Learning about research and information in the Covid-19 pandemic. No.5 Finding and using statistics

Finding and using statistics

During the Covid-19 pandemic, many of us have been watching the daily briefing from the government and a regular part of this has been reporting on the number of cases and deaths as well as displaying a number of graphs.

Statistics (or data) are more than just numbers and have been used to predict the need for more hospital provision, PPE, to look for the peak of the infection, the "flattening of the curve" and to inform government decisions about social distancing, for example. We've seen they can tell a story, they can help us understand what is happening, they can show trends and inform theories.

Statistics however, are just numbers without context. The number of Covid deaths, though large and too many (especially for those directly affected), on their own mean nothing unless you can compare this to the normal expected death rate last year, for example. We also need to know what is being counted. Only recently have care home deaths been included in the figures.

Statistics have been used to compare and contrast. We have been able to see the UK death rate in comparison to other countries. They meant decision-makers drew similarities between the UK and Italy for example at the beginning of the epidemic. However, at the same time, statistics are to be viewed with caution. No one will truly understand what the statistics mean until the pandemic is over and lessons can be learned. Statistics ideally should be viewed with some analysis.

In the video below from the BC's Andrew Marr Show, Professor David Spiegelhalter (an expert) talks about the whole complex issue of using statistics during the Coronavirus crisis and why numbers on their own aren't always helpful. Also, he discusses how statistics can be used to help measure risk and put things in perspective.


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Using statistics in your research and assignments.

• Statistics are great sources to use for showing the scale of a problem or issue you are writing about and to make comparisons. Use them to show trends over time and predictions.
• Make sure you get your statistics from reputable sources. ONS (Office of National Statistics) collate a lot of information and make it available on their website. Specialist organisations e.g. charities also collect data on their particular area of expertise.
• It is worth checking what the numbers mean.  What definition was used to identify what was counted? For example, Mintel (a marketing database UCP students can access) uses information from MORI polls and outlines this on the website. 
• UCP students also have access to a database called Statista. By using this resource you know the statistics have come from reputable sources. Analysis is provided too and it has a section devoted to directing users to publications and websites where they can find statistics online for free.
• If you have a lot of data, try to present it in a graph or pie chart. Visual representation usually means more to the reader (and uses less words!). Try different types until you find the one which makes your point best.
• Always show where you have got your statistics from (i.e. reference).
• Be aware that people with an agenda may use and even manipulate statistics  to bolster their argument. Think critically as you read.
• Be wary of making statistics say what you want them to say - unless they really do. 

Learning about research and information during the Covid-19 pandemic No.4 Avoid fake news, conspiracy theories and misinformation - evaluate!

Evaluate your information sources

The World Health Organisation has called the recent spread of false information an "infodemic" that is "spreading faster than the virus". There have been claims of 5G causing the virus, that it can be cured by eating bat soup, claims that the virus was manufactured in a lab in Wuhan and even the US president himself is reported to have suggested injecting disinfectant (although he says this was taken out of context).

This isn't anything new - Samuel Pepys in his diaries at the time of the Great Plague (1665-6) wrote about different rumours spreading and he himself was frightened to wear a wig in case it spread infection as these were made from the hair of plague victims.

We have posted previous posts about Fake News and although it is particularly an online phenomena, all resources should be evaluated. The tabloids, for example, are published, edited and available in print, but a lot of the information they report cannot necessarily be trusted.

Have a look at this BBC video to understand how misinformation spreads and how to stop it.

How does this relate to student research?

• When doing research, check your sources. You are looking mainly to use academic resources which are of good quality and written by experts. Opinions may vary but they are formed by people who know their subject.
• Library online databases are collections of articles and resources which come from reputable sources. Start here and you will avoid the rubbish.
• When using the web, look at who has written the information and which organisation the website represents (and are they credible? do they have a particular agenda?).
• If using social media, look for the tick to be sure you are reading the official feed or account. Also does it trace back to a trusted website?
• Where possible validate a theory or fact by finding it in more than one source. If someone quotes someone else, find the original source if you can.
• Also remember though that public perception and rumours are a valid aspect of any issue too. (Revolutions have started fuelled by such things). You may refer to fake news and conspiracy theories, for example, but you will need to explain them and remain objective.

