Special Collection on Researching Violence Against Women Online
Each week, the Higher Education Center showcases recent developments in the field of AOD abuse and violence prevention in higher education that may include new data and resources, upcoming events and programs, funding opportunities, and learning opportunities. To see a listing of previous This Week! features, visit the This Week! archive.
February 15, 2008
Through an alliance among Centers for Disease Control and Prevention–funded resource centers known as the Violence Prevention Resource Collaborative, partners from the National Online Resource Center on Violence Against Women (VAWnet), the National Sexual Violence Resource Center, and Prevention Connection came together to offer guidance on researching violence against women online by developing a training session. For several years, this training session has been offered at national meetings and conferences and was recently featured in a Web conference hosted by Prevention Connection. A new resource, the Special Collection on Researching Violence Against Women Online, is an outgrowth of that training, offering a “one-stop-shop” for all associated materials and tools.
The Internet offers an abundance of information about violence against women, including Web sites, Weblogs, and other online resources; however, sifting through Web content and finding accurate and useful information can be challenging. This Special Collection offers guidance meant to enhance skills and confidence on the Web, teaching ways to efficiently produce meaningful, relevant results.
Features of the Special Collection include:
Background—Learn how this topic was first addressed by members of the Violence Prevention Resource Collaborative, and see the training upon which this Special Collection is based.
How To: Tips and Tools for Finding Information Online—This section provides materials to enhance online searching skills and strategies, assists with choosing and using particular search engines, and offers helpful tips for finding specific file formats, managing information, and utilizing online survey tools.
Starting Points: Where to Look—This section contains lists of reliable starting points for finding information about violence against women online, including Web sites, listservs/e-mail lists, Weblogs, RSS feeds, online libraries, and wikis. Not sure what a “wiki” or an “RSS feed” is? This section also provides easy-to-read descriptions, which help establish these tools’ potential usefulness.
Evaluating Resources: Credibility, Validity, and Quality—This section provides resources that teach critical skills for evaluating both Web-based and print resources in addition to research reports and citations to determine their credibility, validity, and quality.
Related Special Collections and Resource Pages—Related materials are included here, which focus more specifically on critical analysis regarding the use of data and statistics, finding and using data sets online, and technology safety and advocacy.
For more information, visit the VAWnet Web site to view the Special Collection.