Conducting Preliminary Research

Summary

This video script offers insights on conducting preliminary research for AP Capstone projects. It emphasizes the importance of preliminary research in refining research questions and enhancing the quality of the final project. The script advises on quick and effective preliminary research techniques, such as skimming books and articles, and using resources like Wikipedia for initial exploration. It also outlines different types of preliminary research, including topic generation, concept connection, body of knowledge development, and topic narrowing, highlighting the significance of credible sources for building a robust research argument.

Takeaways

• 🔍 Preliminary research is essential for building a strong foundation of knowledge and refining research questions.
• 📚 It helps to narrow down topics, identify what's feasible based on constraints, and understand specific aspects of a topic.
• ⏱️ Preliminary research should be conducted quickly and efficiently, focusing on identifying more focused concepts.
• 📖 For books and journals, start with the index, then the table of contents, and if needed, skim through the introductory chapter.
• 🌐 For articles and web pages, read the first three and last three paragraphs to gauge their relevance.
• 📝 Skimming and speed reading are acceptable methods during preliminary research to save time.
• 🤔 There are different types of preliminary research, including topic generation, concept connection, body of knowledge, and topic narrowing.
• 🚫 Wikipedia is useful for early-stage general knowledge development but should not be used as a citable source.
• 🔗 Wikipedia can be a valuable tool for source mining, directing you to credible and citable sources through its references.
• 📝 Preliminary research should provide useful information for knowledge building, but for academic research, rely on credible and academic sources.

Q & A

Why is preliminary research important before starting a full research project or paper?

Preliminary research is crucial as it informs your body of knowledge, helps refine research questions, and contributes to developing a stronger and more robust research project.

What are the benefits of conducting preliminary research early in the research process?

Early preliminary research helps in developing better research questions, understanding the existing body of work, and guiding the direction of more detailed reading and inquiry.

How can preliminary research help in narrowing down a research topic?

Preliminary research helps to identify existing work on a topic, understand what is doable based on research parameters, and guides the researcher to more specific aspects of the topic.

What is the recommended approach to conduct preliminary research quickly and effectively?

The approach includes skimming through books or journals by checking indexes, tables of contents, and introductory chapters, and for articles or web pages, reading the first and last three paragraphs along with the first sentence of each paragraph in between.

What should be the focus of preliminary research when using articles or web pages?

The focus should be on reading the first three paragraphs and the last three paragraphs to gauge the usefulness of the source, and if promising, proceed to read more specifically, using speed reading and skimming techniques.

Why is it suggested to look at the first sentence of each paragraph when conducting preliminary research on articles or web pages?

The first sentence of each paragraph often summarizes the main idea of the paragraph, which helps in quickly building an understanding of the author's argument and determining the relevance of the source.

What are the different types of preliminary research mentioned in the script?

The types include topic generation, concept connection, body of knowledge, and topic narrowing, each serving different purposes in the early stages of research.

How does preliminary research for topic generation differ from that for concept connection?

Topic generation preliminary research is done when unsure of the topic, aiming to find interesting concepts, while concept connection research helps develop a deeper understanding and find new research avenues within a general topic.

What role does Wikipedia play in the preliminary research stage?

Wikipedia is useful for building general knowledge in the early stages but is not a citable source in academic research. However, its references and footnotes can lead to citable sources and quality information.

Why is it important to use academic and credible sources for building a research argument and project?

Academic and credible sources provide the necessary reliability and authority to support research claims, ensuring the validity and integrity of the research project.

How should preliminary sources be utilized in the context of academic research?

Preliminary sources, while not always academic, should be used to build initial knowledge and formulate questions. However, for the actual research argument and project, academic and credible sources are essential.

Outlines

00:00

🔍 Understanding Preliminary Research for AP Capstone

This paragraph introduces the concept of preliminary research, emphasizing its importance in the early stages of the research process. It explains that preliminary research helps to refine research questions and develop a robust project. The paragraph also outlines the purpose of preliminary research, which includes narrowing down topics, identifying doable aspects, and guiding further reading. It suggests that this research should be quick and effective, pointing to more focused concepts. The paragraph references a document from the New York Institute of Technology for further guidance on conducting preliminary research.

