Explore the Discovery Lab

• Browse the Idea Collection to discover concepts, search keywords and phrases related to your driving question.
• Explore the First Draft Collection to identify current events related to your driving question, along with additional search terms and phrases.
• Visit the Engaged Scholarship Collection to understand how scholars are studying your driving question. What theories, models, methods, and/or data would be useful?

Research Development Worksheets

Use the following worksheets to refine and scope your topic, develop and refine your search strategy, and synthesize information from research sources.

Source Dissection

Examine these artifacts from microeconomics research to answer the following:

1. What type of source is this? (Academic / scholarly research, policy paper, popular / mass media, etc.)
2. What is the credibility of the author(s)? How do you know?
3. What is the argument or viewpoint of the source? How does it support its claims? Does it account for competing claims? How could you 'falsify' or challenge its claims?
4. What data is presented, and how is that data bound (by data type, time, level of analysis, etc.)? What perspective (or data) is missing?
5. How could you expand your research beyond this source, based on what you learn from it?

Open Research Lab

Use the resources in this guide to begin exploring your driving question and designing your research project.

We are here to help you - just ask!

Snowball Confessions

Answer one of the following prompts on a piece of scrap paper. Then, crumple up the scrap paper and toss it into the center of the room.

• What excites you about your research project?
• What makes you nervous about your research project?