Welcome back and LRC new drop-in sessions

Happy New Year!

Welcome back to College and we hope you enjoyed the festive break and are all set to work hard in 2019. Last week LRC staff manned a stand at the College's Staff Development Day event - Carousel of Learning - and spoke to a number of staff about the sessions and resources we offer. If you are a member of staff and missed this, feel free to come and talk to us if you want more information.

New for 2019 - LRC Lunchtime Drop-Ins 

This term the LRC librarians will be running short workshops/ drop-ins at lunchtime on Thursdays and Fridays in the LRC (Pod C). Thursday slots are 12.15-12.45pm and Friday slots are 1.15-1.45pm

Pod in the LRC
Photo: Peterborough Regional College

The themes of these will be:

Beyond Google - using Google Scholar and searching Google more effectively.

Using LRC Online Resources - introduction to e-books, online journal articles, newspapers and other interactive learning materials.

Referencing and Plagiarism - find out what plagiarism is and how to reference.

Box of Broadcasts - find out how to record, view and search for TV and radio programmes, create playlists and clips.

Information searching skills - how to search effectively and how to know good websites from bad.

Each session will run twice - once each half of the term. Please see posters in the LRC and around the college. The first one is next week - 17th January 2019.

We can only take a maximum of 5-6 students at a time (but if more of you want to attend it may be better that we come to your tutorial/ class if your lecturer is happy).

Drop-ins will have a planned structure but we don't need to keep strictly to this and we can use the time to address questions students have. If you have your own laptop you may wish to bring this with you but this isn't essential. (The LRC has laptops for use but these are in high demand so don't rely on this).

We look forward to meeting you at these sessions over the coming weeks. Any queries, please ask at the LRC desk.

Coming Soon - Fantastic Beasts event

Coming soon - Fantastic Beasts event

Next Wednesday we are holding a Fantastic Beasts event to mark the release of the second film the Crimes of Grindelwald. Various curriculm areas are joining us. The hospitality section are making and selling biscuits, the Raptor Foundation are bringing owls and the animal care section are showcasing some of their insects and reptiles. The youth centre are holding a craft stall and we will have a tombola to raise money for Wood Green Animal Shelter.

We are also giving everyone the opportunity to enter our pet photography competition (open for entries now - send your photos to the LRC) or even win a prize for dressing up in fancy dress for the day!

Fantastic Beasts resources and activities for you to try (with some Google tips) - 

To get you in the mood, we've put together some activities and online resources with a Fantastic Beasts theme. Some will help you learn how to find things on the internet, some will help you learn, some will make you think about the websites you view and some are just fun.

• Use Google's image search to find what a niffler looks like.

• Use Google maps to find out where the place Grindlewald is (slightly different spelling to the film character).

• Find a trailer of the Crimes of Grindelwald on Internet Movie Database. Just put the keywords - (fantastic beasts crimes Grindelwald) - in to your search. You don't need to use the "of" as this will be ignored anyway.                                                                                                          IMDB can also tell you who is in the film and by clicking on their name you can see what else they have been in. Who plays Leta Lestrange and in what other films/ tv dramas will you see her? Was she in the first film?

• Find out when Fantastic Beasts Crimes of Grindelwald is on at the cinema by typing movie: crimes grindelwald in to the search box in Google. It will usually default to your nearest location but if you want to know when it is on in Norwich for examples type movie: crimes grindelwald norwich. You can use this for any film and location.

• Find out how to make baked nifflers:

• Read the BBC's article Can exotic animals make good pets? How many licensed tigers were there in the UK in 2016? Why might you think twice about using this web article in an assignment?

• The RSPCA has advice about keeping exotic pets. Do you think keeping exotic pets such as snakes and reptiles is a good idea? Discuss with your friends the pros and cons or why not ask some of the animal care students at the event?

• Some of you may want to get some advice on taking photos of your pet for our competition (we already have a lot of entries which will be on display on Wednesday). Have a look at these 2 websites and decide who are they written for.Which would you use and why?https://www.amateurphotographer.co.uk/technique/wildlife_photography/photographing-pets-pet-photography-tip-566                                                                              https://www.bluecross.org.uk/pet-advice/how-to-photograph-pets

• Have a look at some animal anatomy in our eBooks Introduction to veterinary anatomy and physiology textbook, Animal biology and care or  The complete textbook of animal health and welfare. You will need to use your network login and password.

