Methods of Scientific Research Flashcards

Flashcards covering key vocabulary and concepts related to methods of scientific research, useful for exam preparation.

Research

A systematic investigation of things (phenomena) and study of materials and sources in order to establish new facts and reach new conclusions.

Report (Research Paper Type)

An organized presentation of information about a subject, without argumentation. The writer collects, evaluates, organizes, and restates information objectively.

Persuasive Paper (Research Paper Type)

An organized presentation of information about a subject, accompanied by argumentation. The writer persuades readers to see the information in a particular way.

Steps of Writing a Research Paper

Choosing and narrowing a topic, identifying sources, gathering support, writing the paper, preparing the paper in its final form.

Thesis Statement

The single all-encompassing assertion that you want the readers to accept after reading your paper; the essence of a paper.

Primary Sources

Original sources that present basic facts on your topic, such as books written by Vygotsky about social constructivism.

Secondary Sources

Sources that present secondhand facts on your topic, using primary or other secondary sources as a basis, such as articles about Vygotsky's social constructivism.

Quotation

The exact words of a source, enclosed in quotation marks.

Paraphrase

A restatement, in your own words, of the words in a source, usually following the original organization sentence by sentence.

Summary

A restatement of the original in your own words, condensed and shorter than the original.

Plagiarism

Presenting someone else's words or ideas without giving credit for them.

Short Quotations

Quotations containing less than 40 words, incorporated into the text with quotation marks.

Block Quotations

Quotes consisting of 40 words or more, presented as a separate paragraph, without quotation marks, and indented from the left margin.