Lesson 2 Contents:

Learning Objectives

I. An Outline of Knowledge: The Academic Disciplines

II. What is Research?

III. Superficial Research vs. Genuine Research

IV. The Research Process: A Model

V. Key Points to Remember

Lesson Two Quiz

Lesson Two Exercise

V. LESSON 2 : KEY POINTS TO REMEMBER

Scholarly work is organized into academic disciplines, which are grouped into larger categories called branches of knowledge.

Research is the process of gathering, evaluating, and interpreting information, usually to answer a particular question or problem.

Research can be either original research or bibliographic research. This course will focus on bibliographic research.

The goal of genuine research is to present your own evaluative perspective in answer to a unique research question. Superficial research merely summarizes what is already known.

Research projects are best approached with an overall plan called the research process.

Listed below the 8 steps of the research process model. This model is flexible, allowing you to backtrack or make mid-course corrections as needed.

Step 1: Choose a subject or area of interest.

Step 2: Gain a general overview of your subject.

Step 3: Narrow and shape your subject into a specific research question.

Step 4: Decide what type and amount of information is needed and what types of sources might provide that information.

Step 5: Choose appropriate access tools, develop a search strategy for each tool, and conduct a search.

Step 6: Examine the results of your search and select only the most relevant and credible sources.

Step 7: Read, take notes, and evaluate the sources selected in step 6.

Step 8: Revise, refine, and repeat steps 1-7 as needed.