Chapter 10. Searching for Information with Field Research Methods.

There are several ways of collecting information for your research paper. You may start by observing a certain topic such as behavior of a cheetah in the wild. First you need to decide if you need or want to take an observation. In a lot of cases this may be very helpful with your creation of the topic. Next you must plan your observation. Cheetahs don’t just roam the streets of Seattle hunting caribou. So plan to go on a trip if funds allow it, or simply watch Animal Planet! Then you need to conduct the observation followed by analyzing your results. Interviews can be a huge part of your research. If you somehow can get an interview with a cheetah expert then great, but chances are you might just talk to a zoo keeper. Either way an interview can bring you valuable information that you might not find online or in a book. Surveys are another way to portray what you are trying to get across in your paper. The only thing you need to do is make sure it is adding to your purpose. If the survey is about the number of people who think cheetahs are adorable, it might not help the purpose of the paper. Some topics may not have much research, such as giving a gift versus an experience as a present. In that situation you can survey people, observe what happens, and interview the correspondents of the gift giving. Which ever method you might use in your research, just make sure it adds to and doesn’t negatively affect your paper.