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.
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
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.