AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• 1.1 Purpose and definition of an information management system
• 1.2 Why use a formal system for information management?
• 1.3 Comparisons to other kinds of human rights data projects
• 1.4 Direction of this handbook

• 2.1 Six organizational pitfalls in system design
• 2.2 Frequently seen errors in human rights information management system design
  • 2.2.1 Overview
  • 2.2.2 One victim = One violation = One perpetrator
  • 2.2.3 Complex violations and shared responsibility
• 2.3 Security

• 3.1 Introductory notes
  • 3.1.1 Overview of information management system
  • 3.1.2 The concept of representation
  • 3.1.3 Parts of an information management system
• 3.2 Data Collection
  • 3.2.1 Interviews
    • 3.2.1.1 Question design
    • 3.2.1.2 Question ordering
    • 3.2.1.3 Sensitivity to victims' dignity
    • 3.2.1.4 Cataloguing interviews
    • 3.2.1.5 Training
  • 3.2.2 Documents
  • 3.2.3 Investigations & physicial evidence
• 3.3 Data processing: classification and coding
• 3.4 Database Design
  • 3.4.1 Database fundamentals
  • 3.4.2 Units of history: the human rights violation act
  • 3.4.3 Persons and roles
  • 3.4.4 Example of how to use the concept of an act
• 3.5 Analytic Reports
  • 3.5.1 Lists
  • 3.5.2 Case summaries
  • 3.5.3 Ad-hoc query results
  • 3.5.4 Counts
  • 3.5.5 Graphical representation of counts

• 4.1 Personnel
  • 4.1.1 Interviewers
  • 4.1.2 Data processors
  • 4.1.3 Database
  • 4.1.4 Output and supervision
• 4.2 Hardware, networks, and software
• 4.3 Some perspective on the relative importance of people and computers