Introduction to Research Presentation Name Course Name Unit # – Lesson #.# – Lesson Name Introduction to Research

Introduction to Research Introduction to Engineering Design TM Unit 1 – Lesson 1.1 – Introduction to a DesignProcess “Basic research is what I am doing when I don’t know what I am doing.” Werner von Braun Father of the United States space program Project Lead The Way, Inc. Copyright 2007

Introduction to Research Introduction to Engineering Design TM Unit 1 – Lesson 1.1 – Introduction to a DesignProcess What is Research? Research is the systematic study of materials and sources in order to establish facts and reach new conclusions. “We undertake research when we wish to explore an idea, probe an issue, solve a problem, or make an argument that compels us to turn to outside help.” Students will be at different stages in understanding how to research. Activity 1.1.2 will help you determine which area of research to focus on. Project Lead The Way, Inc. Copyright 2007

Introduction to Research Introduction to Engineering Design TM Unit 1 – Lesson 1.1 – Introduction to a DesignProcess Types of Research Primary Research Generating original information Secondary Research Gathering information that has already been generated The activities in this lesson require more secondary research. Project Lead The Way, Inc. Copyright 2007

Introduction to Research Introduction to Engineering Design TM Unit 1 – Lesson 1.1 – Introduction to a DesignProcess Primary Research Original research Generates current information Includes methods such as observation, experiments, surveys, and interviews Analyzes, synthesizes, and evaluates all information and data Project Lead The Way, Inc. Copyright 2007

Introduction to Research Introduction to Engineering Design TM Unit 1 – Lesson 1.1 – Introduction to a DesignProcess Primary Research Advantages: Is directly applicable to the need Can result in extremely detailed, accurate, and relevant information or data Can result in new information that cannot be found in secondary sources Results in expert knowledge Project Lead The Way, Inc. Copyright 2007

Introduction to Research Introduction to Engineering Design TM Unit 1 – Lesson 1.1 – Introduction to a DesignProcess Primary Research Disadvantages: Time consuming Requires extensive planning Can be expensive May depend on the participation of unreliable sources for results Project Lead The Way, Inc. Copyright 2007

Introduction to Research Introduction to Engineering Design TM Unit 1 – Lesson 1.1 – Introduction to a DesignProcess Secondary Research Look to see what has been written/done before on a topic Includes: Published works: books, journals, magazines, newspapers Unpublished works: business reports, operating manuals, master’s theses, doctoral dissertations, web pages Is the most commonly conducted type of research Project Lead The Way, Inc. Copyright 2007

Introduction to Research Introduction to Engineering Design TM Unit 1 – Lesson 1.1 – Introduction to a DesignProcess Secondary Research Advantages: Requires less time and little to no cost in comparison to primary research Helps the researcher to either focus or expand his/her scope Elicits a sense of credibility and authority in that it shows others that the researcher has done his/her homework Project Lead The Way, Inc. Copyright 2007

Introduction to Research Introduction to Engineering Design TM Unit 1 – Lesson 1.1 – Introduction to a DesignProcess Secondary Research Disadvantages: Researcher may have to sift through a tremendous amount of information Sources may not be authoritative or reliable Project Lead The Way, Inc. Copyright 2007

Secondary Research Sources Introduction to Research Introduction to Engineering Design TM Unit 1 – Lesson 1.1 – Introduction to a DesignProcess Secondary Research Sources Research Libraries Support researchers, particularly faculty and students, in their work Have extensive collections of books, journals, and other sources of information such as theses, dissertations, and other useful unpublished works Project Lead The Way, Inc. Copyright 2007

Sources of Information Introduction to Research Introduction to Engineering Design TM Unit 1 – Lesson 1.1 – Introduction to a DesignProcess Sources of Information Books Encyclopedias, dictionaries, and atlases Books on specific subjects Newspapers Magazines Scholarly Journals (like a magazine, but with a more rigorous review process for quality control) Project Lead The Way, Inc. Copyright 2007

Sources of Information Introduction to Research Introduction to Engineering Design TM Unit 1 – Lesson 1.1 – Introduction to a DesignProcess Sources of Information Conference Presentations (referred to as “proceedings”) Statistical data sources, such as the U.S. Census Multimedia such as videos and audio sources Web pages Project Lead The Way, Inc. Copyright 2007

Introduction to Research Introduction to Engineering Design TM Unit 1 – Lesson 1.1 – Introduction to a DesignProcess Finding Books Look at your local library (public, school, or university) to see what they have. Reference librarians can be very helpful to ask for guidance on doing research If the library does not have a book you want, then they can usually get it for you using a document delivery service (public library or school library) Project Lead The Way, Inc. Copyright 2007

Finding Newspaper, Magazine & Scholarly Journal Articles Introduction to Research Introduction to Engineering Design TM Unit 1 – Lesson 1.1 – Introduction to a DesignProcess Finding Newspaper, Magazine & Scholarly Journal Articles Search a database that focuses in the subject area of interest - a database is just a searchable collection of research resources Google Scholar http://scholar.google.com/ ProQuest eLibrary General Databases (starting points) Google Scholar – freely accessible on the web; scholarly content in Google ProQuest eLibrary – K-12 schools ProQuest Academic Complete – Colleges and universities EbscoHost MasterFILE Premier – Public libraries MasterFILE Premier Academic Complete Project Lead The Way, Inc. Copyright 2007

Introduction to Research Introduction to Engineering Design TM Unit 1 – Lesson 1.1 – Introduction to a DesignProcess Research Process Define your topic, project, or problem Identify key words for the topic – try a thesaurus for synonyms Identify all resources with which you are familiar that may provide information Use what you’ve learned thus far to search for books, articles, web sites and other resources Project Lead The Way, Inc. Copyright 2007

Introduction to Research Introduction to Engineering Design TM Unit 1 – Lesson 1.1 – Introduction to a DesignProcess Research Process Contact schools, companies, and organizations in your local area to identify persons who are knowledgeable in your research topic Assemble your list of resources, and begin systematically exploring them Project Lead The Way, Inc. Copyright 2007

Evaluating Information Introduction to Research Introduction to Engineering Design TM Unit 1 – Lesson 1.1 – Introduction to a DesignProcess Evaluating Information The quality of any source should be evaluated before using and citing its information It is up to the researcher to differentiate between fact, opinion, and propaganda Authority Reliability Bias Currency Authority – What are the information creator’s qualifications to write on the topic? Reliability – Can you trust the source of the information to provide accurate information? Bias – How does the creators interests influence the information presented? Currency – How current is the information and how important is currency to the topic? Project Lead The Way, Inc. Copyright 2007

Citing Research Sources Presentation Name Course Name Unit # – Lesson #.# – Lesson Name Citing Research Sources All information that you find has some person or entity that created it You must give that person credit for the information that they created when you do research Plagiarism is when you use someone else’s creation and pretend it was your own

Citing Research Sources Presentation Name Course Name Unit # – Lesson #.# – Lesson Name Citing Research Sources To give someone credit for their work in your own research, you need to cite the information in a specific format The most common formats include: MLA: MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/ APA: Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/ Chicago: The Chicago Manual of Style http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/717/01/ Turabian: Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations http://www.press.uchicago.edu/books/turabian/turabian_citationguide.html MLA APA Chicago Turabian

References Garibaldi, J. (2003). Mla handbook for writers of research papers. (6 ed.). National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). (1960). Wernher von braun. [Web Photo]. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Wernher_von_Braun_crop.jpg