FM3 Small Scale Research Project

Developing Research Skills

The Project

• Primary importance is the development of broad ranging research skills

• Avoid questions as answers close down your research

• Develop a critical approach to the topic

A journey

Finding an area for investigation

• What are you interested in? What do you want to find out?

• Consider the resources available and what is potentially available

• Seek advice from tutors, peers, experts• Draw up a research plan. Plan the feasible and

the unfeasible• Be extra critical – is it really possible to

complete?

Types of research

Primary Research• Research that is directly generated by you and

is not mediated by anyone else

Secondary Research• Research that has been undertaken or

‘filtered’ by another and is simply being used or referenced by you (the researcher)

Primary ResearchIncludes:– Learning conversations – name of person, place, date– Interviews– Questionnaires– Own notes from reviewing films and associated

material– Empirical experiment (practical research with

considered confines– Action research (research through carrying out a role)– Observational research (watching others performing

an action or undertaking a task)

Secondary ResearchIncludes:– Internet– Books– DVD Extras– Television programmes– Radio programmes– Archives– Magazines– Conferences– Trade Shows

Mixed Methods – the idealPrimary Research Secondary ResearchNotes from Focus film Internet SitesNotes from supporting films Several booksInterview with Art Director Some magazine articlesPractical experiment in A DVD Extra (making of) Mise-en-scene A TV DocumentaryDiscussion with tutor A conference paper

Mixed Methods – The idealQuantitative data• Research that produces numbers, percentages, data

that can be numerically assessed – useful for comparative analysis (number of films made, box office gross, times nominated for oscar etc)

Qualitative data• Research that is more opinion based, and which

often looks at the reasons behind points of view, responses, processes, actions etc

Research referencing

• Harvard Referencing for Books, Magazines etchttp://www.le.ac.uk/oerresources/ssds/harvard/

• Full URL and date accessed for all internet sites

• Location and date of interviews and other primary research activities (such as empirical research)

Tools to help

• Neil’s Toolbox

• Harvard Generator

• Cite this for me

Assessing the value of Research items• How much does the item relate to or inform the

area of investigation• Does it provide simple background content or

does it present new knowledge or an argument?• Does it have validity (peer reviewed, primary

source, or user-generated and unassessed)• How current is the item (not how new, but has it

been disproved or made invalid by later material)?

Annotating the catalogue• Items can be assessed for:• Reliability (of method/ source)• Validity (of method, or media, of source)• Currency (current, respected, serious)• Recency (older = more likely to have been

challenged)• Accuracy (of content – proved with data and

with method• Relevance (to the area of investigation, to the

thrust of the argument being presented)

Wikipedia

Not reliable as it is user-generated.

Check end references on an entry to assess this.

Go to the bottom of the page as there may be some useful external sources.

Final Advice• Youtube clips of a film cannot count as

additional to the film• IMDb pages clustered around a film or

individual should be considered as a single source (much like individual pages of a book)

• Images can be a research resource, but offer more than simple illustration

• Primary research must be backed up with other sources

The Presentation Script (extract from The Principal Moderators Report)

• Marks are for the script provided, not a presentation given

• Direct reference to catalogue material is a requirement

• The chosen framework should be evident throughout – balanced with the topic.

• An area of investigation – exploratory rather than answering a question.