research 101

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Research 101

• ACRL Framework Alignment
• Before You Begin...
• Lesson 1: Choose a Research Topic
• Lesson 2: Develop a Research Strategy
• Lesson 3: Conduct Ongoing Research
• Lesson 4: Analyze & Review Sources
• Lesson 5: Use Information Effectively
• After You Finish...
• Acknowledgements

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Lesson 1: Choose a Research Topic  

In this chapter, you'll learn to: 

• Formulate questions for research, based on information gaps or on reexamination of existing, possibly conflicting, information.
• Recognize that you, the researcher, are often entering into an ongoing scholarly conversation, not a finished conversation.
• Conduct background research to develop research strategies.
• Instructions
• 1) Scholarly Conversations
• 2) Research Topic
• 3) Research Question

Click on the numbered tabs to complete each activity.

Activities include videos, tutorials, and interactive tasks.

Questions about this lesson will be included on the Research 101 Quiz.

*It is recommended that you take notes while you complete each activity to prepare for the Research 101 quiz.

*If you have to take a break, make a note of your last activity so that you can pick up where you left off later.

"Choosing a Topic" Video by Amanda Burbage

This introductory video explains how when you choose a research topic, you are actually joining an ongoing academic conversation.

• "Choosing a Topic" Video Transcript
• CC BY-SA 4.0

"Scholarly Conversations" Tutorial by New Literacies Alliance

"In this lesson, students will discover how research is like a conversation that takes place between scholars in a field and will investigate ways they can become part of the conversation over time."  -NewLiteraciesAlliance.org

"Scholarly Conversations" Tutorial

1. Click on the tutorial link above.

2. Click the green "Sign In" button to login to your New Literacies Alliance account before beginning the tutorial .

*Go to the "Before You Begin" page of Research 101 if you have not yet registered for an account. 

3. Click the green "View Course" button.

4. Click the plus sign beside "Lesson".

5. Click the link that appears below to begin the tutorial.

• CC BY-NC-SA 3.0

"Picking Your Topic IS Research" Video by NC State University Libraries

This video explains that before you begin a project, you should do some preliminary research on your topic. This is a cyclical process, involving collecting background information and tweaking, to construct an interesting topic that you can further explore in your paper.

• "Picking Your Topic IS Research" Video Transcript

"Using Wikipedia for Academic Research (CLIP)" Video by Michael Baird

Although Wikipedia is not a suitable source for an academic research paper, it can still be very helpful! This video explains how this online encyclopedia can serve as a treasure trove of topic phrases, keywords, names, dates, and citations that you can use throughout the research process.

NOTE: Audio begins at 0.18 seconds.

• "Using Wikipedia for Academic Research (CLIP)" Video Transcript

"How to Develop a STRONG Research Question" Video by Scribbr

This video explains how to turn your research topic into a research question that is focused, researchable, feasible, specific, complex, and relevant.

• "How to Develop a STRONG Research Question" Video Transcript
• Scribbr Video Citation

"Ask the Right Questions" Tutorial by New Literacies Alliance

"In this lesson, students will explore what it takes to narrow a search in order to find the best information."  -NewLiteraciesAlliance.org

"Ask the Right Questions" Tutorial

• << Previous: Before You Begin...
• Next: Lesson 2: Develop a Research Strategy >>
• Last Updated: Feb 13, 2024 4:11 PM
• URL: https://libguides.randolph.edu/R101

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• Research 101

Introduction

Research 101: introduction.

• Choosing a Topic
• Choosing Best Sources
• Finding Reference Sources
• Finding Books and Films
• Finding Articles
• Finding Pro/Con Sources
• Evaluating Your Sources
• Citing Your Sources
• Test Yourself
• Ask A Librarian This link opens in a new window

Last updated January 2023

Accessible Transcripts for Screenreaders

• Choose Your Topic
• Use the Best Sources
• Find Sources
• Evaluate Sources
• Cite Sources
• Information Literacy Quiz

Welcome to Research 101

The following tutorial is designed to guide you through the research process, from beginning to end. Use the left menu to navigate to each video in order. You can watch the videos directly on the page, click the "View Larger" button to watch them full screen, or click on the arrow at the bottom of the video to view them in CSN's Panopto video platform. You will have to log in to your Panopto account using your Canva/GoCSN login to take the quiz at the end.

