Generally speaking there are two types of research: 1. 2.
Primary Research Secondary Research
Primary Research refers to original research undertaken by you for a specific purpose. Secondary Research refers to any factual or theoretical material that is the result of the collation, interpretation and contextualisation of primary research by the author(s) of the secondary work. You will be expected to gather evidence of both types of research, from a wide range of sources, to support your written assignments. Primary Research
Secondary Research
If you were investigating the way youths are represented in the media to identify whether they are shown in a positive or negative way, primary research could include actual examples of:
Secondary research refers to any factual or theoretical material gathered by you that has already been interpreted and published in the form of:
• • • • •
television programmes, films, magazine articles, newspaper reports, and / or examples of advertising featuring youths
These examples of primary research could be used to evidence, support or challenge current theories relating to media representation. You could also undertake a: • survey, • questionnaire, or • form a focus group. Once primary research has been gathered, interpreted and published by another author, it becomes ‘secondary’ research.
• • • • • • • •
books, journals, periodicals, magazines, newspapers, Academic papers, reports, and / or the Internet.
At undergraduate level it is accepted practice to use theories, concepts and ideas from secondary research sources. You may then support, compare, contrast or challenge them with the evidence you have gathered during your ‘primary’ research activities.
Secondary Research Sources At HE level, you are expected to read around the subject independently to develop your knowledge and understanding. You will also be expected to vary the sources of secondary research material to demonstrate an objective understanding of a subject. If you rely too heavily on one person’s view of a subject, your understanding of it will be limited and potentially biased. It could also lead to accusations of plagiarism. There are many places to start looking for material. Your tutor may have given you a reading list. However, you will also be expected to undertake independent research and below is a brief guide to help you identify what type of sources are most appropriate for your research. Information Source:
Description:
Example:
Used for:
Books
A published work of literature, science, or reference on a subject.
The Study Skills Handbook by Stella Cottrell
Finding detailed information and discussion, broken down into chapters covering aspects of a subject.
Reference books
A source of factual information.
Dictionaries. Encyclopaedias. Directories. Statistics.
Establishing facts on a subject.
The Independent. The Times.
Finding up-to-date information and feature articles on particular subjects and opinions.
Check out ANSI Journals [online] to see some examples.
Provides specialist information and opinion and trade / professional job advertisements.
Newspapers
Magazines/journals
Electronic Databases
Daily or weekly publications with articles on news, stories, features and reviews. Weekly or monthly publications containing articles and news items on a particular subject, (some scholarly). Catalogued 'virtual' storage of information in electronic format, including CD, DVD and on the Internet.
WebCat, the college library catalogue, (within college access only). Swindon College ATHENS databases. www.wikipedia.com.
The Internet
World-wide computer network, providing access to a range of information and databases.
http://www.(insert web address here)
Flexible searching, using keyword combinations to broaden or narrow searches. Online versions provide both regularly updated and archived information. Regularly updated information on subjects for which there may be little / restricted availability in printed form.
ATHENS Databases Swindon College subscribes to a range of online databases, which are accessed through ATHENS, an academic portal. The link to ATHENS is on the front page of the VLE. Your Learning Advisor will show you how to use the academic portal ATHENS to access online databases in induction sessions or by request. Internet Research The Internet should be used to complement traditional research methods and sources and should not be your sole source of information when undertaking academic research. The most commonly used part of the Internet is the world-wide-web (www.), through which you can access information stored on thousands of computers around the world. Instant information at the click of a mouse! Why use the Internet? Through the Internet you can gain immediate access to useful information providers such as: • organisations / societies (e.g. museums and galleries) • company information • online e-journals & e-books • government publications Paper based information (books and journals) can take a long time to be published, whereas on the Internet information on a wide range of subjects can be updated on a daily, weekly or monthly basis. Quantity and Quality When you start searching you’ll find that you quickly get thousands of results. One of the problems of using the Internet is that anyone can upload information, so critical evaluation of resources you find online is extremely important. Sites may look very professional but you should still use all the usual checks to evaluate information, (see overleaf). Internet sites are often funded by advertising, so be aware that the information you find might be biased or in favour of the sponsors. The Internet provides access to gateways, like ‘Bubl’ and ‘Intute’. Gateway sites list subject specific resources that have already been evaluated and assessed by experts. Search engines will find material based on the key words that are entered in the search box. A computer then generates the results that might not be of any use to you, even if the key words match! Take time to consider the results you get, and be prepared to refine your search as it might take some time to find material that is useful. Several major search engines provide subject directories, with lists of resources that have been assessed by people with knowledge of the subject. They are similar in this way to gateways. Some search engines: Alltheweb Altavista Yahoo
Lycos
Evaluate Your Research It isn’t too hard to find information, the skill is to decide whether or not it’s good material, and whether it is likely to be of use to you. Most of the books and magazines in the college library have already been evaluated and you can be confident that the material is reliable. You should try to get into the habit of evaluating the material you look at, especially information you find on the Internet. Consider the following questions:
? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
Is the information produced by a reputable source? Can you check that the author is knowledgeable in the subject area? Can you check the author’s credentials? Did you find the material from a good quality source – for example an academic gateway, or a subject database? If the material comes from a website, is there “real world” information about the author and/or organisation? Is the information up-to-date? Have you checked the publication date of the book or article? If the material is from a web page, can you check when the page was created or updated? Were the results at an appropriate academic level? Did you check the level at which the information was produced? – Traditionally, study books state the level of student that it is intended for within the introduction.
If the information is at too advanced a level, check basic sources such as encyclopaedias, or textbooks. If the information is at too low a level, look for some specialist journal articles, or try to find some more books. Note Taking One of the skills that you will need to develop for HE learning is note taking. You will probably be used to taking notes in sessions already (if you’re not – get used to it quickly as it will help you remember key things that go through your mind at the time, which may be forgotten). While you are reading books, journals, websites and other secondary sources, get into the habit of taking notes and keep a record of where the information comes from. It is almost impossible to find the sources of quotes and paraphrasing that you used in assignments after the fact so make a record of the author, title, publisher, city published in, year published and page number of any publication that you intend to take direct quotations or indirect paraphrasing from, to support your writing. A good note taking exercise that could help you develop this skill is to read through a chapter of a book that you are familiar with and reduce the contents of each paragraph in turn into 1 or 2 sentences focusing on the key words / elements which communicate the intended meaning of the text.