Research Design
Plan a research project with a question, scope, source types, timeline, and criteria for evaluating evidence.
A lesson of English 12, in Senior Research and Inquiry, about 10 minutes.
By the end of this lesson, you will be able to design a comprehensive research project, anticipate methodological challenges, and plan for the integration of primary and secondary sources.
What Makes Senior Research Different
Senior research builds on everything from English 11 and goes further:
- More sophisticated inquiry question
- Larger, more diverse source base
- Explicit engagement with multiple scholarly perspectives
- Clearer articulation of your contribution to an existing conversation
- More formal academic structure
Identifying Your Contribution
Every research project should contribute something: a new argument, a new synthesis, a new application. The question is not just "What do scholars say?" but "What am I adding?"
Types of contribution:
Synthesis: bringing together perspectives that haven't been connected.
New application: applying an established framework to a new case.
Complication: showing how existing arguments fail in certain contexts.
Extension: showing where an argument applies more broadly than claimed.
Research Design Elements
Question: what focused, researchable question will this project answer?
Scope: what will you cover? What are you NOT covering (and why)?
Method: how will you find and evaluate evidence? What types of sources are most relevant?
Timeline: when will you complete each phase (source gathering, drafting, revision)?
Limitations: what can't your research prove? What alternative explanations will you acknowledge?
Primary vs. Secondary Sources
Primary sources: the texts, data, documents, or artifacts you are analyzing.
For a literary research project: the literary texts themselves.
For a historical/policy project: original documents, speeches, laws, interviews.
Secondary sources: scholarly analysis and interpretation of the primary sources.
For a literary project: literary criticism, cultural studies, historical context.
The relationship: your primary sources drive the argument; secondary sources provide framework and conversation partners.
The Research Calendar
Week 1-2: finalize question; begin source gathering; annotated bibliography.
Week 3: read and annotate sources; develop working thesis.