If you have any questions, please email [email protected] or [email protected]

• Next: Choosing a Topic >>
• Last Updated: Oct 5, 2023 2:37 PM
• URL: https://libguides.csn.edu/research-101

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Research 101.

• Research 101 Workshops
• Getting Started
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• Organizing Research
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How to use these pages.

The following pages are self-paced deep-dives on research skills to help you with any research assignment. 

• Getting Started - When you don't know where to start, start with this tutorial!
• Keywords - Figure out what to put in the search bar
• Finding Sources - Learn how to use UC Library Search to find books and articles
• Peer Review - What is peer review anyways?
• Evaluating Sources - How do you know whether a source is a good match for your topic?
• Organizing Research - Learn how to manage your citations
• << Previous: Research 101 Workshops
• Next: Getting Started >>
• Last Updated: Mar 12, 2024 12:01 PM
• URL: https://guides.lib.berkeley.edu/research101

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Research 101

• Getting Started with Research
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Understanding Your Assignment

Focusing your research.

Choose a topic you find interesting and a question about it that you don't already have the answer to. Don't make the rookie mistake of dreaming up what you'll write first, then looking for someone who agrees with you! 

Research is about asking questions, learning new things, making sense of varied and sometimes contradictory information, and asking new questions. 

Understanding these steps in the research process can help you take charge of your research:

• Consider your topic's scope : how broad or narrow is it? If it's too broad, you may find lots of sources but they may not work together well, because there are so many sub-topics. If your topic is too narrow, it may be hard to find information at all.  
• What do you already know about the topic?
• What more do you want to find out? 
• Develop keywords to start your searches, and do some background research - especially when a topic is new to you.
• Reference articles, news publications , and book introductions can help you learn more about your topic. See the big picture and  what sub-topics exist to refine your focus.

As you read each source, your understanding of the topic and questions about it will change - this is normal! 

Research is a dynamic process. Be prepared to modify or refine your topic. 

You can always contact your professor (take advantage of their office hours!) and  Hostos librarians  for more help in developing your topic and research question. 

Using Effective Keywords

Too Many Results

• For more tips, please watch the Focusing Your Research video.
• Try keywords that are more specific.
• A search for baseball will have more results than a search for baseball Yankees Jeter.
• Adding keywords will make your search more specific.
• Add filters, such as date and format.   

Too Few Results

• Broaden your focus, if your topic is already very specific.
• Try keywords that are more general.
• Try synonyms to your first keywords.
• A search for diabetes women Dominican elderly insulin therapy will have fewer results than a search for diabetes.
• Removing search terms will make your search more general.
• Remove filters, such as date and format.
• You can look in discipline-specific databases! Please visit A - Z Databases and filter by subject using the first drop-down menu.
• << Previous: Home
• Next: Sources for Research >>
• Last Updated: Mar 29, 2024 2:53 PM
• URL: https://guides.hostos.cuny.edu/startyourresearch

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Methodology

Research Methods | Definitions, Types, Examples

Research methods are specific procedures for collecting and analyzing data. Developing your research methods is an integral part of your research design . When planning your methods, there are two key decisions you will make.

First, decide how you will collect data . Your methods depend on what type of data you need to answer your research question :

• Qualitative vs. quantitative : Will your data take the form of words or numbers?
• Primary vs. secondary : Will you collect original data yourself, or will you use data that has already been collected by someone else?
• Descriptive vs. experimental : Will you take measurements of something as it is, or will you perform an experiment?

Second, decide how you will analyze the data .

• For quantitative data, you can use statistical analysis methods to test relationships between variables.
• For qualitative data, you can use methods such as thematic analysis to interpret patterns and meanings in the data.

Table of contents

Methods for collecting data, examples of data collection methods, methods for analyzing data, examples of data analysis methods, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about research methods.

Data is the information that you collect for the purposes of answering your research question . The type of data you need depends on the aims of your research.

Qualitative vs. quantitative data

Your choice of qualitative or quantitative data collection depends on the type of knowledge you want to develop.

