AP Reseach Guide Terminoligy & Concepts

QUEST

An inquiry-based learning approach that encourages exploration and investigation of complex questions, which aims to foster critical thinking and cultivate a deeper understanding of a subject.

Q

Question and Explore

U

Understand and Analyze

E

Evaluate Multiple Perspectives

S

Synthesize Ideas

T

Team, Transmit, Transform

Little “r” Research

• Summarize Evidence

• Critique an expert’s ideas

• Evaluate the credibility of experts

• Support a thesis

Big “R” Research

• Add to the body of evidence

• Develop and test your own ideas

• Demonstrate your own credibility

• Test and evaluate a research question

PREP

Process and Reflection Portfolio

POD

Presentation and Oral Defense

Presentation and Oral Defense (POD)

P - Presentation (15 minutes)

O & D - 5 minute period when panel members ask ~3-4 questions & presenter provides oral defense

Process and Reflection Portfolio (PREP)

a way of showing what was learned about the different aspects of the QUEST process

EBSCO

a giant database of journals, magazines, books, and other published media

CRAAP

C - Currency

R - Relevance

A - Authority

A - Accuracy

P - Purpose

Currency

how recent the information is

Relevance

How useful and deep the information is for your academic purposes

Authority

Reputability and credibility of the publishers and authors of the information

Accuracy

Allignment with other sources on the topic and lack of bias

Purpose

Nobility of the sources reason for creation

The Basic Elements of the Academic Paper

• Abstract

• Introduction and Literature Review

• Method, Process, or Approach

• Product, Results, or Findings

• Discussion, Analysis, or Evaluation

• Conclusion and Future Directions

• Binliography

Abstract

a short, self-contained summary of a completed research study that lets readers quickly understand the main goals, methods, findings, and conclusions of the work

Introduction

The opening part of a research paper that introduces the topic, provides background context, highlights the research gap, and states the core aim of the study to make the reader care about the topic and explain what your specific study does and why it matters

Literature Review

A comprehensive text or section that collects, evaluates, and synthesizes scholarly sources on a specific research question to show how past research connects, agrees, disagrees, and how your work builds upon it

Method

describes how research was conducted referring to the researchers strategy

Approach

Choice of explanation, exploration, and creation

Process

the systematic sequence of steps a researcher follows to investigate a topic, write findings, and publish a scholarly work

Source Mining

the practice of using one relevant research article to find more related sources by exploring its reference list or tracking newer papers that cite it

Backward Source Mining

tactic of reading the reference list or bibliography of a relevant article to find the older foundational sources the author used

Foreward Source Mining

tactic of finding newer articles that have cited your starting article, showing how the research evolved or was applied later

Related Item Mining

Tactic of comparing the bibliographies of multiple similar articles to find overlapping, highly relevant studies

Annotated Bibliography

a detailed description of each source that includes a summary, an evaluation of the quality of information, and a judgement on whether is can contribute to your project

Credibility

the trustworthiness, intent, and expertise of the person or source

Reliability

the accuracy, consistency, and factual dependability of data or testimony

Gap

an unanswered question, missing perspective, or unaddressed problem in existing scholarship that your academic paper aims to investigate and fill

“Explain” Approach

used when you know the variables you rwant to study but you don’t know how they are connected and you want to describe connections or potential cause-and-effect relationships

“Explore” Approach

used when an aspect (variables and/or patterns) of a topic is not well understood

“Create” Approach

used when you don’t understand a topic/aspect well and want to develop a solution to a problem or learn about a topic more deeply through the act of creation, making something new such as a design, tool, procedure, scholarly work, or a piece of art

FINERMAPS

F - Feasible

I - Interesting

N - Novel

E - Ethical

R - Relevant

M - Manageable

A - Appropriate

P - Potential Value & Publishability

S - Systematic

Feasible

the level in which a project can be successfully accomplished in the time, with the tools and money accessable

Interesting

the level in which your chosen topic can keep you engaged for 7 - 8 months or will be of interest to the public when finished

Novel

the chance of the research question leading to an answer about something that is not currently known and possibility of finding a new perspective and understanding

Ethical

the level to which the chosen topic can be studied while protecting the confidentiality of everyone involved and practicing academic honesty, and without risking harm to yourself and others

Relevant

the level in which others in the field of knowledge would want to know the answer to your question

Manageable

the degree in which you have the neccessary skillsto handle the project, and the realisticity of the project and whether or not you would be able to learn from it

Appropriate

the level in which the topic is something a high schooler should be studying and whether or not the school would approve of the project

Potential Value

the usefulness of the result

Publishability

the level of interest an organization would be in publishing and hearing about your findings

