Unit 4: Types of Information

Practice Questions:

For practice question 1: Is a vegetarian diet healthier than a meat-based diet?, I would use scholarly journals because though there are many pros and cons to this question someone that is a subject expert or scholarly expert on this topic would have the most accurate representation of it.

For practice question 2: Target often forces musicians to alter lyrics in order to have their CDs sold in Target stores. Is this censorship?, magazines and broadcast media and even newspapers would be most useful  type of resource because this is a topic that has been talked a lot in recent years not just with Target but also with Walmart. It is mostly an opinion based answer and finding both sides of the argument in the above resources seems plausible.

For practice question 3: How much more can a college graduate expect to earn over someone with a high school diploma?, I would use an online statistical source to find proven statistics that support the question.

For practice question 4: Should educators use commercial services to combat plagiarism?, I would use scholarly journals to get some expert option and information on this topic, however I would also use magazines and broadcast media to ensure I explored all parts of this question.    

For practice question 5: Is the current lack of sunspot activity affecting global warming?, I would use a subject encyclopedia and a scholarly journals to research this question. Scientist have been warning about the danger of releasing carbon monoxide into the atmosphere since the late 1800's and so a subject encyclopedia would be a great place to start in gathering information to answer this question. Scholarly journals would be a great resource to get more detailed and updated information on the topic.

Research Questions:

For research question 1: How can we protect our privacy in a digital world?, I would use the World Wide Web and scholarly journals. I believe that I would be able to find some current statistics that would help support my topic on the Internet. Scholarly journals would be a great resource to access reliable information from experts or scholars on the subject.

For research question 2: When does the Patriot Act cross the line between protecting citizens and taking away their rights?I would use the World Wide Web to access the United States Department of Treasury and read the full text of the Patriot Act so that I can form my own opinions about it. Then I would access scholarly journals to find expert opinion and information sources.

For research question 3: How can businesses protect their industry secrets when employees leave the company? I would use books on industrial espionage and other industry secret topics to get a lot of in depth information. Scholarly journals would also provide a lot of expert opinion and information on this subject.