CHAP TER 1 What Is Data What Are Ethics Data is everywhere It’s the number of times you are absent in class It’s the number of sunny days per year It’s the results of surveys and polls Data is information It often comes in the form of numbers When we apply math to data we end up with statistics What are ethics You can think of ethics as the belief system that influences our behavior Ethics are the reasons why we create the laws and rules that we have in our culture For example our society believes that it is unfair to steal others work and present it as our own As a result we punish people who cheat We rely on honesty so we ask people to tell the truth In most cases it is easy to identify the ethics that a culture a country or a community values Also each person has his or her own personal set of ethics Ethics can be personal promises that you make to yourself 4 21st century skills library
You should always keep ethics in mind while gathering data for a class presentation or any other school project that help you act like a better person For example maybe you think you should always help people in need Or maybe you always do your best to treat all people equally When we think of ethics we might not immediately think about how they relate to data and statistics However ethics are a very important part of using data Whether you are using data as evidence in a persuasive paper at school or statistics to back up an argument with your brother you should represent your side of the story fairly Ethical data use also helps you make stronger arguments When people know they can trust your presentation of the facts 5 55 Data Geek
Ethics help shape a society’s legal system 6
they are more likely to see your side of an issue It is very easy to brush away a point of view that is not based on ethical or true data This book will help you understand how to use data ethically It will provide you with some ways to consider whether the data you might be using has been honestly presented to you This will help you think about whether you should present it to someone else You will find that there are general rules of thumb to follow when you see statistics Doing this will allow you to feel comfortable using the data you find Trustworthy Data You know that the books in your school library and the assign ments you read in class are most likely trustworthy sources They were edited by professional editors produced by reliable publishers and selected by your teacher or librarian The work of these professionals helps you feel confident about what you read In the real world we can’t always make the same assumptions Sometimes information online in social media or in print can be misleading or false Sometimes authors make mistakes or have incomplete information Sadly some writers also lie mislead or share only limited information to try to persuade readers to believe certain things Learning some strategies for ethically using and discussing data and statistics can make you a better student and citizen 7777 Data Geek
