Review It

When conducting research to answer a question, you are likely to come across two forms of information, qualitative and quantitative.

Let’s review these forms of information and some examples of each.

Qualitative Quantitative
Describes something in words.
Data or information is observed but cannot be measured.
Describes something in numbers.
Data or information is observed and measured.
Examples:Examples:
Interviews

An example is this video interview from Friends of the National WWII MemorialOpens a new window of a World War II veteran.

Charts

An example of a chart is this information about deaths in World War IIOpens a new window from www.world-war-2.info.

Newspaper articles

An example of a newspaper article is this New York Times articleOpens a new window covering President Roosevelt's declaration of war on Japan.

Graphs

An example of a graph is this one about World War II deathsOpens a new window from World War 2 facts.

Diaries or journals

An example of a diary or journal is Anne Frank's account of hiding from the Germans for two years during World War II. Here are some brief excerptsOpens a new window from annefrank.com.

Numbers

An example of numbers is this timeline of World War II facts and figuresOpens a new window from the World War II Foundation.

Photographs

An example of a photograph is the raising of the American flag at Iwo JimaOpens a new window from the Library of Congress.

Measurements

An example of measurements is this diagramOpens a new window of a military vessel, posted on Wikimedia Commons.


Tip

When conducting research, you need to compare the qualitative and quantitative sources of information in order to connect significant details and ideas for you to draw conclusions.