• Finally for a bit of fun do the Beano's personality quiz - Which Fantastic Beast are you?

• The Independent also has a Which Fantastic Beast from Harry Potter are you? quiz but you will have to watch an advert first! They also have another more challenging quiz What mythical creature are you?

Google - tips and pitfalls

Using Google to search

A large number of us use Google as the search engine of choice, but is it really the best way to search for information for your academic work?

Google searches for information using algorithms - a set of automated rules which are applied as it trawls for keywords you've put in the search box. Google does not index everything and there is a lot of good information in the hidden web (not to be confused with the dark web!) which will never find it's way in to Google results. The hidden web includes contents of specific databases and collections held by organisations which haven't made these searchable by Google.

The problem is that Google does not exist first and foremost to bring back the information you require. It exists to make money in advertising revenue and so your top links are likely to be sponsored links (whether they are relevant or not). It will often put the most popular results first and you may not want the most popular - you want the most relevant.

Google tracks your use - either by your login or IP address and remembers what you searched for and this will influence what results are brought back in future. Google will assume you want information  from the country in which you are searching  and in the language in which you typed. It tries to mould it's results to you and so two people can get totally different results from the same search.

That said, its academic arm Google Scholar is a useful tool for students for finding articles and papers, but again does not give access to everything. Also, full text access will still often only be available with your University login.

For more information, see the relevant chapter in Phil Bradley's book Expert Internet Searching. available in the LRC.

Image CC0 https://pixabay.com/en/magnifying-glass-google-76520/

Tips for using Google effectively

• If you want to keep your searches private so your searches can't be tracked, you can apply relevant settings or delete search history.
• Use Advanced search to be more specific about your search. You will find this hidden in the Settings menu.
• Use Google Scholar if you want to search academic resources. You can set it just to search just for sources provided by ARU, for example, but you will need to log in to the ARU Digital library first to read the resources. You may want to try turning off the settings too to see everything else that is indexed.
• Use the image search for photographs and images.
• Put words in speech marks to keep them as a phrase "University of Peterborough", "health and safety"  "prime minister". Google tends to look for words next to each other first anyway, but using speech marks is standard for phrase searching in most databases.
• Save typing by using an asterisk (*) to indicate missing letters. Paint* will search for paint, paints, painting, paintings, painter, painters.
• Type the most important search word first in the search box.
• If you just want to search for sites from a particular country type site:.uk (before your keywords), for example, for UK sites. If you just want results from UK government sites, for example, use site:.gov.uk before your search term(s).

Further resources

Massachusetts Institute of Technology have a useful guide to searching Google (but setting Google Scholar up for MIT is not relevant unless you study there!).
The University of Bedfordshire have some useful Google Scholar tips on their library site.
Google itself has provided some video "power searching" courses which you can work through.

New Information Literacy Definition

Information Literacy

Earlier this year, the CILIP Information Literacy Group updated the original 2004 definition of information literacy. Teaching and fostering information literacy is something information professionals (e.g. librarians) and teachers collaborate on.

To be information literate means having a range of skills involved in seeking, evaluating, using and presenting information and doing this ethically. More and more it involves digital literacy (e.g. using the internet and digital environments to find information) and is relevant not only to the academic world but also the workplace and in everyday life. It is key to lifelong and independent learning.

To see the definition (less than 4 sides of A4), see the document here.

Some of the skills involved in information literacy are:

• Critical thinking and problem solving.
• Questioning techniques
• Evaluating information including identifying fake news
• Using information/ images ethically (copyright).
• Understanding the limitation of online reviews and information
• Plagiarism and referencing
• Identidying and understanding bias.
• Identifying what information you need before you look and being able to express this in the right way for the tool you use to search for it.
• Understanding where the best place/source is to get the information you require.
• Identifying the best resources for the information required.
• Presenting information in the best way.

Staff in the LRC are keen to help students and staff develop the skills to help them handle information both in the academic setting and also as a life skill for everyday life and in their future employment.

Image used under Creative Commons Licence CC0
 http://www.tes.com.c.timeshigheredprod.ent.platform.sh/news/smart-glasses-teachers-help-pupils-learn

Presenting numerical information and misleading graphs

Presenting numerical information/ data.

