ResearchMethods/ResearchIntro

Module 1: Introduction to research

Welcome to Module One! This module will provide an introduction to the subject, to research, and to your way to success.

All modules in this course will adopt the same format, to help you easily navigate your way through. First, there will be a coloured box, which will identify the things you need to do to complete the module, followed by extension activities you may also choose to do to complete the module.

Below the box, each activity, or a link to each activity, will be presented in the same order as it appears in the box, so you can simply work your way down the page to complete each module. If you are confused at any point, return to the box to reorient yourself and remind yourself of your progress, and what you may still need to do to complete the module.

Objectives

After completing this module, you will be able to:

• understand the research process.
• draft your research question(s).
• form and join a research centre
• describe the ethical implications of your research.
• describe your topic analysis and its outcomes

Ethics in Political science

Is ethics relevant to research in political science? yes! A recent scandal resulting from a researcher's misconduct draws attention to the need to consider ethics in political science research, just like all other research. Ethical principles to keep in mind:

• Respect for Human Beings
  • Informed consent
  • Voluntary participation
  • Confidentiality
  • Anonymity
• Research Merit & Integrity
  • Justifiable by its benefit
  • Conducted and supervised by researchers with experience, qualifications and competence
• Justice
  • Fair distribution of benefits and burdens
  • Fair treatment in recruitment
• Beneficence
  • Assessing harms (harm minimisation) and benefits

Credit: EDd teaching team

Research process and topic

Picking your topic is research

When starting a new research project, you need to do a little "research" in finding a suitable topic. Watch the video Picking your topic is research

Share your thoughts with fellow learners by posting on Twitter. Consider the following examples:

• I didn't realise that .... #PoliSciRM
• The most important message is ... #PoliSciRM

Choosing a research topic

Picking your topic is research

Now that you understand the research process, you can go ahead to define your topic, and your research questions. Have a look at the next video to learn how.

If you would like some more examples of how to find a research topic and questions, there are some more veideos that can help you.

But if you are good to go, it is time to share your preliminary research topic and research questions (RQ) on Twitter, and to find your fellow researchers in your research centre. Use the hashtags #PoliSciRM #FormingRC to group your posts with others'. Consider the following examples:

• I am interested in .... #PoliSciRM #FormingRC
• My RQ is... #PoliSciRM #FormingRC

Literature sources

You will need some resources to see what is already known about your topic.

• One good source is Google Scholar.
• Another set of resources can be found on the UOW library guide, which groups a lot of databases relevant for social and political sciences.
  • Note: Only enrolled UOW students can access these databases.