So why Independent Research and what does it take?
Step 1 - Identify
Step 3 - Discover
Step 4 - Analyze
Step 5 - Synthesize
Believe it not, independent research can be done by anyone; any grade, freshman to senior; any level, high school to collegiate; with a mentor or without.
All it really takes is a passion, a curiosity, and an ambition to learn more!
Take the opportunity that is always available to you to show off your curiosity and intuitive aptitude and propensity for learning to others and discover the unknown facts that can have countless implications and contributions towards future advancements.
Start scrolling to learn a basic outline of what research will look like...
Step 2 - Craft
Table of Contents
Research starts when the researcher has a question about the world or something in the world. As the researcher, what drives your curiosity, what has even left you puzzled, what do you wish you can know, what information is missing from today's society? Just a few questions to get your brain thinking...
After you've thought, what is the question you beg? This question will be your thesis or research question your work will attempt to answer or provide insights into.
A big bonus for theses can be having one that reflects an ideal or experience in your life. The more personal a thesis, the more passion you may be able to drive into it.
Have you thought of your research topic? It's now time to write your research question or hypothesis!
Think about your topic and ask, what information or data gaps exist that can be fill or what are some of the causes and effects of certain actions for certain circumstances?
Be sure that the question you ask is clear and precise (meaning it is focused into one specific topic of a field) and more importantly, reasonable to solve with your resources. Also consider the independent and dependent variables that play key roles into your research and its results!
Now is the time to explore the world and find an answer for your question! Where can you look? Anywhere, quite literally: in your community, online, and your backyard too!
There are many different ways to collect data to support your research. You may have controlled experimental designs, analysis of literture in paper or online, use data analysis, or conduct surveys and interviews.
In the end, there are an infinite number of ways to collect data and it is up to you and your creativity to find a way that works! Just think about these main types of data you can collect: experimental, qualitative, and quantitative.
It sucks to say, but now the hard part begins; the fun of data collection is over.
In order to answer your research question, you must organize and analyze your data to find key points, conclusions, relationships, and other discoveries pertaining to your proposed results.
Be sure to draw connections between different sources and results to show the nuance and implications of the information you have discovered!
Now the truly hard part of research is over and its time to put it all together!
While a more common and more known way to display your search is a reserach paper, you may always present your findings in other forms such as posters or presentations.
Different research topics have be unique in the information that they should include, but a general format for research papers would be:
1 --> a Title Page and Research Question
2 --> an Abstract
3 --> an Introduction / Background / Contextualization
4 --> your Methodologies
5 --> the Results
6 --> a Conclusion / Discussion
Independent
Research
Explore a question, learn more about a topic, show others your natural curiosity and shape the future of the world.
Start now!
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Want to learn more?
We hoped you are now excited about research can tell how easy it is to get started! This page is only a starting foundation however there are more features on the site to help you get started and more in depth for any field.
(P.S. INCLUDING BUSINESS)
View research projects in the form of papers, presentations, and poster from peers also in high school!
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See their studying starting...