1 / 18

Critical Thinking in the Research Process: Asking the Right Questions, Exploring Different Views, and Interpreting Findi

This chapter explores the procedural and inquiry stages of the research process, including asking the right questions, exploring a balance of views, achieving depth in research, evaluating findings, and interpreting findings. It also covers primary and secondary sources, web-based secondary sources, sources for primary research, guidelines for researching on the internet, and conducting interviews, surveys, and experiments.

rcecelia
Download Presentation

Critical Thinking in the Research Process: Asking the Right Questions, Exploring Different Views, and Interpreting Findi

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Chapter 7 Thinking Critically about the Research Process Technical Communication, 12th Edition John M. Lannon Laura Gurak

  2. Searching for information Recording your findings Documenting your sources Writing the document The Procedural Stages of the Research Process

  3. The Inquiry Stages of the Research Process • Ask the right questions • Explore a balance of views • Achieve adequate depth in your research • Evaluate your findings • Interpret your findings

  4. Ask the Right Questions • The answers you uncover can only be as good as the questions you ask • Explore a Balance of Views • What do informed sources have to say about this topic? • On which points do sources agree? • On which points do sources disagree?

  5. Achieving Adequate Depth

  6. Evaluating Your Findings • Is this information accurate, reliable, and relatively unbiased? • Do the facts verify the claim? • How much of the information is useful? • Is this the whole or the real story? • Do I need more information?

  7. Interpreting Your Findings • What are my conclusions and do they address my original research question? • Do any findings conflict? • Are other interpretations possible? • Should I reconsider the evidence? • What, if anything, should be done?

  8. Primary vs. Secondary Sources • Primary research means getting information directly from the source by conducting interviews and surveys and by observing people, events, or processes in action. • Secondary research is information obtained second hand by reading what other researchers have compiled in books and articles.

  9. Web-based Secondary Sources • Subject directories • Search engines • Wikipedia

  10. Web-based Secondary Sources • General commercial, organizational, and academic Web sites • Government Web sites • Online news outlets and magazines • Blogs • Wikis • Internet forums and electronic mailing lists • E-libraries • Periodicals databases

  11. Sources for Primary Research • Unsolicited inquiries • Informative interviews • Surveys and questionnaires • Observation and Experiment

  12. Guidelines for Researching on the Internet • Expect limited results from any one search engine or subject directory. • When using a search engine, select keywords or phrases that are varied and technical rather than general. • When using Wikipedia or other online encyclopedias, check out the footnotes. • Consider the domain type. • Identify the site’s purpose and sponsor. • Look beyond the style of a site. • Assess the currency of the site’s materials. • Assess the author’s credentials and assertions. • Use bookmarks and hotlists for quick access to favorite Web sites. • Save or print what you need before it changes or disappears. • Download only what you need; use it ethically; obtain permission; and credit your sources.

  13. In-person interviews Phone interviews Email interviews Fax interviews Informative Interviews

  14. Stages of an Interview • Plan the interview • Prepare the interview • Conduct the interview • Conclude the interview

  15. Surveys and Questionnaires • A Survey helps you to form impressions of the concerns, preferences, attitudes, beliefs, needs, or perceptions of a large, identifiable group by studying representatives of that group. • A questionnaire is the tool of a survey.

  16. Stages of a Survey • Define the purpose and the target population • Identify the sample group • Define the survey method • Analyze samples

  17. Personal Observation and Experiments • Always the Final Step - Make sure you have a plan and take detailed notes immediately

  18. Any Questions? For additional help reviewing this chapter, please visit the Companion Website for your text at http://www.pearsonhighered.com/lannon.

More Related