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Extended Essay: Research Techniques

Everything you need to know about the Extended Essay and more!

General

Researching can be a very daunting and frustrating process. If we break down the word research, what do we get: 're' (again and again and again) and 'search' (try to find something by looking or otherwise seeking carefully and thoroughly); so you are trying to find something again and again and again. No better way to define the process!

 

There are skills and techniques you can develop to help you become a better researcher. Below are only a few, as you search, you will develop more. 

 

When you begin researching, keep an open mind. You may need to broaden or narrow down topics based on the information you are accessing - too many vs. not enough search results. You may also end up adjusting your research question a little, that is fine! Just try not to change it too drastically late in the process! 

 

Remember, if you are getting frustrated or having trouble finding information, go ask your librarian for help! They love to research and assist. 

Establishing Keywords

Before you begin researching, make a list of keywords related to the topic or research questions. Do not just go to a website and type in the question, identify keywords from your question. Then, consider synonyms. This will provide access to more options and possible lead to better resources. 

Example from American Public University System: 

Research question: "Does the use of social networking in online classes help students learn?"
Key concepts and keywords:

students
learners
college students
undergraduates

 

online classes
online course
distance education
remote learning

social networking
social media
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram

learn
learning
success
performance
grades

 

Try many different combinations when searching. You never know which one will produce the most beneficial options. 

Examples (from our list above):

  • students AND online classes AND social networking AND learning
  • college students AND online courses AND social media AND performance
  • learners AND online courses AND Facebook AND grades

 

Using 'Advance Search,' along with keywords (and synonyms) will also help narrow down your possible resources. Most databases and even Google, have 'Advance Search', which encourages keywords, but also offers other options to limited the sources that are retrieved in the search. For example, looking up only certain domains (.gov, .org, .edu, etc) or taking out possible topics that will not be beneficial. For example, if I am researching literature reviews on a book, yet there is also a movie with the same name, I can remove all the websites tied to the film or movie. 

 

*Note: On Google, 'Advance Search' is under Settings in the far right bottom corner. 

Other search tips...

Here are some other researching skills that might help you perform more beneficial searches:

1) Put exact keywords or exact phrases in ''quotation marks.'' When performing this search, it will only find sites with that exact word or phrase. 

 

2) Use .pdf in your searches sometimes. This will pull PDF documents, which could be books, brochures, pamphlets, or other documents on a website you might not find in a normal search. 

 

3) Using Boolean search terms such as AND, OR, and NOT to eliminate and/or specify searches - this is what an 'Advanced Search' does. 

 

4) Search specific domains (.gov, .org, .edu, etc) to eliminate possible commercial sites that might not benefit your research. Example: just add site: .gov to your search, this will only pull government websites. 

 

5) Go to Google Scholar to locate academic articles and books. These may only offer an abstract, but if you think the article will be helpful - go see your librarian, they might be able to locate it. (Note: On Google Scholar, 'Advance Search' is under the three bars in the top left corner. 

Citations

Coulter, Priscilla. "Q. How Can I Pick the Best Keywords to Use When Researching
     My Topic?" Richard G. Trefry Library, Springshare, 6 June 2023,
     apus.libanswers.com/faq/2316. Accessed 6 Dec. 2023.