Local Legislators' Toolkit - The Sangguniang Panlalawigan ng ...

Tool 3Basic Research Methods<strong>The</strong>re are many data sources that can be used to gather data for policy analysis. <strong>The</strong>seinclude:1. Statistical reports – provide demographic, economic and social data; includesformal statistical reports published regularly by government agencies, e.g. NationalCensus and Statistics Office, NEDA, etc; and occasional data and reports publishedby public and private organizations.2. Management data – includes agency files, e.g. tax collection reports that mayprovide historical or trend data.3. Journals – provide the latest information and developments on various subjectmatters, e.g. University of the Philippines Journal of Public Administration, and canbe searched from libraries.4. Indexes, abstracts and guides – are library search methods; indexes list thecontents of journals, abstracts provide summaries of articles, and guides areannotated bibliographies often with an introduction to the subject area.5. Newspapers – are major sources of information on current policy issues; use onlyreliable and credible newspapers.6. Government publications – include newsletters, annual reports and occasionalpapers published by government agencies.7. Legal searches – involves consulting a legal dictionary e.g. Black’s Law Dictionary,legal periodicals, casebooks, legal journals, etc.8. Policy or research papers – published by government agencies, academicinstitutions and private research institutions or think tanks.107