edtechdev/chatbotfiles · Datasets at Hugging Face

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choose to do explanatory research. This type of research examines cause-and-effect relationships. For
example, there is music created to tell a particular story in a specific manner. This might be true of rap music.
To study this, you would use explanatory research to describe this phenomenon.
Review of the Literature
One other piece of the research puzzle is a review of the literature. The literature in a particular field is its

discourse, which is actually a conversation over time about a topic. When you do your literature review, you are
inserting yourself in the middle of such a conversation and getting information only from that particular time
and perspective. For instance, if you want to study the effects of music on children, you will find a wide variety
of sources that will give you information about the topic. You will discover that many people have been
interested in the issue and have done studies trying to find out the answer. These studies have been done over
many years, and the perspectives involved have changed accordingly. The discourse continues over time, and
you can insert information into the conversation by conducting your own research.
Thus, a review of the literature finds, evaluates, and integrates past research. It is a critical synthesis of
research literature that:
•
•
•
•

shows how previous studies relate to one another.
shows similarities and differences between studies.
discriminates between relevant and irrelevant information.
indicates weaknesses in previous work.

The purpose of the literature review is to synthesize many specific events and details into a comprehensive
whole. Synthesis results from weaving together many smaller generalizations and interpretations into a
coherent main theme. You will find that a literature review is always required of an assigned research paper for
a course. The purpose is to enable you to critically analyze a segment of an already published body of
knowledge. A comprehensive literature review encompasses the following elements:
• Start the introduction by describing the problem or issue you are addressing, then focus on your research
hypotheses or questions.
• Explicitly state the significance of the topic in the introduction.
• Present the review as an essay, not an annotated list.
• Emphasize the findings of previous research you have found.
• Point out the trends and themes in the literature.
• Point out the gaps in the literature.
• Express opinions about the quality and importance of the research you have found.
• Use the review to suggest that there is a need for more study.
Avoiding Plagiarism
You certainly have heard about plagiarism and how important it is not to let yourself participate in it. It is so
easy to read through many other people’s work and grab a sentence here and there to put into your own

402

A • Conducting and Presenting Research

paper. As you’re struggling to come up with ideas, you may also find yourself borrowing from others. Neither
of these is a good idea.
Plagiarism often starts with the note-taking stage of the research process. Thus, when taking notes, be sure to
distinguish between paraphrases and direct quotations. When you are copying an exact quotation, be
extremely precise. Note all the information you will need for the citation. It is a good idea to make a system for
yourself, perhaps color coding, when doing your research. Make direct quotations one color and your own
paraphrasing of ideas another color. Both quotations and paraphrases need to be cited with sources, both
within the paper and at the end.
Learning how to use the ideas of others to add weight to your own ideas involves effort and a commitment to
academic honesty. It is not always clear exactly how or when to use sources, and sometimes you might need
advice or guidance. Since your professors are most familiar with the expectations of their disciplines, they are
the best people to ask. Your college likely offers support in the writing lab or online. If you need more
guidance, the Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL) has a section on safe practices for researching and drafting
(https://openstax.org/l/avoidingplagiarism), where you can find excellent advice on identifying plagiarism and
preventing yourself from plagiarizing.
While the process of writing authentically and avoiding plagiarism must be focused from the start, you can
avoid a world of trouble by double-checking your near-final work with a source identification site or plagiarism
detector. Doing so can help you avoid any unintentional reuse of others’ work and may simply identify a source
you forgot to cite. Chegg Writing (https://www.chegg.com/writing) allows you to upload or paste in your paper
for a detailed source evaluation. Note that this is only a check step; you must follow best practices to ensure
that you don’t plagiarize.
Validity and Credibility
Before you move on to interpreting your data and addressing the significance of what you found, you need to
understand the concepts of validity and credibility. There are many ways you can check the validity of a piece
of information. Can you find contradictory or confirmatory data? Can you find evidence that disputes what you
are reading? If so, use this information. It is always useful to mention opposing ideas. Ultimately, doing so
might strengthen your own ideas. Is the topic within the expertise of the person offering the information? Was
the method chosen to convey this information the best method to use? The credibility of the author is another
important aspect of checking your sources. In other words, evaluate the authors. Are they experts on the
topic? Do they have credentials to write on this particular topic? Has this author written anything else on this
topic?
Evidence is the way we show that we are using the experiences, values, research, and perspectives of others.
To be information literate is to apply the concepts of subjective and objective evidence to our selection, use,
and evaluation of information. When we read a website or view a television program, can we recognize that a
particular set of values and perspectives is being used? Are we able to identify when evidence is being used?
Can we determine that the evidence being used shows a relevant connection between values, perspectives,
and conclusions? Are enough different values and perspectives being presented that the conclusions can be
considered objective? It is important to learn how to determine the validity and credibility of sources.
The Internet presents its own challenges when it comes to discovering valid and credible information. When
looking at a website, you should be able to answer the following questions: Who is responsible for the site (i.e.,
who is the author)? What can you find out about the responsible party? Where does the site’s information
come from (e.g., opinions, facts, documents, quotes, excerpts)? What are the key concepts, issues, and “facts”
on the site? And finally, can the key elements of the site be verified by another site or source? In other words, if
you want to find some information online, you shouldn’t just Google the topic and then depend on the first
website that pops up.
For certain topics and types of information, you may need to dig deeper. Take into account the funding behind

Access for free at openstax.org

A • Conducting and Presenting Research

403

choose to do explanatory research. This type of research examines cause-and-effect relationships. For

example, there is music created to tell a particular story in a specific manner. This might be true of rap music.

