The document discusses the concept of research and provides guidance on how to conduct research. It defines research as actively investigating topics through gathering facts from multiple sources and evaluating their reliability. The key aspects of research include asking questions, exploring different perspectives, verifying information, drawing conclusions, and communicating findings to others. Effective research requires skills such as determining credible sources, distinguishing known facts from open questions, and organizing findings clearly. The document encourages readers to view research as a lifelong skill and provides tips for choosing topics and questions to guide further investigation.

1. Introduction to Research
November 7, 2014
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uploads/2012/04/Research-Design.jpg

2. What comes to mind when you hear
the word ‘Research’?

3. Research Myths
• Something you do in libraries
• Something you do in laboratories
• College requirement

4. You do research almost in every aspect
of your life
• When buying a scooter/car
– Read consumer guides
– Visit car dealers
– Talk to others about their cars
• When looking for a job
– Study want ads
– Check bulletin boards
– Ask friends, family, etc.
• When choosing a college or academic major

5. All these require research
• Deciding on a career
• Settling a place to live
• Buying a house
• Choosing a girlfriend/boyfriend

7. Re-search
• Prefix ‘re’ means going back or doing it again
• It suggests repetition
• Searching again and again

8. Research as a life skill
• A step towards living consciously and
deliberately
• Determining what you think or do
• Impact on the quality of your life
• Influencing how you perceive the world and
what choices you make

9. Exploring
• You are a natural investigator
• Engaged in informal research all your life
• You discovered shortcuts in your life
• You learned from mistakes
• You found answers to questions you had
The question lies on your attitude and skills

10. Steps
• Gathering available facts
• Verify reliability of the facts you gathered
(talking to people, asking/confirming, etc.)
• Getting at the truth of what happened- the
difficulty of achieving absolute knowledge
– Consider a physician having a consultation with a
patient (ailments, questions re. symptoms,
treatment based on evidence gathered)

11. Steps
• Understand and evaluate the facts gathered
• Objective or subjective
• Get a balanced view of any subject before
reaching to a conclusion or making a stand on
ethical issues

12. Evaluating sources p. 4
• Is it up-to-date
• Author’s credentials
• Journal/newspaper- slanted views?
• Is the source adequately documented?
• Is the language vague? Discriminatory?
• How was the book reviewed?

13. • Discover what other people have already studied
more extensively that you will be able to do
• Distinguish what is known and what is still open
for research
• Original research to test conclusions by
conducting interviews, polls, surveys, etc.
• OR researching what is known; still original- you
will be making sense of the facts and arrive at
your own conclusions

14. Reporting
• Communicating what you have found as
clearly as possible to others
• Organized, clear, readable, and interesting
• Reflect your best effort to make what you
have discovered understandable to others

15. Resources
• The library
• Academic resources
• The Internet
• The community
• People

18. Before your commit yourself to a topic
Reference: Walker, M. (1984). Writing Research Papers: A Norton Guide. 4th ed.
New York, N.Y.: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc.

19. Reference: Walker, M. (1984). Writing Research Papers: A Norton
Guide. 4th ed. New York, N.Y.: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc.
Diagram

20. Reference: Walker, M. (1984). Writing Research Papers: A
Norton Guide. 4th ed. New York, N.Y.: W.W. Norton & Company,
Inc.

21. Reference: Walker, M. (1984). Writing Research Papers: A Norton Guide. 4th ed. New
York, N.Y.: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc.

22. Asking Questions
Reference: Walker, M. (1984). Writing Research Papers: A Norton Guide. 4th ed. New
York, N.Y.: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc.

23. Reference: Walker, M. (1984). Writing Research Papers: A Norton Guide. 4th ed. New
York, N.Y.: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc.

24. Reference: Walker, M. (1984). Writing Research Papers: A Norton
Guide. 4th ed. New York, N.Y.: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc.
Brainstorming Ideas

25. Reference: Walker, M. (1984). Writing Research Papers: A Norton
Guide. 4th ed. New York, N.Y.: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc.

26. Reference: Walker, M. (1984). Writing Research Papers: A Norton Guide. 4th ed. New
York, N.Y.: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc.

27. Michael Gold
Reference: Walker, M. (1984). Writing Research Papers: A Norton Guide. 4th ed. New
York, N.Y.: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc.

28. Reference: Walker, M. (1984). Writing Research Papers: A
Norton Guide. 4th ed. New York, N.Y.: W.W. Norton & Company,
Inc.

30. Choosing a Topic
• Follow your interest
• List of subjects that you already know
something about
• A list of new subjects to explore

31. Reference: Walker, M. (1984). Writing Research Papers: A Norton
Guide. 4th ed. New York, N.Y.: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc.

32. Exercise 1
• Go to your wiki page
• Create a page called Exercise 1
• Write your answers to Exercise 1 questions
(next slide)

33. Exercise 1
• Choose a general topic related in the media-
– drug abuse,
– health insurance,
– food safety,
– political campaign,
– state of economy,
– homosexuality in Taiwan,
– religious group/s,
– education in Taiwan,
– Traditional medicines
– Media and ethics
• Focus on a subtopic and narrow it down by asking a list of questions (5) that would
reflect your growing interest in your topic
• Search for credible weblinks that provide answers to your questions
• Search google books and list at least 5 books on the subject