05:00

📚 Conducting Preliminary Research: Techniques and Types

The second paragraph delves into how to conduct preliminary research effectively and quickly. It provides specific techniques for books, research journals, articles, and web pages, such as checking indexes, tables of contents, introductory chapters, and skimming paragraphs. The paragraph also discusses different types of preliminary research, including topic generation, concept connection, body of knowledge development, and topic narrowing. It highlights the use of Wikipedia for general knowledge building and data mining, while cautioning against using it as a citable source. The paragraph concludes by stressing the importance of using academic and credible sources for building research arguments and projects.

Keywords

💡Preliminary Research

Preliminary research refers to the initial phase of research where one gathers general information on a topic to refine questions and build a foundation of knowledge. In the video, it is emphasized as a crucial step to develop better research questions and a robust project. The script mentions that it helps in narrowing down topics, identifying doable aspects, and guiding to further detailed reading.

💡Research Project

A research project is an in-depth study undertaken to explore a particular subject or question. The video script discusses how preliminary research contributes to the quality of a research project by informing the development of the research question and ensuring the project is well-structured and focused.

💡Research Questions

Research questions are the specific inquiries that guide a research project. The script explains that preliminary research helps in refining these questions, making them more precise and relevant to the research topic, which is essential for a successful research endeavor.

💡Body of Knowledge

The term 'body of knowledge' in the script refers to the collection of information and understanding one has on a particular subject. Preliminary research is vital for building this body of knowledge, which in turn aids in formulating informed and focused research questions.

💡Topic Generation

Topic generation is a type of preliminary research aimed at identifying potential research topics. The script mentions that this process can help in finding concepts associated with a general idea and narrowing down the topic of interest.

💡Concept Connection

Concept connection is another form of preliminary research that helps in developing a deeper understanding of a topic by identifying relationships between different concepts. The script illustrates how this can open up new research avenues.

💡Topic Narrowing

Topic narrowing is the process of refining a broad topic into a more specific one. The script describes how preliminary research assists in this process, allowing researchers to move from a general topic to a focused research question.

💡Skimming

Skimming is a reading technique mentioned in the script where one quickly scans through text to get the gist of the content. It is suggested as an effective method during preliminary research to identify relevant sections in books or articles.

💡Speed Reading

Speed reading is a method of reading that allows one to read text at a faster pace while still retaining information. The script endorses this technique for preliminary research to quickly assess the relevance of sources.

💡Academic Sources

Academic sources are scholarly materials such as journals, books, and conference papers that are peer-reviewed and considered credible. The script highlights the importance of using academic sources for building arguments and research projects.

💡Citable Sources

Citable sources are materials that can be referenced in academic research. The script points out that while Wikipedia is useful for preliminary research, it is not a citable source, but it can lead to citable sources through its references and footnotes.

Highlights

Preliminary research is essential for informing your body of knowledge and refining research questions.

Conducting preliminary research helps develop better and stronger research questions for a robust and quality project.

Preliminary research should be done at the beginning of the research process and is a time-efficient activity.

The purpose of preliminary research is to narrow the topic, identify doable aspects, and guide to further detailed reading and better questions.

Preliminary research is not meant to be exhaustive but to understand the existing body of work and revise questions accordingly.

For books or research journals, the index is the first place to look for specific pages related to the topic.

If the index is unhelpful, the table of contents may provide chapter or article titles that are relevant.

Introductory chapters can offer insights into the overall discussion of the book or journal.

If initial sections are not helpful, the source may be set aside as unhelpful for the research.

For articles or web pages, reading the first and last three paragraphs can provide an understanding of the source's usefulness.

Skimming and speed reading are acceptable methods during preliminary research to quickly assess sources.

Preliminary research can be conducted for various reasons such as topic generation, concept connection, body of knowledge, and topic narrowing.

Topic generation research helps in identifying interesting concepts when there is a general idea but no specific topic yet.

Concept connection research aids in developing a deeper understanding and finding new research avenues.