Information can be presented in many ways and it is a skill to decide which is the best way to do this depending on its purpose. Directions may be best shown on a map, what someone looks like is best shown in a photo (than a written description) and the different parts of the heart, for example are probably best shown in a diagram. Numbers or statistical data are often best shown in graph format.

Numbers on their own can be difficult to interpret and so don't obviously mean something to the reader. See below for a table showing the number of visits we had in the LRC this year so far.

	Sept	Oct	Nov	Dec	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Totals
Totals	14666	16333	20823	11721	18611	13963	17732	10377	16719	140945

On their own the numbers mean little especially if you don't know the College. If you know the College, you may decide that from these figures we have a lot of visitors.

However, if I present this information as a graph like this, you can more obviously see the ups and downs throughout the year.

The information means even more if it is then compared with last year. It becomes more obvious to see that we have been busier in some months but quieter than last year in other months. This can be down to when holidays fall. It is then more useful to look at the total figures to see that this year we have been busier overall than last year. (140945 this year compared with 135101 last year for the months September to May only).

Misleading Graphs

Lots could be written about the usefulness of statistics and graphs and how they can be used to argue anything (that's a blog post for another day!), but have you thought about how the layout of a graph can be helpful or not so helpful. If I include the totals in the graph at the end, the scaling is less helpful and the difference in the bars for each year disappears.

Have a look at this quiz by the BBC on misleading graphs. Can you see what is wrong with how the information is presented and how this can skew how the information is read and understood.

The skill is to be aware of this, not only when presenting information, but also when looking at statistics and graphs as part of research. Check the facts and also check how this has been presented. Would it show a different picture if presented in a different way?

With our figures we have assumed that the people counter has been working properly and that the figures are as near as correct as they can be. Also the figures themselves are just quantitative data and just show numbers/ amounts. We have no information from this on what people do in the LRC, how long they stay, what they do and whether they like it. We have to collect that another way - usually through comments and interviews. This is known as qualitative data. Last week's blog post contained some of this from comments made in the UCP student survey, for example.

Health and Safety at Work and finding trustworthy organisation websites

World Day for Safety and Health at Work

On the 28th April, it is World Day for Safety and Health at Work so we thought we would take a look at resources which may help when learning about health and safety. It is something which affects the workplace but is also relevant to the home, for example.

Most  (if not all) vocational courses at College cover this topic and everyone who works needs to know about it. You may even be asked about it in an interview. Health and Safety covers anything from use of computers and manual handling to fire safety to working with chemicals, food or specific tools.

Finding quality websites on health and safety

When using the internet to help with research, it is best to concentrate on information from trusted organisations. For example:

Government departments - identify these by the .gov at the end of the URL e.g. www.hse.gov.uk is the Health and Safety Executive website and www.food.gov deals with food hygiene. The Health and Safety Act  itself (plus other legislation) can be found at https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1974/37 .

Charities and other trusted organisations - identify these by the .org at the end of the URL e.g. e.g. http://www.safetygroupsuk.org.uk (Safety Groups UK - a  charity that promotes health and safety).
You may find a .com website useful like The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (https://www.rospa.com/) but as a rule you need to treat these sites with care as anyone can set up a .co.uk or .com website whereas organisations and government departments can only register to use the .org and .gov websites.

Hospitals and NHS websites - identify these by the .nhs.uk at the end of the URL. The NHS patient safety website has all sorts of interesting information for those of you working in/ studying Health and Social Care particularly.

Academic websites, identified by the .ac.uk web extension, can also be trusted but perhaps not so relevant here. The College's moodle site (including your course page) has .ac.uk at the end of the main URL and includes information and resources created by your Lecturers.

If you are not sure, take a look at the About Us section of the website (if there isn't one, think twice about using it). Who are they? Who writes the website? What is their experience/ qualifications?

Google tip: To restrict your search to just government websites, for example, use site:.gov.uk in your search (Others would be site:.nhs.uk or site.ac.uk or site:.org.uk). You can also do this site:.uk to just find UK sites - something that is very important with anything to do with legislation. Other countries do not have the same standards and laws for health and safety as the UK although much may be the same.

