More than ever, it is sought after for high school students to participate in real research or carry out their own research projects. Compared to doing internships or traditional summer schools, doing research offers greater flexibility in schedule management and freedom to choose the direction.
That said, getting started on a research project, let alone knowing where to get research resources, can be daunting. Fortunately, this article will teach you how to conduct research in high school. In addition, we will share the top 6 resources you need to get started.
The first question you want to ask yourself before getting on the high school research wagon is “Why?” Why do you want to do the research project? Many students get into research for all the wrong reasons, which results in them not completing the project and feeling discouraged. This is especially true if you choose a research topic based on whether it sounds cool or it should make me look impressive. Below are a few reasons to avoid participating in a high school research project.
A high school research project may be a good fit for you if you want to:
Now that you have decided to conduct a research project in high school, the next common misunderstanding among many students is often finding the research question/topic. Fortunately for you, we’re here to help. Generally, there are two ways to get to the research question. These are:
The goal is to develop an original, valid, and feasible research question. Keep in mind that this part of your research(getting the question) is just as important as the research itself and getting results. But first,
A research question is an inquiry or sentence defining what you’ll examine in your research project and the expected outcome of interest. It is a question that your research project will answer. For this reason, you must know how to develop and find the research question. Why? This is the basis of your research paper. The first step is defining a clear research question. Simple as it may sound, writing a research question can be intimidating, even for experienced researchers. Research questions could come from:
Why do you need a well-defined research question?
As a high school student, exploring your research question from an area of interest is always recommended. This means that instead of basing your research assignment on a subject, say STEM, humanities or social sciences, you want to start with an area that sparks your interest. For most researchers, developing a research topic right away is almost impossible. So this idea is a misleading statement, if not a misconception. Formulating a research topic or question requires a lot of knowledge and research. In addition, since this is such an invaluable part of your research process, you want to ensure you do it right.
Developing and finding a research question starts with: i). Master the subject foundations ii). Dive into the literature reviews By doing these two steps, high schoolers can find out if a research question or topic is covered or not in previous research. Additionally, you can examine if your question adds any value to the research field. Don’t be surprised if you end up with a different research question from what you originally thought – it happens to many students. The major advantage of using the above method is that it matches the organic process we use here at Pioneer. We prioritize starting with a student’s interests and then exploring to determine what has been done and what has not. In so doing, we can know what resources are available for use and how much time a student has to conduct the research, among other determinants. This is one of the reasons why the Pioneer research program is respected, as it is a healthy, organic and exciting process. Best believe it feels like exploring a part of you you never knew existed!
Knowing where to get resources for your research paper is very important, whether you’re doing an Independent Research Project (IRP) or working with other students on the project. Fortunately for you, there are many places to acquire the necessary resources for your research, as you’ll see below.
We have the internet to thank for making knowledge and information accessible. You can access the vast internet resources necessary for your project with a good internet connection and a laptop or personal computer. Online access to previous research papers can help you determine the direction in which to tackle your project. In addition, you can access these online resources from the comfort of your home or a library in your school or home area.
Google Scholar and Google Books are highly recommended by researchers who’ve done an independent research project or a research program. This is because you can access thousands of research journals and books relevant to your research for free. In addition to these resources, the Google search engine can serve as a preliminary tool for browsing general information. Occasionally you may be able to find papers or research journals published online for free. It is important to remember that a company’s review article or the information you find on Wikipedia or Reddit is not qualified to include as references for research.
Think of a library database as a well-organized pool of information that allows you(the user) to access data(information) stored there. Examples of electronic information presented appropriately in a library database include journals, articles, newspapers, magazines, books, and data you’d find in an encyclopedia. Academic Search Complete is an example of a library database high school students can use to get specific and general information from various disciplines. Let’s look at examples of information you can access in a library database.
Paper checkers are a must-have when writing your research paper. In addition to having your project well researched, you want to ensure that it is well written and presented appropriately. For this reason, experts and research programs advise using paper checkers to ensure that the spelling and punctuation of words in your paper are correct. In addition, these handy software tools come in handy when checking for plagiarism in your work. There are a lot of paper checkers online, some free and others available on a subscription basis. You want to be cautious when using paper checkers to avoid over-dependence.
