Unit 7: Should you believe those…Methods?

Should you believe those…Methods?

In this unit we’re going to tiptoe into the waters of the research process. Ultimately, we’re adding another question to our ongoing list of things we should investigate in order to determine… Should You Believe It? We’re looking at internal and external elements. Internal – within the scholarly article you’re examining (you know, after you’ve already gone through the first 7 steps), and External – when applicable – comparing the primary research to whatever source is citing it (e.g., some webpage, blog, popular press article, etc.).

8. What is the methodology?

    • Internal: Think about paradigms that may be influencing this research and their findings.
    • Internal: Locate the central question and examine how that question compares to study set up. Does the way the question is asked align with the persuasive argument as to why it’s asked (RQ/HY to ROL/Intro)? Do the variables align with the RQ/HYs?
    • External: Do the questions, concepts, and variables align between how the primary research author(s) described things, and how these same things are presented in whatever source is citing the primary research? 

Now we’re really cookin’ with Crisco!

Oct 4, 2022 12:30 PM Unit 7
Oct 6, 2022 12:30 PM Unit 7

We kick off Week 7 on October 6th with Live Zoom Lecture featuring a special guest to talk to us about Lateral and Vertical Reading (flashback to last week). This lesson is a TA fan favorite from research methods. We hope that you enjoy it! Ok, ok. Maybe that’s a stretch. We hope that you get a lot out of it!

After this unit you should be able to:

Describe the basic principles of social scientific research and the research process. (Aligns with Learning Outcome 1).

Identify and produce research questions that guide research. (Aligns with Learning Outcomes 1 & 2).

Evaluating Information: Ask yourself these questions…

In this course it is very important to be able to evaluate a source as reliable or unreliable. Below are a list of questions you should ask yourself to determine if it is valuable.

  1. Is this a primary source or secondary source?
    • You can determine this by deciding if it is a collection of information (like a textbook) or a direct source (like a peer-reviewed research article you got from the University of Iowa Database)? A textbook would be secondary source and a direct source would be a primacy source.
  2. Is it an academic or commercial source?
    • An example of commercial source:
      • Companies such as Dove perform proprietary research. This research can be biased as it is performed by the company for their own purposes.
    • An academic source would be used for scientific or scholarly purposes.
  3. Is it the OG original or is it a translation?
    • Make sure that you always get back to original published research, not only a version of the research that has been re-written for easier public consumption.
  4. Is it sound?
    • The research should be peer-reviewed and come from a reputable source.
  5. Is it recent/up-to-date?
    • Old research may no longer be correct. For example, if a researcher did a study about how many books University of Iowa students read on average, but it was done in 1990, the information is most likely out of date.
  6. What is the author’s background/ qualifications?
    • Are they reputable? Do they have qualifications from a good university?
  7. What is the reputation of the publication?
    • Some publications are “predatory” – meaning they look reputable, but are actually biased and trying to influence public opinion in some way. It is important to look out for these types of journals and get your research from publication with a good track record.

8. What is the methodology?

    • Internal: Think about paradigms that may be influencing this research and their findings.
    • Internal: Locate the central question and examine how that question compares to study set up. Does the way the question is asked align with the persuasive argument as to why it’s asked (RQ/HY to ROL/Intro)? Do the variables align with the RQ/HYs?
    • External: Do the questions, concepts, and variables align between how the primary research author(s) described things, and how these same things are presented in whatever source is citing the primary research? 

Remember: Think back to Vertical vs. Lateral Reading!

Unit 1Unit 2….Unit 3Unit 4Unit 5Unit 6Unit 7Unit 8Unit 9Unit 10Unit 11Unit 12Unit 13Unit 14Unit 15Unit 16

VII. Unit 7: Should you believe those…Methods?

21. Research Questions and Hypotheses [you choose to ask]

22. Qualitative vs. Quantitative Research [brief overview]

23. You said it was called the What’s That Now? Article Navigation

24. Research Questions and Hypotheses [you choose to ask] – Breakout Section!

We’re going to cover some pretty complicated concepts in this course. I recommend that you watch this video at the outset of each unit, and think about the major concepts and how they related to the content of each unit. Each unit has an entire chapter dedicated to the concepts described in this video. You will only be tested on the concepts when they are included in a chapter. Re-watching this video allows you to think about how the concepts all fit together.