B ASIC R ESEARCH S KILLS Academic English II, Even Semester

H AVE YOU EVER BEEN ASKED BY ANY OF YOUR LECTURERS TO ANSWER QUESTIONS SIMILAR TO THE ONES BELOW ? 1. Find the GDP of ASEAN countries. 2. How did WWII break out? 3. Gather evidence to support the abolition of the death penalty for drug convicts. 2

W HAT IS RESEARCH ? Research comes from the Middle French term “recercher” which means “act of searching closely” and “recercher” (old French) which means “seek out; search closely.” - Online Etymology Dictionary ( 3

W HAT IS RESEARCH ? 1. “Serious study of a subject, in order to discover new facts or test new ideas” -Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English 2. “the systematic investigation into and study of materials and sources in order to establish facts and reach new conclusions” “the systematic investigation into and study of materials and sources in order to establish facts and reach new conclusions” - 4

W ORKSHOP : T HINK -P AIR -S HARE Come up with your own definition of research. 5

SRE S OF R ESEARCH S earching for information R eviewing information E valuating information - Retrieved from 6

E SSENTIAL C HARACTERISTICS OF R ESEARCH In today’s academic setting, research can be: 1. A search for facts or data 2. A report or review designed to synthesize information from many different sources 3. An analysis of a body of information or data to offer solutions or form conclusions odules/module2/2_1.htm 7

W HAT RESEARCH IS NOT Research is NOT reading books from the library at whim Research is NOT simply surfing the Internet aimlessly Research is NOT haphazardly reading magazines and newspaper on random topics 8

W HAT RESEARCH IS … - purposeful - organized and well thought-out - involves resourcefulness and intelligent use of relevant facts, data - involves syntheses of ideas from many different sources 9

R ESEARCH M ETHODS Primary Research – “direct experience of creating information” e.g. interview of experts in the field Secondary Research – “finding out what others have said and written on a topic” e.g. review of literature on a topic Yuson-de Leon, Serraon-Claudio, Jamorabo-Ruiz, 2012, p. 7 10

T HE R ESEARCH P ROCESS HTTP :// WWW. EDISON. EDU / LIBRARY / RESEARCHSKILLS /U NIT 1/3 SIX S TEPS. PHP Step 1 Determining Research Needs Step 2 Defining a Research Topic Step 3 Developing a Search Strategy 11

T HE R ESEARCH P ROCESS HTTP :// WWW. EDISON. EDU / LIBRARY / RESEARCHSKILLS /U NIT 1/3 SIX S TEPS. PHP Step 4 Conducting the search Step 5 Evaluating Resources Step 6 Citing Resources 12

D ETERMINING R ESEARCH N EEDS ( TAKEN VERBATIM FROM HTTP :// WWW. EDISON. EDU / LIBRARY / RESEARCHSKILLS /U NIT 2/8 GETTINGORGANIZED. PHP What type of assignment, e.g., a book review, research paper, or presentation, has my professor assigned? How many resources does my professor require, what should they cover, and what is their minimum length? Does my professor require me to find information published during a certain period of time? Does my professor require me to use a specific type of publication, such as a peer reviewed journal, reference book, or newspaper? 13

D ETERMINING R ESEARCH N EEDS ( TAKEN VERBATIM FROM HTTP :// WWW. EDISON. EDU / LIBRARY / RESEARCHSKILLS /U NIT 2/8 GETTINGORGANIZED. PHP ) Does my professor require me to use published materials, primary sources, or a combination of both? Does my professor require me to find resources in a particular format, such as a film, website, or CD? Does my professor require me to take a stance, make an argument, or address a controversial issue? 14

D EFINING A R ESEARCH T OPIC ( TAKEN VERBATIM FROM HTTP :// WWW. EDISON. EDU / LIBRARY / RESEARCHSKILLS /U NIT 2/8 GETTINGORGANIZED. PHP List some potential research topics. Write two or three questions about your research topics. Identify two or three keywords from each question. Brainstorm some synonyms for the keywords you identified in your questions. 15

C HOOSING A R ESEARCH T OPIC  Topics may be assigned by your lecturer or you may be asked to choose your own  Characteristics of a Good Topic - interesting - manageable in terms of available resources - narrowed down Yuson-de Leon, Serraon-Claudio, Jamorabo-Ruiz,

C HOOSING A R ESEARCH T OPIC  Classification of Topics - Expository or factual type – explains or describes - Interpretive – requires not just fact-finding but also taking a stand on an issue Yuson-de Leon, Serraon-Claudio, Jamorabo-Ruiz,

W ORKSHOP  In pairs, think of a good research topic. Make sure that the topic is interesting, relevant to your field of specialization, manageable, and researchable. Be guided by slides of this presentation.  Present in front of the class. 18

R EFERENCES Edison College Libraries (2013). General Research Skills. Retrieved from Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English. (2009). Pearson Education Limited. Online Etymology Dictionary. Retrieved from Oxford Dictionaries. Retrieved from University of Idaho (2013). Information Literacy. Retrieved from Yuson-de Leon, Serraon-Claudio, Jamorabo-Ruiz, (2012). Term Paper and Scientific Writing with Guidelines for Research Methods and Theses (4 th ed.) Manila: Merriam & Webster Bookstore, Inc. 19