So many jobs and careers require some form of research, and not just ones with “research” in the title like Field Researcher or Research Scientist.  Historians and museum curators use research to tell a true account of the past.  Teachers apply new research in their teaching methods and gather new research from their students.  Law enforcement and politicians research trends and data to make decisions for the community.

Even in our interactions with others or our everyday lives, we conduct research.  Why isn’t my child sleeping through the night?  Do masks slow the spread of COVID?  Should we fly or drive to our grandparents’ house this Thanksgiving?  Which streaming service is the best fit for me?  These are all research questions that we form and then use as we look for answers.  We look online, we talk to friends and family, we listen to podcasts, and we might even try an experiment ourselves — like putting a two-year-old to bed earlier or skipping a nap.

A research project in the academic setting gives you the opportunity to form a research question and then look for answers to that question.  You gather information from a variety of resources, determine what information is valid and relevant, and use that to develop your own opinion on the topic.  These research questions are used in all content areas as students are practicing this research in preparation for real-life application after they graduate.

This module focuses on the steps to take to develop a research project.  It provides strategies that can be used throughout the writing process and explains how to approach this project in a way that will appeal to your audience.