Research & Its Processes
Lesson 1: What is Research? Before learning how to determine your research needs, let’s first define exactly what research is.
Research is the investigation of a particular topic using a variety of reliable, scholarly resources. The three major goals of research are establishing facts, analyzing information, and reaching new conclusions. The three main acts of doing research are searching for, reviewing, and evaluating information.
Learning what research is not may help you fully grasp the concept. Randomly selecting books from the library is not research, nor is surfing the Internet. On the contrary, research requires organization, resourcefulness, reflection, synthesis, and above all, time.
Now that you know what research is, let’s define the research process.
Lesson 2: What is the Research Process?
The research process is the methodical approach to finding and examining a variety of reliable, scholarly resources on a particular topic.
The research process has a beginning and an end, with many stages or steps in between. Each one of these steps is built upon the foundation of information. Brainstorming ideas, searching for resources, and analyzing ideas are all information-based activities. Just like DNA is the building blocks of life, information is the building blocks of the research process. That’s why learning how to find, evaluate, and use information is essential to successfully engaging in and completing the research process.
Sound like a lot? Well, it is. But fear not: you can easily manage the research process by dividing it into six major steps.
Unit 1: The Research Process
Lesson 3: The Research Process in Six Steps The six major steps of the research process are listed below. Carefully complete each step to create a well defined and thoroughly researched paper or presentation. But prepare to be flexible. You may have to go back a step, skip a step and return to it later, or revise a completed step.
The Six Steps of the Research
Research is the investigation of a particular topic using a variety of reliable, scholarly resources. The three major goals of research are establishing facts, analyzing information, and reaching new conclusions. The three main acts of doing research are searching for, reviewing, and evaluating information.
Learning what research is not may help you fully grasp the concept. Randomly selecting books from the library is not research, nor is surfing the Internet. On the contrary, research requires organization, resourcefulness, reflection, synthesis, and above all, time.
Now that you know what research is, let’s define the research process.
Lesson 2: What is the Research Process?
The research process is the methodical approach to finding and examining a variety of reliable, scholarly resources on a particular topic.
The research process has a beginning and an end, with many stages or steps in between. Each one of these steps is built upon the foundation of information. Brainstorming ideas, searching for resources, and analyzing ideas are all information-based activities. Just like DNA is the building blocks of life, information is the building blocks of the research process. That’s why learning how to find, evaluate, and use information is essential to successfully engaging in and completing the research process.
Sound like a lot? Well, it is. But fear not: you can easily manage the research process by dividing it into six major steps.
Unit 1: The Research Process
Lesson 3: The Research Process in Six Steps The six major steps of the research process are listed below. Carefully complete each step to create a well defined and thoroughly researched paper or presentation. But prepare to be flexible. You may have to go back a step, skip a step and return to it later, or revise a completed step.
The Six Steps of the Research
Citations: APA Plath, Sylvia (1972)