For questions about ideas, experiences and meanings, or to study something that can’t be described numerically, collect qualitative data .

If you want to develop a more mechanistic understanding of a topic, or your research involves hypothesis testing , collect quantitative data .

You can also take a mixed methods approach , where you use both qualitative and quantitative research methods.

Primary vs. secondary research

Primary research is any original data that you collect yourself for the purposes of answering your research question (e.g. through surveys , observations and experiments ). Secondary research is data that has already been collected by other researchers (e.g. in a government census or previous scientific studies).

If you are exploring a novel research question, you’ll probably need to collect primary data . But if you want to synthesize existing knowledge, analyze historical trends, or identify patterns on a large scale, secondary data might be a better choice.

Descriptive vs. experimental data

In descriptive research , you collect data about your study subject without intervening. The validity of your research will depend on your sampling method .

In experimental research , you systematically intervene in a process and measure the outcome. The validity of your research will depend on your experimental design .

To conduct an experiment, you need to be able to vary your independent variable , precisely measure your dependent variable, and control for confounding variables . If it’s practically and ethically possible, this method is the best choice for answering questions about cause and effect.

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Your data analysis methods will depend on the type of data you collect and how you prepare it for analysis.

Data can often be analyzed both quantitatively and qualitatively. For example, survey responses could be analyzed qualitatively by studying the meanings of responses or quantitatively by studying the frequencies of responses.

Qualitative analysis methods

Qualitative analysis is used to understand words, ideas, and experiences. You can use it to interpret data that was collected:

• From open-ended surveys and interviews , literature reviews , case studies , ethnographies , and other sources that use text rather than numbers.
• Using non-probability sampling methods .

Qualitative analysis tends to be quite flexible and relies on the researcher’s judgement, so you have to reflect carefully on your choices and assumptions and be careful to avoid research bias .

Quantitative analysis methods

Quantitative analysis uses numbers and statistics to understand frequencies, averages and correlations (in descriptive studies) or cause-and-effect relationships (in experiments).

You can use quantitative analysis to interpret data that was collected either:

• During an experiment .
• Using probability sampling methods .

Because the data is collected and analyzed in a statistically valid way, the results of quantitative analysis can be easily standardized and shared among researchers.

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If you want to know more about statistics , methodology , or research bias , make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples.

• Chi square test of independence
• Statistical power
• Descriptive statistics
• Degrees of freedom
• Pearson correlation
• Null hypothesis
• Double-blind study
• Case-control study
• Research ethics
• Data collection
• Hypothesis testing
• Structured interviews

Research bias

• Hawthorne effect
• Unconscious bias
• Recall bias
• Halo effect
• Self-serving bias
• Information bias

Quantitative research deals with numbers and statistics, while qualitative research deals with words and meanings.

Quantitative methods allow you to systematically measure variables and test hypotheses . Qualitative methods allow you to explore concepts and experiences in more detail.

In mixed methods research , you use both qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis methods to answer your research question .

A sample is a subset of individuals from a larger population . Sampling means selecting the group that you will actually collect data from in your research. For example, if you are researching the opinions of students in your university, you could survey a sample of 100 students.

In statistics, sampling allows you to test a hypothesis about the characteristics of a population.

The research methods you use depend on the type of data you need to answer your research question .

• If you want to measure something or test a hypothesis , use quantitative methods . If you want to explore ideas, thoughts and meanings, use qualitative methods .
• If you want to analyze a large amount of readily-available data, use secondary data. If you want data specific to your purposes with control over how it is generated, collect primary data.
• If you want to establish cause-and-effect relationships between variables , use experimental methods. If you want to understand the characteristics of a research subject, use descriptive methods.

Methodology refers to the overarching strategy and rationale of your research project . It involves studying the methods used in your field and the theories or principles behind them, in order to develop an approach that matches your objectives.

Methods are the specific tools and procedures you use to collect and analyze data (for example, experiments, surveys , and statistical tests ).

In shorter scientific papers, where the aim is to report the findings of a specific study, you might simply describe what you did in a methods section .

In a longer or more complex research project, such as a thesis or dissertation , you will probably include a methodology section , where you explain your approach to answering the research questions and cite relevant sources to support your choice of methods.

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