Welcome to SMIRK Unit
3 - What is information
and why do we need it?


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SMIRK by Imperial College, Loughborough University and the University of Worcester, modified by Marion Kelt Glasgow Caledonian University is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Based on a work at http://www.gcu.ac.uk/library/SMILE/

Why we need
information

You need information because it empowers you!

gathering information cartoon

Information allows:

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SMIRK by Imperial College, Loughborough University and the University of Worcester, modified by Marion Kelt Glasgow Caledonian University is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Based on a work at http://www.gcu.ac.uk/library/SMILE/

 

What is information?

Information is knowledge about a particular subject, issue, event or process. Information can be attained from various sources: you can be told information, for example through a lecture or a television programme, or you can find information through your own research.

Information is essential to finding your route to university in the morning, writing an essay, getting the right ingredients for a recipe, conducting an experiment, renting a flat, filling in a job application form, exam revision and for many, many other everyday and not-so-everyday tasks.

For each task you need a different type of information, and to find the most useful and relevant information you have to understand:

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SMIRK by Imperial College, Loughborough University and the University of Worcester, modified by Marion Kelt Glasgow Caledonian University is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Based on a work at http://www.gcu.ac.uk/library/SMILE/

Information timeline

stopwatchInformation is created - here is how it is generated and used.

Hours to days
Information about a current event or idea is distributed through mass media such as newspapers, websites, television, and radio.

Days to weeks to months
As more information is collected, documentaries may be made, or articles published in popular press and online, such as in magazines aimed at the general public.

Months
Significant events and ideas may be further explored in scholarly publications such as research journals, or discussed at conferences.

Years
Discussion and analysis of events and ideas may be published in a book several years after their happening.

Years and years
A summary of an event, including its background and aftermath, and pertinent facts, may be published in reference material, such as an encyclopaedia.

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SMIRK by Imperial College, Loughborough University and the University of Worcester, modified by Marion Kelt Glasgow Caledonian University is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Based on a work at http://www.gcu.ac.uk/library/SMILE/

Summary

Now you know what information is and why you need it. You should also have a clearer picture of how it is created and develops over time.

This knowledge will help you to gather and manipulate information to further your research.

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Creative Commons Licence
SMIRK by Imperial College, Loughborough University and the University of Worcester, modified by Marion Kelt Glasgow Caledonian University is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Based on a work at http://www.gcu.ac.uk/library/SMILE/