Effective Research Strategies

Databases & Keywords

• Databases offer pre-vetted information, avoiding the need for initial fact-checking.
• Specialized, unique research is often found only in databases.
• Schools provide access to databases; this includes paid subscription services, providing access to resources not freely available elsewhere, like premium news sites.
• Proper citation is crucial in research.

Keywords Tips & Tricks

• Be precise and concise in your keyword selection.
• Use essential terms, avoiding vague or broad ones.
• Employ synonyms and related terms.
• Instead of "fast fashion," search "fast fashion industry" or "sustainable fashion."
• Employ Boolean operators (AND/OR) to refine searches (e.g., "fast fashion AND environmental impact," "fast fashion OR sustainable fashion").
• Identify keywords through topic analysis and relevant sources.
• Add filters (e.g., date, format, language) to narrow your search results.

Research Types

Descriptive Research

• Focuses on the description and characteristics of a topic.
• Explores what a topic entails and prevailing views.
• Examines current discussions and debates.
• Aims to present, summarize, and explain a specific facet of an issue.
• Examples: the origins of TikTok, the impact of privacy rights on TikTok.

Causal Research

• Focuses on the cause-and-effect relationships of a topic.
• Examines the reasons behind a phenomenon.
• Identifies causal factors that drove a situation.
• Aims to determine "why" and "how" a topic's origins or impact occurred.
• Examples: origins of fast fashion industry, impacts of fast fashion on the environment.

Comparative Research

• Focuses on comparing different aspects of a topic.
• Explores similarities and differences between comparable topics.
• Aims to compare and contrast specific topics.
• Examples: compare and contrast various types of soda, compare and contrast fast fashion and slow fashion.

Impact/Implication Research

• Focuses on the consequences of a topic and the reasons why these consequences exist.
• Examines factors that drive particular results or outcomes.
• Aims to understand what the consequences of a topic are and how they are impactful. - Examines factors that influence those outcomes and their impact.
• Examples: the impact of fast fashion on the environment, the implications of the rise of fast fashion on the sustainability of the industry.

Evaluative Research

• Focuses on evaluating or assessing a subject.
• Assesses positive or negative aspects of topics (e.g., strengths, weaknesses).
• Studies the impact and influence of a topic on others.
• Avoids subjective opinions or biases.
• Examples: evaluating the sustainability of fast fashion, examining the effectiveness of certain environmental initiatives relating to fast fashion.

Source Credibility

• Research should pass the CRAAP Test.

CRAAP Test Criteria

• Currency: The timeliness of the information.
• Relevance: The importance of the information to your topic.
• Authority: The reputation and qualifications of the information's source.
• Accuracy: The accuracy, reliability, and truthfulness.
• Purpose: The purpose and intended audience of the information

Currency Questions:

• Is the information up-to-date?
• Is it current for the specific research topic?

Relevance Questions:

• Is the source directly related to your topic?
• Does the source address the needs of your research?

Authority Questions:

• Is the author qualified to discuss their topic?
• What are the author's credentials and potential biases in relation to the topic?

Accuracy Questions:

• Is the information supported by evidence?
• Is the information verifiable?
• Is the writing clear and unbiased?

Purpose Questions:

• What is the purpose of the information (e.g., inform, persuade, entertain)?

High-Quality Research

• Well-defined research question

• Focused research method or methods

• Clear research hypothesis

• Examples:

  • Topic: Fast Fashion
  • Question: How is fast fashion harming the environment?
  • Hypothesis: Fast fashion harms the environment.

• Minimal researcher bias

• High-quality and reliable data

• Qualitative data: Concepts not represented by numerical values, often from interviews, focus groups, personal accounts, etc.

• Quantitative data: Measurable and quantifiable information, able to be assigned a numerical value.

• Clear and understandable writing, and supporting evidence

• Conclusion and findings should align with the methods and data.

Other Key Credibility Terms

• Peer-reviewed source: A researched article subjected to expert critique.
• Misinformation: Incorrect or out-of-context information that is disguised as factual.
• Disinformation: Deliberately false information aiming to mislead.
• CRAAP Test: A method to evaluate a research source's trustworthiness.
• Credible source: A highly reliable reference with verifiable facts.