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Journalistic Documentation

Code: 103079 ECTS Credits: 6
2024/2025
Degree Type Year
2501933 Journalism OT 3
2501933 Journalism OT 4

Contact

Name:
Maria Angeles Jimenez Lopez
Email:
angels.jimenez@uab.cat

Teaching groups languages

You can view this information at the end of this document.


Prerequisites

No prerequisites have been established to be able to take the course.

Objectives and Contextualisation

GENERAL 

Provide a theoretical and practical knowledge that allows students to acquire information skills related to the organization and document management, as well as the resolution of information needs specific to the journalistic activity.

 SPECIFIC

- Knowing the instrumental dimension of the Information Science (Documentation), as well as the utility of its techniques and services in the professional practice and for the qualitative improvement of the journalistic product.

- Show what are the most common information needs in the journalistic task and learn to solve them by using information sources.

- Know how to apply, in a basic way, techniques of analysis, description and management of journalistic documents.

- Know different types of services, resources and sources of information, specially the most indicated ans useful for the practice of journalism.

- Acquire advanced knowledge of information search and retrieval in digital environments.

- Know how to assess the quality and reability of the documentary information and promote its ethical and legal use.

- Learn to be documented, that is, to be provided with relevant, reliable and rigorous information for the preparation of journalistic products.

 

 


Competences

    Journalism
  • Abide by ethics and the canons of journalism, as well as the regulatory framework governing information.
  • Demonstrate a self-learning and self-demanding capacity to ensure an efficient job.
  • Introduce changes in the methods and processes of the field of knowledge to provide innovative responses to the needs and demands of society.
  • Manage time effectively.
  • Research, select and arrange in hierarchical order any kind of source and useful document to develop communication products.
  • Students must be capable of collecting and interpreting relevant data (usually within their area of study) in order to make statements that reflect social, scientific or ethical relevant issues.
  • Students must be capable of communicating information, ideas, problems and solutions to both specialised and non-specialised audiences.
  • Students must develop the necessary learning skills in order to undertake further training with a high degree of autonomy.
  • Students must have and understand knowledge of an area of study built on the basis of general secondary education, and while it relies on some advanced textbooks it also includes some aspects coming from the forefront of its field of study.
  • Take sex- or gender-based inequalities into consideration when operating within one's own area of knowledge.
  • Use one's imagination with flexibility, originality and ease.

Learning Outcomes

  1. Apply the professional ethics of journalism to the planning of journalistic documentary management.
  2. Communicate using language that is not sexist or discriminatory.
  3. Demonstrate a self-learning and self-demanding capacity to ensure an efficient job.
  4. Identify situations in which a change or improvement is needed.
  5. Manage time effectively.
  6. Research, select and arrange in hierarchical order any kind of source and useful document to develop communication products.
  7. Students must be capable of collecting and interpreting relevant data (usually within their area of study) in order to make statements that reflect social, scientific or ethical relevant issues.
  8. Students must be capable of communicating information, ideas, problems and solutions to both specialised and non-specialised audiences.
  9. Students must develop the necessary learning skills in order to undertake further training with a high degree of autonomy.
  10. Students must have and understand knowledge of an area of study built on the basis of general secondary education, and while it relies on some advanced textbooks it also includes some aspects coming from the forefront of its field of study.
  11. Use one's imagination with flexibility, originality and ease.

Content

 1. Documentation in journalistic work. Approach to the Information Units.

2. Documents for research in Journalism.

3. Information sources and journalistic activity.

4. Representation and accessibility of information.

5. Information search and retrieval.

6. Specialized information sources for journalistic work.


Activities and Methodology

Title Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Type: Directed      
Practical classes 33 1.32 1, 6, 7, 8, 9
Presentations and discussions 4 0.16 2, 4, 5, 8, 11
Theory 15 0.6 1, 6, 7, 8, 11
Type: Supervised      
Conferences of specialists 3 0.12 2, 4, 5, 7, 9, 11
Group work 15 0.6 1, 2, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11
Tutoring 2 0.08 2, 3, 4, 5, 9, 11
Type: Autonomous      
Readings, exercises, correction of practices, study, preparation of exams, oral presentations, etc. 42 1.68 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 9

"Journalistic Documentation" is a subject of an eminently practical nature that, from a methodological point of view, pursues the students' learning through the application of the theoretical contents, to the resolution of exercises and cases related to the information search. These activities are always presented in the context of journalistic scenarios, which allows students to understand the usefulness and role that documentation techniques play in their future profession.