Body of knowledge research is crucial for developing a research question with a basic understanding of the topic.

Topic narrowing research helps to transition from a general topic to a more focused and specific one.

While Wikipedia is useful for early-stage knowledge development, it is not a citable source in academic research.

Wikipedia can be beneficial for data mining, leading to citable sources through its references and footnotes.

Preliminary research should provide useful information for knowledge building and question formulation, though not all sources need to be academic.

Academic and credible sources are essential for building an argument and a research project in the later stages of research.

Transcripts

this video is designed to give you an

overview

on conducting preliminary research for

ap capstone

if you are going to complete an entire

research project or paper

you may ask yourself what's the point of

doing preliminary research

why can't i just jump in and begin

working

that is because preliminary research

informs your body

of knowledge and helps you to refine

your later questions

spending the time doing preliminary

research at the beginning of the

research process

can help you to develop better stronger

research questions

and a more robust and quality research

project

we all know that research takes time

and preliminary research is done at the

beginning of the research process

let's talk briefly on how to conduct

preliminary research

quickly and effectively to meet your

needs

of building a body of knowledge and

helping to inform the development of a

research question

the following slides are informed from

the document

how to do preliminary research quickly

and effectively

from the new york institute of

technology

the purpose of preliminary research is

to help narrow your topic

by finding what is out there it helps to

identify what is doable based on your

page limit or research parameters

it helps you get an idea of specific

aspects of your topics

and guides you to further detailed

reading and better questions

it's important to remember that

preliminary research is

just that preliminary

refer back to the purposes it's simply

designed to help you understand what's

out there

and help you to revise your questions

preliminary research can be done quickly

and effectively

it should be a quick process and it

should point you to more

narrow concepts here are several guides

for how to do preliminary research in

various media

for books or research journals looking

in the index is the first place to go

for specific pages that apply to your

topic

if the index is present but unhelpful

check a table of contents this may give

you other information

including chapter or article titles

that may prove promising if the table of

contents does not have anything that is

helpful

quickly review the introductory chapter

this may give you an idea of what the

journal or the book

is discussing if none of these things

are useful

you can put the source aside and

consider it unhelpful for your research

for articles or web pages the best thing

you can do is read the first three

paragraphs

and then read the last three paragraphs

if these two read-throughs provide you

with an understanding that the source

may be useful

then you can continue to read more

specifically

speed reading and skimming is okay in

preliminary research

once you've read the first three

paragraphs or the first or the last

three paragraphs

you can also start looking at the first

sentence of each paragraph in between

this can help you build an idea of what

the author is trying to tell you

now that we've talked about the purpose

of preliminary research

and a few ways to do it effectively and

quickly

let's talk about the types of

preliminary research

yes there's more than one type

you may do preliminary research because

you are unsure of the topic that you

would like to address

so perhaps you're looking for a variety

of things that are interesting to you

topic generation preliminary research

occurs when you have a general idea

this way you can do a search to see what

concepts are associated with it

this can also help to narrow a topic

you may also do a preliminary research

for concept connection

it can help you develop a deeper

understanding of your general topic

and you may find connections that open

up new research arenas and avenues

you may do body of knowledge preliminary

research

it's very difficult to develop a

research question if you don't have a

basic knowledge of the concepts

or topic that you would like to research

this preliminary research can give you a

better understanding of the whole

you can also do preliminary research for

topic narrowing

this is very similar to body of

knowledge or connections

in this case preliminary research for

topic narrowing

is done so that you can move from a

general topic

through various narrow topics to a final

focused

topic

let's make a quick note on wikipedia

and a general note on sources for

wikipedia

it is useful for building general body

of knowledge development

in the very early stages but wikipedia

is not a citable source

used in academic research however

wikipedia can be incredibly beneficial

in

data mining or source mining using the

references and footnotes at the end of a

wikipedia article

can lead you to areas that are citable

and that can give you quality

information

additionally preliminary research should

give you useful information

to build your knowledge and build a

question

preliminary sources are not always

academic and that's okay

but remember for the purpose of research

academic and credible sources

should be the ones you use to build your

argument

and to build a research project