Research is ‘a course of critical or scientific inquiry’ [The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary] or a ‘systematic investigation to establish facts’ [The Sage English Dictionary]. Students do this in many ways at the Secondary School level, but perhaps the most common is with essays, assignments, experiments and presentations. which is the emphasis we have taken on this page.

Whatever is being done, there are common elements for research, no matter what topic is being covered or type of research is being done.

A simple, point outline is provided below that should help you achieve the best you can.

Remember :

• What
• How
• Where
• Who
• When

What Do I Actually Have To Do ?

Make sure you know exactly what you have to do :

• Do you Understand what is required of you ? Is there a single thing to do ? Is there more than one ? Are they linked ? What does the question really mean ? Can you isolate the important facts ? How do you do this ?
• If not ask your teacher to Explain again, so you do understand;
• If necessary, Make Notes, so you remember the essential points while you are doing the work;
• If there is a guide, make sure you read and understand what it means. If there is a Rubric, read it carefully so you know what each result level requires you to show in your completed work. If you know what to do to gain a mark, you will know why you did Or did not get that mark;
• Make A list of things you have to do, the order they have to be done and what you will need. If you are not sure, look at the following recommendations.

Now you know what you have to do, read about the next step.

How Am I Going To Present The Work When I Have Finished ?

This may sound strange before you start, But :

• While basic information might be common, the Materials you use may not, depending on the scope of the topic/subject area being covered;
• For example, the materials you need will depend on whether, e.g. you make a model, write an essay, do a computer presentation or complete and write up a science experiment;
• You need to look at what sort of Presentation you will make. Choices may include :

• Artworks/Graphical Presentations
• Computer Presentations
• Debates
• Descriptions
• Drama
• Essays
• Experiments
• Group Presentation
  If it is a Group Presentation, everyone should have clearly defined and understood roles, know exactly what they have to do and when they have to be finished. Everyone must make an equal contribution.
• Oral Reports
• Projects
  Usually experienced more commonly in the earlier secondary years.
• Scale Models
• Short Answers

Once you have decided this, you will be able to decide :

• Exactly what information you need to make the presentation you have chosen or been assigned;
• What materials you need to complete this. This may include such things as -

• Computer programs [e.g. Word, Power Point, a spreadsheet, a database, graphics program[s], CAD, … ];
• Newspapers, magazines, journals, textbooks, commentaries, … ;
• Other materials that could include internet material, art materials, craft materials, costumes, … .

• Most important of all you should have a List showing where these are, what you have to do to get them and whether there are special times or other factors you must consider. For example, if you need to use specific computer programs, can you access them all the time, only at certain times, only on certain machines, etc..

When you do put all the components together, make sure your work is :

• Accurate ! Nobody is perfect, but work riddled with errors does you no credit and does not help get good results;
• Spelt Correctly. Do not rely on a computer to spellcheck your work accurately. You, or someone you trust, should do this to be sure you are as accurate as possible;
• Grammatically Correct. Read any written work. We have found students can often do corrections based on the sound and sense of their reading of the material. If you are not sure, be prepared to ask someone you trust to know what might need to be changed to improve the work;
• Neat and easy to understand. With written work, this should preferably be computer generated. Consider line spacing and margin widths to assist with this;
• Able to link images/graphics that actually go with the information being presented;
• Sensible & Convincing in the way it is presented;
• Really Answering the question[s] you are supposed to answer.

Now go on to the next step.

Where Will I Get Information Or Materials ?

There are a wide range of places to collect both information and materials, no matter the topic or method of presentation. These include :

• Home;
• A Library :

• home;
• classroom;
• school;
• local;
• city;
• TAFE or university;
• other.

• Remember, there are still books and other written material full of information, e.g. books, atlases, encyclopaedias, journals, papers, magazines, … ;
  ‘Not everything is on the internet !’ [And even if it is, can you be sure it is trustworthy ?]
• People in your family, or who you know, who can give you information to let you complete the activity;
• The Internet - if capable and/or with parental support, you may wish to use the internet for information and images. Make sure you know where to look or, use a good search engine to help locate what you want [see Other Search Engines and also the Specialist Search Engines for help with this]. Understand that not everything on the internet is accurate or worthy of your trust. Be selective and look for sites that come from reliable sources, not the ‘Dodgy Brothers’;
• If you are not confident about how to use a search engine properly, look at the help offered on the Search Help page, or one of the many help sites on the internet;
• Magazines and Newspapers - for up-to-date images, information and reactions to events;
• Videos/DVDs and Television - you might have, or be able to get, a video/DVD on the topic, or a television program, that helps e.g. ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’, ‘Planet Earth’, ‘World War II’;
• Archives [collections of things]. They could be archives of photographs, records, letters, reports … .
• Software - remember its dual role as either a source of information [encyclopaedias, language work] or a tool as suggested in the previous section, while with any computer material Always Back It Up, preferably twice in different places.
• As you collect both the information and other material [information, pictures, artwork, photographs, models, etc.] put them in A Safe Place where you know you can find them, so you do not lose them or have them damaged.

Now consider the next step.

Who Is Going To Do The Work ?

You Are !

• This does not mean other people cannot help you, but means They Cannot Do It For You;
• Whatever you do, it has to be yours, and your best. Not everyone is brilliant at everything, but it should always be your best. Nothing less should be good enough for you;
• If you use Other People’s Work, you must indicate this. You Must Not claim you did work that was originally done by anyone else;
• You must not copy other people’s work and hand this in. This is Cheating [see Plagiarism point below]. It is also quite easy to recognise by anyone handling this material all the time. There are always clear signals that it is not yours !
• If you use a Bibliography [sources of information], include all the things that other people have done and you have used or referred to;
• A Bibliography should list all books, videos, internet sites, etc., you used for information. There are different ways to set out these [see the Writing page under Citations], but the important thing is to have one and to list all sources;
• This way, the final result should clearly be seen as yours and Yours Alone.
• Plagiarism is now well understood [see the Plagiarism page]. There are steps that can be taken when there is plagiarism. It is Easily Found if people suspect it is used. Basically, it is not worth it.

Now go to the last point about Time.

When Am I Going To Do The Work ?

Set a Timetable and stick to it. You will be able to make small changes but don’t go without one;

• Make your timetable Balanced to allow for study, work, play, sleep, rest, sport, … .
• Make it Flexible to allow for unexpected events.
• Remember

• You do not want to be doing it at the last minute. No one does their best work then;
• If you leave things till the last minute, something usually happens to make it harder to finish [Murphy’s Law];
• Get into a habit of working to your own timetable. This allows you to have fun, do other things and still get required work done in time;
• This is a good way to Develop Skills for use in the future, whether you are planning to go on to university, another tertiary institution, apprenticeship or ordinary employment. All of these skills can be relevant in each of these situations.
• This is Especially Crucial At Secondary Level where you now have up to 8 teachers who will set out-of-class work, possibly resulting in several pieces of work falling due within a few days.
  In senior secondary, you will [should !] also be wanting to study and revise as well.
  This may also be the case in lower secondary years.

Finally, make sure you hand it in On Time. It would be silly to finish and not do this. Nothing is worse than finishing, but losing marks, or a complete result, by not handing it in on time. This is Your Responsibility. No one else can take responsibility for this.

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