Obtaining Information

Through the availability of books, magazines, the internet and aquarium clubs, the hobbyist has a wide range of information at their disposal. Problems arise though due to incorrect information being handed out or correct information being ignored, as hobbyists will often seek advice on the same problem from several sources, and this advice may well vary.

This problem occurs mainly on the internet with its wealth of information - and misinformation; anyone can publish anything on the internet. Be very careful what you accept as reliable information. Not everything in print on the Internet is factual or correct. It could be the latest brilliant piece of science, effective practical tips or garbage; you have to decide.

For a variety of reasons information may be misguided, misinterpreted or misrepresented. Information may become dated or what was thought to be fact is proved incorrect. Of course it may be that there are two or more entirely reasonable interpretations of the “facts” and you must choose which to use. Today there is an increasing amount of information available from a variety of sources. Sometimes you need to do your own research and trials. The following comments might be useful in evaluating information sources:

Scientific Journals: these may or may not be “peer reviewed”. Information in “peer reviewed” journals has greater creditability because the information has been read and edited by several other scientists before being published.

Textbooks: these may also be peer reviewed. They may also just reflect the author’s own ideas or their interpretation of others’ ideas and findings.

Magazines: care should be taken when evaluating information from this source. There may for instance be links between the article and the products sold by the author. This does not necessarily mean there is anything wrong just that a cautious approach may be best.

Internet: more and more information is available electronically. You can now access encyclopaedias, dictionaries and other traditional reference books online, as well as many journals, magazines and newspapers. There are also databases which not only provide citations to thousands of articles in scientific and other journals, but often have links to the full texts of those articles.

One final note on searching for information, whether in print or online: unless you are looking for a simple answer and find it right away, always check more than one source. That way you not only get more information but also ensure greater accuracy.