Public Services - Unit 16 Research Skills
Films
Assessment Source
Saving Private Ryan is a war film about 4 brothers fighting in the same war which was the battle in Normandy in 1944. During the war three of the brothers die in action and the mother receives the terrible news via telegrams and all of the telegrams come on the same day. So the United States Army Chief of Staff, George C. Marshall decides to alleviate some of the mother’s grief when he hears of a fourth brother called Private James Ryan and he decides to send out 8 men to find him and take him back to his mother.
Strengths
Some of the strengths of watching a war film like Saving Private Ryan are that the film is easy to watch on the internet, dvd or video also watching the film will help you understand the film more. Also it shows you details in films that you couldn’t get in any other sources. Also this film is based on a true story.
Weaknesses
Some of the weaknesses of watching a war film like Saving Private Ryan are that there will always be some scenes in the film that are a bit far fetched and some fake scenes will also be added, this is due to the ‘Artistic Licence’.
Personal Accounts
Personal accounts are witnesses that were at or part of an event which accually happned.
Strengths
The strengths of an personal account is that the person that is telling you about his story has seen it for real and he can explain in detail what it was like to be there and see what happened. Also they have been there done that and can explain well what it is like to be in Afghanistan and to fight the taliban.
Weaknesses
The weaknesses of an personal account are that the person talking about their experiences could be over exaderating and not either not saying about everything that happenes or happened or could be forgeting to say about some of the stuff what happened out there out of shock or simply forgeting about it.
Documentaries
Introduction
Documentaries are based on real life everyday occurances and can also be based on wars and great battles.
Strenghts
The strenghts of documentaries are that you can easily get access to watch them also a lot of documentaries have people getting interviewed about what situations they have been in and how they were feeling at the time and how they feel about it now and they are first hand interviews. Also documentaries are easy to understand and they are quite good to watch because they have a lot of interesting action that happens in them.
Weaknesses
The weaknesses of documentaries are that they are not always on at a decent time, documentaries are normally on television quite late at night so therefore are not on at a ideal time. Also not all documentaries are intersting and some don't have a lot of action in so they can be quite boring.
Photographs
Introduction
Strenghts
Weaknesses
Human Remains
Introduction
Human remains can be remains of bones, skin, teeth or DNA. Ferensic investigators have got all the up to date technology and equipment in ordr to find out who the remains belong to. There are many different ways where ferensic investigators can find out this information. If the body only consists of bones then finding DNA on the bones or the teeth could be the way to find out who that person is, or if the body has remanis of skin on it then the forensics could pick up on fingerprints or body fluids. Even remains of bodies that are unrecocniseable due to the seviraty of how much the body suffered or how long the body has been rotting away there is ways of finding DNA on the body in order to find out who that person is.
Strenghts
The strenghts are that the family of the deseased will be able to get justice and could see the killer sentenced to a long prison sentence. Also if it is a serial killer it could stop the killer from patentionaly striking again and killing again if he is caught the first time.
Weaknesses
The weaknesses are that if the body is found after a long period of time then the forensic investigators might not be able to find any evidence or not enough evidence on the body. Also the family of the deseased might not want the investigation to happen because it could be too upsetting for them.
CD Roms
Assessment of Source
A CD Rom is a compact disc that contains data accessable to a computer for data storage and music playback. CD Roms are popularly used to distribute computer software, including video games and multimedia applications but any data can be stored (up to the capacity limit on the disc).
Strenghts
The strenghts of CD Roms are they have a lot of Storage Access this is handy so that you can hold a lot of files on one CD Rom, also Some of that storage access can be Specialist Info which is also handy. Also it is easier to find than books/encyclopedia which makes it quicker when wanting to find information and sources and CD Roms were factually reliable at time of production because they were brand new and they were really unlikely to go wrong.
Weaknesses
The weaknesses of CD Roms are that they hold limited Information which can be a sticking point also they can't be updated - CD Data/information. CD Roms can also be Innaccurate or potentially unreliable which is a set back, also if you lose or brake your CD Rom they cost a lot of money to replace.
Internet
Assessment of Source
The Internet is a new and updated way to get access and find information you need. Anyone who has a computer can get access to the internet easy and it easy to find any sort of info on the Internet.
Strenghts
The strenghts of the Internet is that it is easy to use and that any user can find info they need easily also the Internet can be easily updated on a regular basis which can help stop viruses and can keep your computer in good working condition. Also there are a big vast range of sources - Official, Regulations you can look at and get hold of and also you can compare data which is handy.
Weaknesses
The weaknesses of the Internet is that it is potentially factually unreliable - e.g. Wikipedia forums also there are a vast range of sources. Also the regulation could be Bias in search results which could be a big problem because you could take a while looking for the information you need.
Official Records
Assessment of Source
Official records are records or documents that are recorded. These records/documents are used for all sorts of purposes that include medical and dental records for human purposes, Events like sports personality of the year and Pride of Britain awards, also musical events and world war's.
Strenghts
The strenghts of official records are that official records are always very reliable because if they wasn't very reliable then the govement would be doing their job wrong. Also their is a big backing by the goverment which is always a strenght because the goverment have a lot of power on the country.
Weaknesses
The weaknesses of official records is that the access to the records is hard because the records are classified information.