Other online resources

The Health and Safety Executive website has a list of the ten worst Health and Safety myths. They also have a collection of videos on their website and a related YouTube channel. These include case studies and examples where health and safety has gone wrong.

They also have an e-learning package Slips and Trips which is free to use.

The Jisc Hairdressing Training resource (available from our Electronic Resources page on Moodle) has an activity where hairdressing students can test their knowledge of Health and Safety when blow-drying hair. It includes particular hazards in a salon environment like turning heating tongs off and not leaving them unattended, safety with perm solutions and keeping the salon clean.

Use Infotrac to find examples in the news or in magazines which demonstrate what happens if health and safety good practice isn't followed or where accidents have happened.

Remember also, that we have books too. The general books are at 363.11 with other subjects having specialised books in their own areas (e.g. construction 692.9 or 624.0684).

Be Healthy Stay Safe Be Green

Be Healthy Stay Safe Be Green event

This week the LRC had a stand at the College's second Be Healthy Stay Safe Be Green this year. This time we went green with planters and piggy banks made out of old plastic bottles. Thank you to everyone who donated these and the seeds we planted.

LRC's Be Healthy Stay Safe Be Green stand
Photo: Peterborough Regional College

We also had a tree of encouragement. On the leaves were written some words of encouragement. Students were asked to take one from the tree and replace with a leaf of their own (with their encouraging words). This proved a popular idea with students.

Some of the words left on the tree at the end were:

• Spring is just around the corner.
• You need to be in the darkness to see the stars
• If everything goes not right, go left!
• Never give up!
• Get a goal in life and never let it go until you have achieved it.
• Today is a good day to smile.
• Keep trying your best.
• Always stay positive, fight the demons.

Trusting Health Information on the Internet

BBC's Trust Me I'm a Doctor recently did some features on using the internet to find health information and whether we should trust health apps. The links are here if you want to find out more.

Can you trust any of the health information found online?

Do the health apps on your phone really work?

Why are health headlines so confusing and how can you know which to trust?

Evaluating information - celebrity endorsements and advertising

Evaluating information

In the LRC we are always keen to encourage students (and staff) to be careful when using the internet for finding information. We want everyone to look critically at the information they find before deciding whether it can be used as a source for an assignment.

Advertising and celebrity endorsements

Be aware of websites - especially company websites - which are selling something. If hairdressing and beauty students are looking for information on the human skin, for example, they may find plenty of websites from companies selling skin products which also have pages explaining how the skin works. Much of this information may be correct and they may have consulted with dermatologists but they will probably have paid them to give information that helps sell their product (and perhaps leave out other information), for example. We would recommend using our Primal anatomy online resource, for example, as an alternative.

With the royal engagement this week, some magazines are talking about Meghan Markle the brand and what products she uses. Companies search for high profile people to say they use their products as this can make a lot of difference. Do you look at a celebrity social media account, for example, and decide a product must be good if favourite celebrity uses it?This is called influencer marketing and can be very subtle. Companies can even dress adverts up as news stories. See the South Park video below for a humorous take on this.

 However, Celebrity endorsements do not mean that the products are necessarily the best and the Advertising Standards Authority have ruled that it is now illegal for a celebrity to endorse a product without indicating this in any posts they make on social media.

Listen to a BBC podcast here about why you cannot always trust adverts online.

How do I know if what I read online is an advert?

All celebrity social media accounts (twitter, vlogs, blogs etc) must now by law indicate whether any content is a result of a commercial relationship - i.e. the celebrity is being paid to endorse a product by the company which makes it (i.e. there is a commercial relationship). You will also notice that Google indicates where it's results (usually first in the list) are adverts - so you know they have been paid to put these results first rather than that they are necessarily most relevant to your search. So, think twice where there is #ad  or #adfeature in an online post or website and avoid using the content in an assignment. Smilarly you might also notice the phrases "sponsored content" or "ad or promotion". Avoid this content and instead look for information from recognised organisations (charities, government departments, authorities, associations) or academic institutions. Look for the About link to find out about the organisation/ person behind the website.

The Advertising Standards Authority have more information on this on their website.
Have a look at their advice on identifying when something is an advert.
If you are a marketing student, you may like to read about the Oreo lick race case which led to this standard being introduced or even better read the article through our Infotrac resource.