a recipe for good research. key ingredient: strong argument strong arguments advance and support one...
TRANSCRIPT
A Recipe for Good Research
Key Ingredient:Strong Argument
• Strong arguments advance and support one point of view while acknowledging the legitimacy of the other side’s argument and their support for it.
Argument
Key Ingredient:Thesis
• A thesis is not a fact. • A thesis is an opinion• A good thesis
is arguable and controversial
• Good research uses facts, opinions, and logic – for support – for rebutting the other
side’s argument
http://www.godloveseveryone.org/elephant/
Key Ingredient:Question & Answer
• Your thesis is a response to a question about your opinion.
• Example:– Do you think
Alexander deserves the title “Great?”
Research Process• Inventory• Locate sources• Evaluate sources• Document sources• Distinguish facts from opinions
– Extract and categorize facts• For or against?
– Evaluate and categorize opinions• Extract and categorize evidence• For or against?
• Synthesize & Hypothesize – Preliminary Thesis
• Your 1st Draft• Reflect & Re-consider
– Thesis• Your Final Report
Starts Broad, then Narrows through Research, Writing & Revision
Beginning
End
Inventory
• What do I know?– Start by taking
stock of what you already know
– Categorize what you know in T-chart form
+ -
Identifying Sources
• Types of Sources– Primary & secondary sources– Books, Journals & Magazines– Images & other media– Personal Interviews– Etc.
• Locations for Sources– Libraries– Internet– Etc.
Evaluating Sources
• Primary, Secondary or Tertiary?
• Suitable or not?– Authoritative or not?– Biased or not?– Current or not?
• Credible or not?– Fact or Opinion?– Accurate or not?
Primary Sources
• Primary sources are original materials
• They are from the time period involved and have not been filtered through interpretation or evaluation.
• Primary sources are original materials on which other research is based.
http://www.lib.umd.edu/guides/primary-sources.html#primary
Secondary Sources
• Secondary sources are less easily defined than primary sources.
• Generally, they are accounts written after the fact with the benefit of hindsight.
• They are interpretations and evaluations of primary sources.
• Secondary sources are not evidence, but rather commentary on and discussion of evidence.
http://www.lib.umd.edu/guides/primary-sources.html#primary
Tertiary Sources
• Tertiary sources consist of information which is a distillation and collection of primary and secondary sources.
http://www.lib.umd.edu/guides/primary-sources.html#primary
ExamplesSUBJECT PRIMARY SECONDARY TERTIARY
Art and Architecture
Painting by Manet Article critiquing art piece ArtStor database
Chemistry/Life Sciences
Einstein's diaryMonograph on Einstein's
lifeDictionary on Theory
of Relativity
Engineering /Physical Sciences
Patent NTIS databaseManual on using
invention
Social Studies /Humanities
Letters by Martin Luther King
Web site on King's writings
Encyclopedia on Civil Rights Movement
Social SciencesNotes taken by
clinical psychologist
Magazine article about the psychological condition
Textbook on clinical psychology
Performing ArtsMovie filmed in
1942Biography of the director Guide to the movie
http://www.lib.umd.edu/guides/primary-sources.html#primary
Source Resources
• http://www.lib.washington.edu/uwill/research101/basic00.htm
• http://www.lib.washington.edu/uwill/research101/Images/primary.swf
Documenting Sources
Documenting Sources
Distinguishing Facts from Opinions
• Facts– Have an objective reality,
an actual existence
– His father was a king – He was a student of
Aristotle– He conquered many lands – He spread Hellenic culture– He didn’t leave a successor
• Opinions– An information-
based assumption, which may be right or wrong
– Alexander was Great
Prioritizing & Organizing
• Is every fact important?
• Are some facts related?
• What do others think? – Are they looking at different facts?– Are they prioritizing differently?
Elements of Mr. Clarke’s Formula
• 1 - Support For
• 2 - Support Against
• 3 - Hypothesis/Thesis
3
1 2
1. Support For
• Here’s where you collect findings (facts and opinions) that support your argument.– Alexander spread
Hellenic culture throughout the Mediterranean.
2. Support Against
• Here’s where you collect findings (facts and opinions) that counter your argument.– Alexander’s empire
collapsed because he failed to provide for an orderly succession.
3. Synthesize & Hypothesize
• Here’s where you try to boil down all the facts and opinions you’ve collected and form a hypothesis (in other words, a preliminary thesis) that you will defend
Applying Mr. Clarke’s Formula
• Although 2 (Support Against), 3 (Hypothesis/Thesis) because of 1 (Support For)
• Although Alexander’s empire collapsed because he did not provide for an orderly succession he deserves the title “Great” because he spread Hellenic culture throughout the Mediterranean.
3
1 2
Pyramid Structure
• Ideas are related vertically and horizontally– Each level of the pyramid is
a summary of the level below
– Items on the same level have the same level of importance
– Ideas are presented in logical order
• Ideas generate questions – How?– Why?
• Ideas force the reader into a dialog
Thesis
Best Support
Detail 1 Detail 2 Detail 3 Detail 1 Detail 2 Detail 1
NextBest
Support
NextBest
Support
Audience’s Question
Constructing Your Paper …or Presentation, or Poster, etc.
• There is one, clear, central point at the core of a strong argument.
• The primary supporting elements in the argument should develop from that central point.
• Supporting elements of a strong argument should be presented in order of their importance.
• Leave weak or loosely related elements for later – or leave them off entirely.
Thesis
Best Support
Detail 1 Detail 2 Detail 3 Detail 1 Detail 2 Detail 1
NextBest
Support
NextBest
Support
Audience’s Question
Three types of groupingsTop 3
Number 1 Number 2 Number 3
Effect
Cause 1 Cause 2 Cause 3
• Classification
• Causes
• Parts of a whole Rome
Republic Empire Falll
What happens when your findings don’t support your hypothesis?
• Reflect– Not enough support?
• More research• More analysis
• Re-write your paper using old thesis & new-found support
• Reflect– Not enough support?
• More research• More analysis
• Revise hypothesis
• Re-write your paper with a revised thesis & using new-found support
A B
Your Final Paper…Presentation, Poster, etc.
• Clear– Well-written
• Coherent– Logical
• Thorough – As complete as
possible, – though possibly not
perfectly complete
• Well-documented