The Research Process 101

The Research Process 101 is a 10-episode series explaining the formulation and execution of a research project, created and filmed by high school students passionate about research. Split into bite-size, easy-to-understand lessons, The Research Process 101 breaks down the abstract strides of scientific research into more concrete steps. For the Summer 2024 term, in conjunction with lecture sessions in each of the 12 CSR-x cohorts, mentees will learn more about the general research process through this episode series. The Research Process 101 also serves as a free and accessible resource for anyone to learn more about research.

Episode 2: An Overview of Literature Review

In this episode, Andy explains how to understand the process of literature reviews. He teaches about the types of literature reviews, the steps to make one, and some helpful resources to find papers and start reading.

Episode 3: Establishing a Hypothesis

In this episode, Kate explains how to establish a hypothesis. Kate and Melody goes in-depth into the process of making predictions for your research question, including conducting preliminary research, defining variables, the if-then format, and the null hypothesis.

Episode 4: Designing an Experiment

In this episode, Kate explains how to design an experiment. Kate and Zenabu look into defining an experiment and reviewing the checklist of an experiment. They go in-depth to talk about the scientific method and experimental designs, spanning projects using artificial intelligence or CAD or a systematic literature review.

Episode 1: Finding Your Research Question

In this episode, Victoria explains the process of finding one’s unique research question, including various sources of inspiration, evaluation techniques, marginal impact, and cost-effective analysis. Victoria stresses the importance of clarity and searchability and teaches to examine a question’s impact, gap, and potential value to clarify the aim.

Episode 5: Artificial Intelligence as a Tool

In this episode, Victoria explains the different ways to utilize artificial intelligence in research projects, covering the functionalities of various algorithms, libraries, and GitHub and providing resources for mentees to learn more. Victoria digs deep into the applications for an array of algorithms for different data types and problem types.

Episode 6: Computer-Aided Design as a Tool

In this episode, Andy briefly explains computer-aided design in the context of research projects and how to best utilize them to create prototypes for robots and apparatus.

Episode 7: Interpreting Your Results

In this episode, Rehan explains the various aspects of result analysis, including quantitative vs qualitative data, the various forms of data visualization, and comparative analysis. He digs deep into finding patterns and trends, testing the hypothesis, and drawing conclusions.

Episode 8: Writing Your Paper

In this episode, Victoria introduces the definition, structure, and format of four types of papers: empirical, literature review, case study, and position papers. She provides examples and tools to aid students in their own journeys of paper-writing.

Episode 9: Making a Poster

In this episode, Victoria introduces the different steps to making a poster. She presents and explains the general format of original research and review posters. She offers downloadable templates for these posters to aid students in the poster creation process

Episode 10: Presenting Your Research

In this episode, Victoria explains the various steps to presenting research projects. She dives deep into the different components of research presentations, and she also offers useful tips and strategies to help students gain confidence when faced with such presentations.

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