Introduction to Social Science Research
Skills, Sources, and Science. What Students Need to Succeed in College.
by
Charles-Albert Ramsay, Economics Department, Dawson College
Marie-Pierre Gosselin, Psychology Department, Dawson College
Section 1 - Skills
All the skills and tools you need to start research at a college level. Time Management, Resea...
Student Life Management
Why Should I Care? College students have a lot to think about and a lot to do. Organizing and ma...
Performing a Search for Literature
Why Should I Care? Scientists are skeptical people by nature. They usually don't accept statemen...
Critical Thinking
Why Should I Care? When people hear something new, or read information, they need to evaluate th...
Note Taking for a Research Project and Organizing Information
Why Should I Care? Scribbling notes like a madman? Losing your mind with an endless document of ...
Writing English in Quebec
Why Should I Care? Students who are in Quebec and writing papers in English are in a special sit...
Group Work
Why Should I Care? Some students love working in groups, and others hate it. Some professors lov...
Oral Presentation
Why Should I Care? The most universal method of learning is to hear someone talking. People stil...
Word Processors
Why Should I Care? No one uses typing machines, and very few people write papers by hand. Using ...
Spreadsheets
Why Should I Care? Being able to make a table, or a graph, is really useful. You can use this sk...
Slide Shows and Presentations
Why Should I Care? Designing a great presentation deck is an art. However, lots of people let th...
Section 2 - Sources
Everything you need to know about the sources the you may -- or may not -- want to use in your re...
Popular Sources
Why Should I Care? Popular sources can be very helpful in your research process, and maybe even ...
Academic Sources
Why Should I Care? Academics insist on a neutral tone in academic papers and monographs. They us...
Writing Papers with Citations
Why Should I Care? There are different types of papers which have differing objectives and forma...
The Proposal
Why Should I Care? Your research project may need to be presented to a review board for academic...
The Literature Review
Why Should I Care? A very common assignment in colleges and universities is to ask students to w...
Reference Management Software
Why Should I Care? If you are comfortable using a word processor, and are going to do a lot of a...
Due Diligence – Business Research
Why Should I Care? In the world of business, investors, analysts, lawyers and accountants need t...
Challenge - Millenials and Citations
You are a teaching assistant in a local university. The coursework discusses how the police are...
APA Style
Why Should I Care? Some journals (and academics in that same field) use the APA style, which is ...
MLA Style
Why Should I Care? Some journals (and academics in that same field) use the MLA style, which is ...
Classic Essay Style
Why Should I Care? If the style is not specified, you can fall back on this style which uses cla...
Section 3 - Science
The basic terminology of science to help you understand academic papers and books. Key words and ...
What is Science?
Why Should I Care? The scientific revolution is one of humanity's most important events. It is a...
The Social Sciences
Why Should I Care? Each discipline of social science has a unique personality. Whether it's a pr...
How to Build Knowledge Scientifically?
Why Should I Care? How research is conducted can affect the results of a scientific project. It ...
Methods for Collecting Data
Why Should I Care? The scientific method depends on the quality of data that is collected. How s...
Research Power
Why Should I Care? The scientific strength, or power, of your research depends on several key tr...
Types of Logic
Why Should I Care? Your understanding of a social problem depends on the type of logic you are u...
The Ethics of Social Science Research
Why Should I Care? As a student writing a research paper, you might be surprised by the topic or...
Section 4 - Quick Reference
A collection of resources to revise and double-check your work.
Innovatank Style Guide
Not sure how to format your paper? Here are a few short notes on what most professors expect in y...
Social Science Paper Template
This template will not make for an interesting read, but all the nuts and bolts are there. APA ...
Revision Checklist
Here is a check list of things to revise before submitting an assignment. Step 1: Go over the wh...