Newspaper Archives contain digital forms of newspaper pages dating from several years ago. Here, you can find a lot of information relevant to your project, especially past works by researchers in the same field. In addition, you can find problems relating to a topic at a given period and how research has helped improve or provide a solution to the problem.
Historical archives contain firsthand facts and data through letters, reports, photographs, memos, and other primary evidence. By going to a historical archive, you can gather data to help you understand how cultures and institutions have evolved over the years.
Taking part in a research project is not only advantageous for your academic credit but also a great chance to learn relevant research skills. These skills, in turn, are useful during your college years and even later on in life. With that in mind, below are important skills you should learn for your research project.
BOOLEAN operators and modifiers make it super easy to do your research. For example, you can customize your research by pasting a BOOLEAN string on Google, saying “research program” AND “online” will give you results relating to online research programs.
Another skill you need when working on your project is knowing how to evaluate domain resources. While there’s a lot of information readily available online, remember that some of it could be someone’s personal opinion, a hoax, false information, or satirical. For this reason, you want to ensure that the resources you reference in your paper are evaluated and acceptable.
Freedom of Information Request(FOI) gives you the right to ask public organizations, such as government departments, Publicly-funded museums or hospitals, and health trusts, for the information you’d need regarding your project. Making an FOI request is super easy and can be done via email or directly. However, there are cases when a public organization may decline to share some information, especially if it is sensitive and shouldn’t be disclosed to members of the public.
Once you have come up with a list of sources for your project, you need to verify whether they’re good for your paper. One popular approach used in universities, colleges, and high schools is the CRAP or CRAAP test. Each mnemonic letter represents a concept relevant to verifying your source information. Therefore, the CRAAP test can be evaluated as follows.
With this test in mind, you are assured that the information you reference in your project paper is true and relevant to your topic.
Understanding plagiarism is key when working on a research project. This is because there are many sources you could borrow from to build up or support your project. However, you want to avoid using another author’s ideas or words, accidentally or intentionally, in your work without acknowledging them.
Citation is how you refer to published or unpublished works mentioned in your paper. Different citation styles are used, such as APA, MLA, and Chicago. Each citation style varies. Often you will find that the APA style is preferable for Scientific and Technical research while MLA is more suitable for Humanities projects. Additionally, Chicago is used for Fine Arts, Business, and History papers.
Mentors are great to have throughout your research project as they will guide and advise on your work. However, it’s also not mandatory that you have a mentor. High school students interested in having mentors throughout their research journey can do so by first looking at the people in their immediate environment. Your teachers. This is because they have expertise in the field you’re basing your topic on. Another way to find great mentors is to look at experts or scientists around your area if you’re doing scientific research. College or university professors in your area can also be able and willing mentors. Additionally, you could look for instructors or judges from your local science fairs or summer programs. Another alternative would be paying for a mentor. However, check that the mentor has a strong mentorship track record and is not just commercially focused.
While research is important for students, not all high schools have such programs or the resources necessary to facilitate research projects. In addition, most students lack the knowledge and confidence to pursue an independent research project, especially without a mentor. This is why Pioneer offers online research opportunities for high school students. This research program ensures that students can access a faculty mentor, depending on the research concentration, to help provide individualized guidance. In addition to the mentorship, Pioneer ensures that the students have access to the resources necessary for the project. This includes research seminars and a writing center to help edit your paper appropriately. At Pioneer, you also gain access to undergraduate online library, which boasts hundreds of journals and research databases, not to forget over 100,000 e-books for research. How cool is that? If the Pioneer online research opportunity sounds like something you’d be interested in, be sure to sign up for our online information session. We will be answering questions students and parents have about our program. You can also contact us here or at info@pioneeracademics.comto speak to a team member.
Doing research is commonplace. How do you choose the research opportunity that makes a difference?
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