Developing New Knowledge: "Factness"

In his book, Inquiry and Genre, David Jolliffe proposes three criteria for acquiring new knowledge, which is the goal of the inquiry process. You can use these three criteria--"factness," comprehensiveness, and "surprise value"--to guide your search.

Today, we'll focus on his first criteria, factness, or the degree to which the material you learn can stand up to the scrutiny of careful questioning. We usually think of "facts" as information that can be verified by observation or experimentation. In other words, we know facts. However, "factness" can also refer to what other people think, feel, and believe about issues concerning your subject.

Guidelines for today's in-class writing:
Reread your inquiry contract proposal, noting any changes you want to make in its three sections (why the subject is important to you, what you know about it already, and what questions you need to ask about it). Then, respond to the following questions on your blog:

Whom could I talk to who could provide me with information that has factness about this question?

What could I read that would provide me with information that has factness about this question?

What else could I do besides talk to people and read to acquire information or factness about this question? (Jolliffe 75)

This week, schedule an interview with someone who can provide you with information about your inquiry project topic. See The Free Management Library for guidelines on conducting interviews.