Introduction to academic research, University Libraries, Virginia Tech, academic research.3/29/2017 Papers: While there’s no precise definition, papers tend to be written by a smaller number of researchers — often just one or two — on broader societal questions. Examples include a rethinking of economic development in poor countries or the case for banning subprime mortgages. Papers are often produced by think tanks such as the Brookings Institution or the RAND Corporation any topic for speech in english, but can also come out of academia. Reports: Governmental and nonprofit research organizations often produce reports that synthesize a wide variety of data and look at particular questions — for example, the importance of infrastructure investment. the disparities faced by minorities in California. or trends in college spending. Reports can be supported by an organization with a particular mission or point of view, but that doesn’t necessarily invalidate their findings free cover letter templates pdf, particularly if they’re published by a credible organization. By all means, call or email the author and ask questions until you are satisfied that you understand the study’s findings and implications. Researchers are often very helpful to media members, as they have every interest in seeing their work presented accurately to the public. How do I read a study? Keep in mind that scholars consider research to be a process that is constantly unfolding. While some questions can be definitively answered — for example, that certain drugs can slow the spread of HIV — on almost all subjects there is always more research to be done. Unlike most journalistic stories or blogs, academic studies are the product of months or years of work; they can include analysis of large sets of data or carefully conducted experiments. A scholar might finish just a few important studies in his or her career college application report writing help, contributing incremental knowledge on a question that may have been studied for decades. Studies aspire to say as much as can definitively be known on a particular question, be it complex or seemingly self-evident. Does money in politics cause corruption? You may consider that an obvious question, but for scholars the answer — not just yes or no, but also why and how — has to be proven with precise weighing of evidence. The essence of the scientific method is to come up with a hypothesis, test it, and then make sure it can be repeated — and that no external factors skewed the results. Longitudinal: Long-term datasets can be useful for what are known as longitudinal studies. For example, Social Security data is gathered over long periods example of argumentative essays with thesis, and so can provide insight into the how U.S. residents’ incomes and locations evolve over time. Select groups can also be tracked for years, and thus allow one to understand the relationship between pre-school education and well-being later in life . In the study above, this might mean that a poor child’s development suffers because of lack of parental income. There may be no correlation between the two things or the relationship may be explained by some other factors, such as geography or lack of medical care. The scholar has to sort this all out. Before studies are published in academic journals, they go through a process called “peer review” — other scholars look at the findings to verify that there aren’t any errors. This system ensures that the study is of the highest possible quality, and is the basis on which all good research rests. The greatest danger of using studies in journalism is through oversimplifying the findings or misinterpreting them altogether. Researchers often present their findings with many, many reservations — they want to get things right, and so if they have any doubts or see areas for future research, they’ll mention them. You might wish that they’d made a direct, unqualified assertion that fits in a headline, but it’s often not that simple. As a journalist, you may find that there is no way to accurately state the study’s conclusions in a few sentences. In those cases, it is essential that you tell your audience that the study’s findings are limited by certain factors. We welcome feedback. Please contact us here .
How can I use a study in my journalism? Studies can also be used to provide crucial context and fact-check claims. "I will use the information. It has given me a new tool." - Dawn Brown, 3 months ago Continue to consider new sources. While you are reading, you might find new information, or questions on a topic that you need to read up on. You might have to broaden your research to check on details essay topics for college essays, possible errors, corroborating or conflicting evidence college book reports for sale, the context of an article how to write essays for poems, expert, or paper. Write your tentative thesis. This is a single statement of your viewpoint on your research question. See: How to formulate a thesis. It's easy to go to the internet and search for material. It's much harder to determine if it's useful, relevant, and needed. It's also hard to smoothly add that material to your own writing. Read sample papers for guidance. If you may choose your research topic, be careful about choosing one too broad or narrow social justice essays, too controversial (nothing factual to base your work on), related to personal belief alone (nothing to research), or so recent that there is no substantive writing on it published yet. The most serious and common error involves plagiarism -- not citing the source of materials taken. Your own thoughts are yours; common knowledge (facts generally known to all) are not cited. But any quote english essays writing, paraphrase or piece of source (summary) must be cited. The farther your topic is from the modern day, the harder it will be to locate sources. Therefore research on any aspect of history will force you to rely on the work of professional historians writing book report, unless you have access to the British Library or Library of Congress (many but not all of their materials are found online), or other national repository. Begin reading in detail. Focus on your research question and find information that illuminates it, explains, describes, analyzes, contrasts, or gives expert opinion and viewpoints on it. You are seeking to form your own judgment, based on what you read from your sources. "Assisted me a lot critical thinking for students book, since I had no idea how to conduct a research or which steps I should follow in order to have good academic research.". " more - Charlotte None, 10 months ago "Really good article. It describes the process very carefully and in a way that even an amateur will understand easily.". " more - Falcon W. 9 months ago Academic research is is a multi-step process that doesn't always go in a straight line; you may find yourself returning to previous stages as you refine your topic.
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