To study this, you would use explanatory research to describe this phenomenon.

Review of the Literature

One other piece of the research puzzle is a review of the literature. The literature in a particular field is its

discourse, which is actually a conversation over time about a topic. When you do your literature review, you are

inserting yourself in the middle of such a conversation and getting information only from that particular time

and perspective. For instance, if you want to study the effects of music on children, you will find a wide variety

of sources that will give you information about the topic. You will discover that many people have been

interested in the issue and have done studies trying to find out the answer. These studies have been done over

many years, and the perspectives involved have changed accordingly. The discourse continues over time, and

you can insert information into the conversation by conducting your own research.

Thus, a review of the literature finds, evaluates, and integrates past research. It is a critical synthesis of

research literature that:

•

shows how previous studies relate to one another.

shows similarities and differences between studies.

discriminates between relevant and irrelevant information.

indicates weaknesses in previous work.

The purpose of the literature review is to synthesize many specific events and details into a comprehensive

whole. Synthesis results from weaving together many smaller generalizations and interpretations into a

coherent main theme. You will find that a literature review is always required of an assigned research paper for

a course. The purpose is to enable you to critically analyze a segment of an already published body of

knowledge. A comprehensive literature review encompasses the following elements:

• Start the introduction by describing the problem or issue you are addressing, then focus on your research

hypotheses or questions.

• Explicitly state the significance of the topic in the introduction.

• Present the review as an essay, not an annotated list.

• Emphasize the findings of previous research you have found.

• Point out the trends and themes in the literature.

• Point out the gaps in the literature.

• Express opinions about the quality and importance of the research you have found.

• Use the review to suggest that there is a need for more study.

Avoiding Plagiarism

You certainly have heard about plagiarism and how important it is not to let yourself participate in it. It is so

easy to read through many other people’s work and grab a sentence here and there to put into your own

402

A • Conducting and Presenting Research

paper. As you’re struggling to come up with ideas, you may also find yourself borrowing from others. Neither

of these is a good idea.

Plagiarism often starts with the note-taking stage of the research process. Thus, when taking notes, be sure to

distinguish between paraphrases and direct quotations. When you are copying an exact quotation, be

extremely precise. Note all the information you will need for the citation. It is a good idea to make a system for

yourself, perhaps color coding, when doing your research. Make direct quotations one color and your own

paraphrasing of ideas another color. Both quotations and paraphrases need to be cited with sources, both

within the paper and at the end.

Learning how to use the ideas of others to add weight to your own ideas involves effort and a commitment to

academic honesty. It is not always clear exactly how or when to use sources, and sometimes you might need

advice or guidance. Since your professors are most familiar with the expectations of their disciplines, they are

the best people to ask. Your college likely offers support in the writing lab or online. If you need more

guidance, the Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL) has a section on safe practices for researching and drafting

(https://openstax.org/l/avoidingplagiarism), where you can find excellent advice on identifying plagiarism and

preventing yourself from plagiarizing.

While the process of writing authentically and avoiding plagiarism must be focused from the start, you can

avoid a world of trouble by double-checking your near-final work with a source identification site or plagiarism

detector. Doing so can help you avoid any unintentional reuse of others’ work and may simply identify a source

you forgot to cite. Chegg Writing (https://www.chegg.com/writing) allows you to upload or paste in your paper

for a detailed source evaluation. Note that this is only a check step; you must follow best practices to ensure

that you don’t plagiarize.

Validity and Credibility

Before you move on to interpreting your data and addressing the significance of what you found, you need to

understand the concepts of validity and credibility. There are many ways you can check the validity of a piece

of information. Can you find contradictory or confirmatory data? Can you find evidence that disputes what you

are reading? If so, use this information. It is always useful to mention opposing ideas. Ultimately, doing so

might strengthen your own ideas. Is the topic within the expertise of the person offering the information? Was

the method chosen to convey this information the best method to use? The credibility of the author is another

important aspect of checking your sources. In other words, evaluate the authors. Are they experts on the

topic? Do they have credentials to write on this particular topic? Has this author written anything else on this

topic?

Evidence is the way we show that we are using the experiences, values, research, and perspectives of others.

To be information literate is to apply the concepts of subjective and objective evidence to our selection, use,

and evaluation of information. When we read a website or view a television program, can we recognize that a

particular set of values and perspectives is being used? Are we able to identify when evidence is being used?

Can we determine that the evidence being used shows a relevant connection between values, perspectives,

and conclusions? Are enough different values and perspectives being presented that the conclusions can be

considered objective? It is important to learn how to determine the validity and credibility of sources.

The Internet presents its own challenges when it comes to discovering valid and credible information. When

looking at a website, you should be able to answer the following questions: Who is responsible for the site (i.e.,

who is the author)? What can you find out about the responsible party? Where does the site’s information

come from (e.g., opinions, facts, documents, quotes, excerpts)? What are the key concepts, issues, and “facts”

on the site? And finally, can the key elements of the site be verified by another site or source? In other words, if

you want to find some information online, you shouldn’t just Google the topic and then depend on the first

website that pops up.

For certain topics and types of information, you may need to dig deeper. Take into account the funding behind

Access for free at openstax.org

A • Conducting and Presenting Research

403