Research As Analysis
Once you identify a research question to guide your exploration of the topic, can you change it all?
Absolutely! As long as your question will help you meet the requirements of the assignment, you can change it. However, any major changes to your topic should occur early in the research process.
What do all four of the assignments have in common?
All four ask you to describe a change of some sort.
Which statement is an example of a broad analytical claim based on research?
For most Americans, the founding fathers exist as a collection of ambiguous but powerful concepts rather than as heroic or accomplished individuals. - An analytical claim says something about the information gained during research--it's a statement that is both supportable and debatable.
Describe how Americans' ideas about space travel have changed since 1900.
How did American writers, artists, and politicians represent space travel in different decades of the 20th century?
Analyze a change in the federal government's approach to protecting public health.
How does the federal government represent its role in preventing disease, compared to earlier decades?
Explain how a particular technology has changed the American way of life.
How has the invention of television impacted Americans' ideas about childhood?
analytical statement
In the age of social media, where everything about one's life can be shared instantly, advertising is less about broadcasting than word of mouth. - The first sentence states a fact about two social media sites. The second sentence interprets the meaning of this fact—which is one type of analysis.
analytical statement
In their attempts to reach a younger, perhaps more cynical crowd, the government diminished the real dangers of the infectious disease e. - Only one these statement identifies an effect of the government's actions in relation to a potential pandemic. That statement, to be convincing, would need to be supported by plenty of evidence and reasoning.
What role should a crowd-sourced site like Wikipedia play in your research?
It can be a good starting point, especially for locating additional sources of information.
What effect does this additional information have on the research topic?
It narrows the focus of the topic.
Which link in the first paragraph of this section would be the best source of additional information?
Joseph J. Ellis - This link is likely to reveal more about the work and writing of a historian--someone who has already spent some time thinking about the symbolism of the founding fathers.
Which section in the Contents list is most likely to provide information about the symbolism that developed around the idea of founding fathers?
Legacy - The title of this section suggests that it will describe the ideas that became attached to the founding fathers as a group.
Which statement is an example of a broad analytical claim based on research?
Over the past 20 years, government agencies charged with protecting public health have adjusted their outreach efforts to utilize modern advertising techniques.
analytical statement
Seeing the real effects of battle on television transformed Americans' relationship to war - Identifying a cause-effect relationship is one type of analytical thinking.
How might a researcher use the list of external links at the end of the article?
The list represents various types of text that the average American would read (or write).
How do research assignments tend to change as you get older and more advanced as a student/scholar?
They require analysis--not just reporting--of information. - in higher-level courses, students are expected to think analytically about the texts and ideas they encounter, including the concepts and sources involved in research projects.
How do the more advanced research assignments in high school and college differ from what younger students are asked to do?
They require you to analyze information and draw your own conclusions.
How does the federal government represent its role in preventing disease, compared to earlier centuries?
What federal agencies have the most direct impact on public health? What exactly do they do? What is the history of each agency--what role has it played since it was created? How did each agency represent itself in its earliest years? How does it represent itself now? What kinds of communications does each agency share with the public, and what is the purpose of these texts?
Identify an object, word, or phrase that is used to symbolize what it means to be an American. Analyze the meaning of the symbol throughout the country's history.
What role has the phrase "founding fathers" played in Americans' ideas about themselves as a nation?
How has the invention of television impacted the American way of life?
When was television invented, and what else was going on then? How has the typical childhood in America changed since the invention of television? What kinds of things did Americans see on television in its early years? How does that programming compare to today's television programming? What role does television play in the average American's daily life? What did Americans do with their leisure time before television? What did Americans do for entertainment before television?
What role has the phrase "founding fathers" played in Americans' ideas about themselves as a nation?
Who exactly were the founding fathers? Why were they called the founding fathers? What information was known about them in the earliest years of the nation's history? How was this information shared or publicized? How are the founding fathers represented today--as a group and individually? What do they symbolize? How do most representations of America's founding fathers compare to the reality of who they were and how they lived?
What question should you ask when considering whom to interview for information about your topic?
Who would have some sort of personal experience with my topic? - When you interview an expert, it's best to use that time asking questions that you probably won't get answered by reading texts or watching multimedia presentations.
Which of these phrases best describes what a research plan is?
a list of people, places, and ideas that guide a student's search for information
What expert source is referenced in the article's third paragraph?
a prominent historian - Richard B. Morris is a historian who clearly is considered an authority on the founding fathers.
What information is found in the first section of the Wikipedia article?
an explanation of the phrase itself - The first section defines what literal meaning the term is typically used to represent.
How might a student use the References near the end of the article to complete a research project?
as a list of reliable sources to track down and read - Almost all of the sources listed in this section are authors whose work was published by well-known universities. And since the article is so short, most of the ideas in the referenced texts are not included. Some of these sources will be online while others will be available only in print or through a library's closed system of digital holdings.
What important information can you gain from a Wikipedia article on your topic?
links to, or information about, additional sources of information and analysis - As a rule, you can cannot assume that the information on Wikipedia been "vetted" by a panel of experts, but the sources referenced in these articles typically are peer-reviewed and reliable, as you can tell from the publication information for each reference.
what type of source should you consult for historical content related to your research question?
nonfiction books about the topic of your question - typically, longer nonfiction/informational works include one or more chapters that provide historical context on the book's subject.
analytical statement
physicists are on the brink of changing everything we know about the atom. - One of these statements would appear as evidence in an analytical research report while the other could work as the report's overall point.
where would you look to find your own examples of how Americans have used the phrase "founding fathers"?
primary sources from different eras in history - You would read and analyze texts written at various times in U.S. history that also use the term founding fathers.
what if you want to see what other researchers have to say about your topic? What kind of source will provide this information?
secondary sources - You need to find an article written by an expert on your topic, such as an article written for an academic or professional journal.
Who is the best person to interview for insight or information about your topic?
someone with personal experience or specialized knowledge related to your topic
for which topic would an expert speaker provide the best information?
strategies for promoting better disaster preparation among citizens - There are likely to be local officials in your area who are involved in distributing emergency preparedness information.
What search terms might a researcher use to find information about the impact of television on Americans' way of life?
television history, television and children, television and childhood, history of television, Americans leisure time, American entertainment
Read or reread the Legacy section of this article. What is this section's overall point?
that Americans tend to think about the founding fathers as a symbol of greatness rather than as individuals - the author of the article paraphrases the words of a historian who argues that the founders' particular identities and personal histories have always been less interesting to Americans than the concept they represent as a group.
What is the purpose of a research plan?
to ensure that a student analyzes each source as he or she finds it - A research plan provides structure that helps you meet deadlines and pace yourself. It also provides a way for you to keep track of what you have done already.
what kind of sources would you need to analyze sports broadcasting throughout the 20th century?
video and audio files - A broadcast is a message sent out to large numbers of people at once; to analyze changes in broadcasting, you would need examples of radio and/or television segments from different decades.
