*SOURCES OF DATA COLLECTIONByPuan Sazuliana SanifFSTPi

*Sources of data collectionPrimary sources- Your own data collection from own investigationSecondary sources From publications, government documents, brochures, newsletters, annual reports Look for recent reports, check on the authors qualification and the reputation of the publisher Document the sources through footnotes, endnotes or reference list

*Collecting Primary DataThe 5 main ways to collect primary data:

1.Documents- can be primary or secondary source- from own company files, business documents such as sales reports, policy statements, correspondence with customers, suppliers, contracts and log book.

2.Observation- informal observation by using eyes or ears based on the researcher visiting a facility or observe operations- specific observations with a checklist on what to look out for- useful when studying objects, physical activities, the environment or human behaviour

*- the disadvantage depends on the reliability of the observer as people have the tendency to see what they want on their own experiences. Therefore, proper instructions and trustworthy observer is essential.

3.Surveys- includes single interviews to the experts to distribution of thousands of questionnaires to outsiders.- a formal survey can consist of face-to-face interviews, phone calls or printed questionnaires.- how many individuals should be contacted to get reliable results?- what specific questions should be asked?

*Types of survey questionsa.Open-ended questionEg: How would you describe the way the van driver drove the van?

b.Either-orEg: Do you think that the van driver obey the Safety Regulation while driving on the road? Yes / No

c.Multiple choiceEg: What is best way to educate the van drivers? a. UTHM should give often reminder b. By distributing flyers and brochures to the drivers c. Never renew the permit if they have safety offends d. Suspend their services

*d.Scale- to compare different items using a common scaleEg: Please mark an X on the scale to indicate how you feel regarding your safety while traveling on the vans provided by UTHM.

Key:1Very safe (VS)2Safe (S)3Moderate (M)4Unsafe (US)5Very unsafe (VUS)

e.Checklist

f.Ranking- to compare different items directly to one another

12345VSSMUSVUS

*Guidelines when making survey questionsProvide clear instructions; especially on how to fill out the questionnaires or provide explanations on why the research is conducted,Keep the questions short and easy to answerCreate questions that are easy to tabulate or analyse; eg. numbersAsk only one thing at one time. NOT: Do you read books and magazines regularly?Pretest the questionnaire on a sample group

4.Experiments- for technical fields to see the differences between two factors/ elements/ variables, eg. Experiments done on animals or two groups of people5. Interview

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