TECHNIQUES IN SELECTING AND ORGANIZING INFORMATION

BRAINSTORMING LIST

• It was originally used by Alex Osborn (advertising executive) as a strategy

• It consists of two parts:

  • problem

  • suggestions

• It includes strategies such as cubing, freewriting, listing, mapping, and researching.

FOR EXAMPLE:

1. Problem: The traffic situation at EDSA is a politicians’s nightmare

   1. Suggestion 1: The MMDA must improve their already-implemented bicycle lanes, giving proper regulations and providing traffic enforcers to call out motorcyclists who may use the lanes to overtake the bikers.

   2. Suggestion 2: Give immediate transitionary modes of transportation in the assigned bus terminals/stops, so that commuters will not hail taxis/jeeps in the middle of EDSA, which is absolutely illegal.

   3. Suggestion 3: All bus operators must agree that bus travel time must be on the dot, just like the Point-to-Point bus system.

RESEARCHING

• It involves discovering facts with investigation

LISTING

• It is the action of listing things associated with the topic

FOR EXAMPLE:

1. Why I want to become a nurse:

   1. I like science

   2. I like problem-solving

   3. Many jobs are available in nursing

   4. It has a good salary

FREEWRITING

• It is to write unlimited ideas about the topic

FOR EXAMPLE:

I have to write about the common cold. I hate having a cold! Your nose runs, you get a fever and a cough, and you ache all over. Sometimes you throw up. That's the worst part, throwing up. It tastes bad and feels worse! No one wants to be around you because they don't want to get sick. It's lonely and not fun.

CUBING

• You examine viewpoints

FOR EXAMPLE:

1. Topic 1

   1. Describe It

   2. Adapt It

   3. Compare It

   4. Argue For/Against It

   5. Associate It

   6. Analyze it

MAPPING

• It is to write down all the ideas and map their connections to each other.

GRAPHIC ORGANIZERS

• These are visual representations of a structurally arranged set of discourse elements (Wyson, 2018)

• They use visual symbols to express knowledge and concepts through relationships between them.

FOR EXAMPLE:

1. Table

   1. Sort a pool of data

2. Venn Diagram

   1. used to compare and contrast ideas

3. Cause and Effect

   1. displays a list of causes associated with a specific effect (e.g., fishbone diagram)

4. Cycle

   1. series of events interact as a set of results repeatedly

5. Concept Map

   1. suggested relationships between concepts; organize and structure knowledge

6. Flow Chart

   1. chronology of events in a narrative or stages in a process

7. Plot Diagram

   1. maps events in the story and analyzes major parts of the plot

OUTLINE

• It is a group of information structured in an organized list (Wyson, 2018)

• It has two formatting styles:

  • Alphanumeric format

  • Decimal format

• It has an indent at every level.

ALPHANUMERIC FORMAT

• It is the default configuration of an outline

• It is generally used in descriptive or historical texts

FOR EXAMPLE:

1. Roman numerals: I, II, III, …

2. Capital letters: A., B., C., …

3. Hindu-Arabic numerals: 1., 2., 3., …

4. lowercase letters: a., b., c., …

5. lowercase Roman numerals: i., ii., iii., …

6. parenthesized lowercase letters: a), b), c), …

7. parenthesized Roman numerals: I), II), …

DECIMAL FORMAT

• It displays direct hierarchy of the idea/fact to its parent/subordinate

• It is dominantly used in scientific texts

FOR EXAMPLE:

1. (x) number in data in concern: x

2. supporting detail: x.1

3. specific example of the supporting details: x.y.1

4. a more specific example of the supporting details: x.y.z.1

TOPIC OUTLINE

• It is used when you are exposed to a pool of information needed to be organized in a neat list

• It uses keywords and/or key phrases

• It includes what’s important

• All main ideas = 1st Level of the outline

FOR EXAMPLE:

1. Economical effects

   1. Alcohol

      1. Cost of Alcohol purchase

   2. Drugs

      1. Cost of Drug Purchase

      2. Cost of Drug Arrest

SENTENCE OUTLINE

• It is used when preparing ideas to be used in composing an essay.

• You organize everything—from topic sentences to supporting details

• It uses sentences

FOR EXAMPLE:

1. Alcohol and drug abuse can affect one economically.

1. The cost of alcohol abuse is high and getting higher.

1. The costs for DUIs can be enormous

      B. The cost of drug abuse can be high

1. Even the arrest for the possession of a minute of drugs can result in high bail and court costs.

2. The cost of drugs fluctuates drastically according to the type of the drug, its availability, and the amount.