The sessions include a theoretical part and another practical part in a computerized classroom. The practical exercises are carried out in pairs and, in some cases, in groups. Attendance at group work sessions is mandatory. Some of the group activities will require an oral presentation.

In the context of the subject, the Virtual Campus (Moodle classroom) is a widely used tool. Students are recommended to visit it regularly.

The content of the subject will be sensitive to aspects related to the gender perspective.

 

Annotation: Within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.


Assessment

Continous Assessment Activities

Title Weighting Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Evidence of learning 45% 23 0.92 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11
Follow-up of the subject 15% 10 0.4 2, 3, 4, 5, 9, 11
Individual test of knowledge 40% 3 0.12 2, 5, 6, 9, 10, 11

The subject follows the continuous evaluation system. The minimum qualification to pass it is 5 points (out of 10). The evaluation elements are: 

Individual test of knowledge (40%): exam on the theoretical and practical content of the subject. Includes alternative answer and/or short essay questions. It can be proposed as a single test or as two partial tests. The teaching team will inform you on the first day of class.

Evidence of practical learning (45%): three group activities will be carried out throughout the course. All three require the application of documentation techniques and the preparation of a journalistic product. Each of these activities will be evaluated and is equivalent to 15% of the grade for this concept.

Follow-up of the subject (15%): this concept values the effort and dedication of the students. It includes: the completion and timely delivery of all activities proposed by the teaching team, as well as attendance at group work sessions. Non-compliance is penalized with 0.5 points on the grade for this concept.

** When a person commits an irregularity in one of the activities of the subject (copying, plagiarism, identity theft, etc.) this will be graded with 0. In case of recidivism, the final grade for the subject will be 0.

Re-evaluation:

The student will have the right to re-evaluate the subject if he or she has been evaluated for a set of activities whose weight is equivalent to a minimum of 2/3 of the total grade of the subject.

To have access to the reassessment, previous grades must be at least 3.5 points. (Council of Government July 12, 2017, art 112)

The re-evaluation will consist of a single exam on the  theoretical and practical content of the subject. The maximum qualification that can be obtained in the re-evaluation will be 5 points.


Bibliography

General manuals (the materials of each topic will be accompanied by the corresponding specific bibliography):

CARIDAD, M., et al. Documentación audiovisual. Madrid: Síntesis, 2011.

CORDÓN, J.A., et al. Nuevas fuentes de información: información y búsqueda documental en el contexto de la web 2.0. Madrid: Pirámide, 2010.

FUENTES I PUJOL, M.E. (ed.). Manual de documentación periodística. Madrid: Síntesis, 1995.

GIMÉNEZ TOLEDO, E. Manual de documentación para comunicadores. Pamplona: Universidad de Navarra, 2004.

LOPEZ YEPES, J.; OSUNA, M.R. Manual de ciencias de la información y documentación. Madrid: Pirámide, 2011.

MOREIRO, J.A. (coord.). Manual de Documentación Informativa. Madrid: Cátedra, 2000.

MORENO, M.A. Manual de documentación para la comunicación. Burgos: Univ. de Burgos. Serv. de Publicaciones, 2009.

TORRES RAMIREZ, I. Las fuentes de información. Estudios teórico-prácticos. Madrid: Síntesis, 1998.

 

Software

No specific software is used.

Language list

Name Group Language Semester Turn
(PLAB) Practical laboratories 11 Catalan first semester morning-mixed
(PLAB) Practical laboratories 12 Catalan first semester morning-mixed
(TE) Theory 1 Catalan first semester morning-mixed