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Research is Fun

Also known as Research Methods.

This is an online walkthrough of the research proposal process. It is based on the cirriculum of the Research Methods class, as taught by the Communication Arts Program at Montgomery Blair High School. Notes are paraphrased from the lessons of the Research Methods class.

What is research?

Research is:

- something that leads to the "betterment" of society or the world
- starting with an inquisitive mind
- precisely stating a goal
- a specific plan of action
- a break down of the main problem into sub-problems
- accepting/rejecting hypotheses and assumptions
- interpreting a set of facts and their meaning
- cyclical (circular) and does not stop

Research is not:

- information gathering
- mere interpretation of facts
- rummaging for information for self-enlightenment

What is a research proposal?

A research proposal serves to outline and plan the execution of a research project, usually intended for a Senior Research Project (SRP). A proposal includes many pieces, all essential to the research project. Those pieces are listed in the navigation bar to the left, in the order that they should be completed. A research proposal states the problem to be solved, gathers data, and interprets it for the project.

What you need to get started

1. A binder to keep all your papers in. Eventually, this binder will hold your finalized research proposal. Specific requirements as to the layout and organization and contents of the binder should be given by the teacher. A 1" binder should do.

2. Generate a list of at least 10 researchable topics you might want to use. This is essential to your proposal because you need to think about topics that would truly interest you. Your topic should be something you would not mind committing a lot of time and effort into. Think about how you could create a problem statement (that could be solved through research) about each topic.

3. After you have your binder and your list of topics, start working on your proposal with the first step: the Problem Statement.

For now, you can e-mail me at [email protected].