The Research ProcessA six step research inquiry process

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The Information Process

Six steps to help you do “great research”

What do I need to find out?

Where will I find the information I need?

How will I organise the information?

How well did I do? What did I do well? What do I need to improve on?

DefiningDefining

LocatingLocating

PresentingPresenting

SelectingSelecting

OrganisingOrganising

How will I select the information I need?

EvaluatingEvaluating

How will I present the information?

When you first get your

research project, it is worth

spending the time getting

REALLY CLEAR on what you

are expected to do.

It will make the other stages

of the process much easier.

Here are five questions you

should answer before you

start.

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Know exactly what it is that you are required to do.

Defining the task

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Brainstorming /

Mindmapping

This is a great way to see how your brain EXPANDS ideas about the topic. It shows how you think.

Focus Questions

•5W’s•The Question Matrix•Bloom’s Taxonomy•Six Thinking Hats

• KWL Chart

This charts lets you :

• Identify what you already know

• Identify what you want to know

The question is the answerThe questions you create will define how you approach your research. Great questions will lead to great research.

In the DEFINING stage mind maps are especially good to:

•Document all of the existing knowledge you have a about a topic;

•Begin to see connections and links between different aspects of the topic;

•See where there are gaps in your information;

•Use focus questions to formulate appropriate questions that you want to find the answers to; and

• Provide a VISUAL MAP of your thinking process

You can add to the mind map as you discover

more information or make new connections in

your thinking.

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In the DEFINING stage…..

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The 5 W’sHere are five basic questions you can start with.

This question is about people.

This question refers to facts.

This question refers to a time (past., present, future or situation).

This question is hypothetical – asking you to predict something based on a set of circumstances.

WHO?WHO?

WHAT?WHAT?

WHY?WHY?

WHERE?WHERE?

WHEN?WHEN?

This question refers to a location or place.

WHAT IF?WHAT IF?

This question asks about a reason, cause, explanation, justification.

The Question Matrix is a grid that allows you to categorise your

questions against a number of contexts . It is a great tool to help you

develop your focus questions

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The Question Matrix

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When doing your research you will find that different sources have a different purpose and audience. For example an encyclopedia article is very different to a journal article which is different again to a brochure.

Pick the information source that best suits your task.

Locating ResourcesLocating Resources

There are many different sources of information. Try to utilise all of these when you get the opportunity.

Do NOT underestimate the value of primary sources.

More and more the internet is taking primary sources and converting them to an electronic form:•Virtual Tours•Videos of interviews•Digital versions of “real” documents”

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Sources of informationDifferent ways of looking at information

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Graphic OrganisersSome of the Graphic Organisers you might like to use in this stage of your research project are:

This helps you compare similar features across a number of criteria.

Lets you compare two things in colums

Let’s you sequence steps in a process. Could be set of instructions, recipe, timeline

Let’s you look at a topic in six different ways according to a colored hat.

Semantic Semantic GridGrid

T-ChartT-Chart

Venn Venn DiagramDiagram

PMI ChartPMI Chart

Flow ChartFlow Chart

Lets you look at something in terms of PLUS, MINUS, INTERESTING

Six Six Thinking Thinking

HatsHats

Allows you to compare and contrast two things to identify similarities an differences

You can find examples of all these and more in the STUDYVIBE TOOLBOX

You need to go back

to your original task

and focus questions

to see if the

information you have

collected will satisfy

your task.

If you don’t have

enough information

then you need to go

back to step two –

Locating

information.

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When you have located yourinformation and taken your notes you need to answer these questions:

Organising Organising informationinformation

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• Your research task requirements Your research task requirements

Is the presentation format set or can you Is the presentation format set or can you choose how you present your work?choose how you present your work?

• Your audienceYour audience

Who are you presenting the work to? Is your Who are you presenting the work to? Is your presentation format relevant?presentation format relevant?

The way you present your information will depend upon:

• The purpose of the taskThe purpose of the taskWhat was the purpose of the task? What was the purpose of the task? To inform? To entertain? To inform? To entertain? To persuade? To persuade?

Presenting Presenting information information

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Presenting informationHere are just a few presentation ideas

that you might like to try for your final product / presentation. They can be traditional or digital

Also check out the ‘Creative

Output” module n

iResearch for some great

presentation ideas.

1.What did I learn from this task?

2.How is this learning going to help me?

3.Did I answer all of my focus

questions?

4.How well did I go at each stage?

5.How well did I present my

information?

6.What did I really do well?

7.What needs to be improved next

time?14

This is probably one of the most important stages

of the whole research process because it helps

you to work out how well you did. Here are

some questions you can ask?

EvaluatingEvaluating

• It is really important that you REFERENCE every source of information you use for your project or assignment.

• Check out “Making Referencing Real” in the iResearch Module to learn how to do that.

• Here is an example of what it looks like for a book.

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Don’t forget to reference!!This really shouldn’t come at the end…..

Canfield, J. & Healy, K. 2008, The success principles for teens, Health Communications, Inc., London.

Focus on what you want to improve for next time.

Think about ways you can build on what you have learnt to make your next project bigger and better.

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Where to from here?

OK, you have done your research project. So now what?

But most of all…have fun with

your research!!

Celebrate your success!!