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

2. 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

3. 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 will help you determine which area of research to focus on.
Project Lead The Way, Inc.
Copyright 2007

4. 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

5. 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

6. 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

7. 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

8. 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

9. 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

10. 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

11. 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

12. 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

13. 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

14. 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

15. 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
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

16. 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

17. 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

18. 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

19. 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

20. 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
APA: Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association
Chicago: The Chicago Manual of Style
Turabian: Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations
MLA
APA
Chicago
Turabian

21. 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