A good Honors in Action Project is built on sound academic research, which can be tricky to master. In this webinar, Susan Edwards, PTK’s Associate Vice President of Honors Programming and Undergraduate Research is joined by four Honors Program Council members to guide you through the process.
They pose several questions for you to consider along the way:
• What types of sources are relevant to the topics you’re researching?
• Are they directly related to your question?
• Are you looking at research that has been done recently?
• Once you’ve collected all of your research, do you have enough of an academic perspective to have an informed, multi-sided look at your topic?
Academic sources should be peer-reviewed, trusted and used by other scholars in the field, well-documented, and neutral. The webinar includes a list of where to find academic sources as well as the steps your research will need to take.
For instance, once your chapter determines the theme and research question — which may itself require some research — the goal of your first search for academic sources is to get a sense of the conversation you’re entering. Your second search should yield the best sources for your research.
Use a research journal to keep track of your citations along the way, and take advantage of resources like the Honors Program Guide and Research Edge. And, watch for this red flag: If everything you’re finding answers the question the way you want it to be answered, go back again and look for alternative perspectives and narratives.
Watch the recording:
