Some students may wonder if INFO 200 assignments include interviewing or surveying members of their chosen communities. To clarify, INFO 200 does not involve any form of human subject research. This means that you should not create or use data gathering tools like surveys, formal interviews, or any other methods that directly engage with people for data collection.
Using such methods is beyond the scope of this course and can raise serious concerns around privacy, data accuracy, and ethical research practices. Research involving human participants requires specialized training and must follow strict protocols to ensure the privacy and confidentiality of individuals, which we take very seriously. Any breach of privacy could result in significant consequences.
In future courses like INFO 285: Research Methods, you will learn how to safely and ethically conduct research with human subjects, including the processes for surveys, interviews, and other methodologies approved by the Institutional Review Board (IRB).
For INFO 200, your focus should be on exploring scholarly and professional literature to understand the information behaviors of your chosen community. You can also explore community-based resources without engaging in direct human research.
Stay focused on these sources to gather insights, and remember—human subject research is not part of INFO 200.