Systematic

the logicality of how you’d study your chosen topic and of there are appropriate methodologies available for use in your topics context

Experimental Design

manipulating one or more variables, and controls and measures any change in other variable— this is the only way of scientifically establishing causality

Quasi-Experimental Design

used when you can’t assign a general population of subjects to random groups and when you don’t have the resources to study a larger group that statistically represents all, so instead you use groups that already exist

Correlational Design

used when you can’t manipulate the independent variable, when you know there’s a connection between variables, but you’re pretty sure there’s no causal relationship to determine if, and to what degree, variables are related— not assuming that one CAUSES the other, but evaluating the connection between the variable and the result (comparing the reliability of a test or recording a possible pattern shown)

• one of the two non-experimental designs

Descrptive Design

used to attept to understand something, not to determine the cause of something by evaluating a description of what you can observe. Involves surveys, questionaires, and interviews to know/learn more about something using peoples descriptions of possible observaions, experiences, etc. — watching and recording

Quantitative Method/Data

numerical data— used when something can be measured

Qualitative Method/Data

descriptive information— used when something can be observed but not measured

Mixed Methods

when both numerical and descriptive information gathered used to get richer information— often uses qualitative data to help better understand the quantitative data

Primary Source

the data didn’t previously exist

Secondary Source

the information already exists— may be used for comparisons

Advantage of using Primary Sources

the collection process is totally in that hands of the researcher

Disadvantage of using Primary Sources

the primary data can be difficult to collect due to cost, time, complexity, etc.

Archival Data

another name for information from a Secondary Source

Advatage to using Secondary Sources

said information is already generated and to access it you won’t be worried by cost, time, complexity, etc.

Disadvantage of using Secondary Sources

you don’t/can’t control the information

Alignment

the design supports the approach, the approach clarifies the purpose, which all determines your method

Misalignment

when the structure of your project fails to logically support one another which negatively affects results and hurts your credibility

Variable

something in which their characteristics are affected by something else

Constant

something thats characteristics are the same for each thing observed

Independent Variable

something that nothing else in the study affects or changes

ex. age, time

Dependent Variable

the things observed and measured to determine an effect or a relationship

Experiments

examine the impact of independent variables on dependent variables

Confounding Variables

independent variables that have a potential influence on the outcome of a study, but aren’t being tested by the researcher— whenever possible, turn a confounding variable into a constatnt

Isolating a Variable

keeping every factor in an experiment the same except for one independent variable so you can test its exact effect on the dependent variable— turning a confounding variable into a constant

can sometimes be unethical depending

Correlation

a relationship between two or more measures

Causation

a specific relationship in which one thing causes another

Objective

fact-based, unbiased

Subjective

bias

based on personal beliefs, opinions, or feelings

Limitation

a compromise due to factors that can’t be controlled

ex. time

Delimitations

boundaries of a project, decisions made during an investigation

Assumption

thinking something is a certain way before finding any evidence supporting such

Hypothesis

what you expect will happen in your study, which gives focus and direction to a question that can be realistically answered

• tentative, testable, guiding

• neither proved nor disproved, but rather supported or not supported

Alternative Hypothesis

possible relationship between A & B

Null Hypothesis

all other possibilities— when the findings of the study reveal no statistical significance in the relationship between A & B

researchers typically aim to disprove the null hypothesis

Deduction

moving from a general premise to a specific conclusion

Induction

looking at premises to determine IF they support a conclusion

Premise

the foundation of an argument

Line of Reasoning

the clear, logical sequence of claims, evidence, and analysis that connects your central research question to your final conclusion

• Introduces the gap in knowledge and what you aim to find ⬇

• Explains how you collected data to test your ideas ⬇

• Presents the raw results or data you gathered ⬇

• Interprets the data, acknowledges limitations, and states your final takeaway without making unexpected logical jump

By the end of the 1st month:

• Finalize the TOPIC and RESEARCH QUESTION

• Develop a tentative METHODOLOGY

• Outline a project proposal

By the end of the 1st Quarter:

• Read as many sources as possible

• Complete an annotated bibliography

• Finalize the METHODOLOGY

• Finalize the project proposal

By the end of the 2nd Quarter:

• Complete the LITERATURE REVIEW

• Finalize a PLAN to do the research study (METHOD), and begin the data collection process

Before Spring Break:

• Complete the data-gathering process

• Complete the ANALYSIS of what was learned

By mid-April:

• Draft the paper and get peer feedback

• Outline the POD and practice it

Before April 30th:

• Do a high-level proofreading of the paper

• Do the POD

• Finish the final draft of the paper

• Upload the finished document to the digital portfolio