.
Goal:an authoritative source, a source that supplies some good evidence that allows you to trust it.

Accuracy
up to date, factual, detailed, exact, comprehensive, audience and purpose reflect intentions of completeness and accuracy.
Goal: a source that is correct today (not yesterday), a source that gives the whole truth.

Reasonableness
fair, balanced, objective, reasoned, no conflict of interest, absence of fallacies or slanted tone.
Goal: a source that engages the subject thoughtfully and reasonably, concerned with the truth.

Support
listed sources, contact information, available corroboration, claims supported, documentation supplied.
Goal: a source that provides convincing evidence for the claims made, a source you can triangulate (find at least two other sources that support it).

Source:
Harris, Robert - Evaluating Internet resources
http://www.virtualsalt.com/evalu8it.htm

The Internet Guide to Construction of Quality Online Resources
http://www.ciolek.com/WWWVL-InfoQuality.html


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