Chapter 1- What is research?

3 golden rules of research

1. Keep a research journal of the articles you read 2. Take time to consider how you may improve your own work based on the work you are reading. 3. Always read more than 1 or 2 articles on the subject.

What is research not?

IT IS NOT: mere info gathering mere transportation of facts from one location to another merely rummaging for info a catchword used to get attention

Definition of an abstract

a stand alone statement that briefly conveys the essential info of a paper, article, document or book, presents the objective, methods, results, and conclusions of a research project; has a bried non repetive style

How long is an abstract?

around 250 words

When is an abstract written?

last- you need to have completed all other sections before you can select and summarize the essential info from those sections

What does the abstract contain?

objective, uses methods, obtains results, and draws conclusion

What is a refereed journal?

one where the articles have been judged and scrutinized by respected experts (atleast 2 or 3) in the field and is deemed to be of the quality and importance to warrant publication

Only information from ____ should be taken seriously.

refereed journals

__________ is an important skill of a researcher.

to be able to review the work of colleagues

What is the style of an abstract?

concise, clear, direct

Characteristics of research

-orginates with a question -requires a clear goal -follows a specfic plan -divides problems into sub problems -guided by a problem, question, or hypothesis -accepts certain assumptions -requires a collection and interpretation of data -research is cyclical

What is research?

It is the systematic proccess of collecting and analyzing information/data in order to increase our understanding of the phenomenon about which we are concerned or interested in.

Facts to consider when reviewing

Where did you find an article and was it reviewed? Does the article have a question or hypothesis? Does it describe how the data was collected? Is the article logically organized? Could it have been organized better? Does it review previous studies on the topic and are they relevant to the research? Is the info clear enough so that anyone could repeat the experiment? How was the data collected and analyzed and do you agree with the methods used? Do you agree with the interpretation of the results? What are the strenghts and weaknesses of the article?

What is an abstract?

a brief summary of a research paper -it explains the aim of the study, what, who and how measurements were made, and the results obtained