{"id":1330,"date":"2025-04-25T19:04:32","date_gmt":"2025-04-25T19:04:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/content.one.lumenlearning.com\/englishcomp1\/?post_type=chapter&#038;p=1330"},"modified":"2025-07-31T00:53:20","modified_gmt":"2025-07-31T00:53:20","slug":"finding-and-evaluating-sources-background-youll-need-1","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/content.one.lumenlearning.com\/englishcomp1\/chapter\/finding-and-evaluating-sources-background-youll-need-1\/","title":{"raw":"Finding and Evaluating Sources: Background You'll Need","rendered":"Finding and Evaluating Sources: Background You&#8217;ll Need"},"content":{"raw":"<section class=\"textbox learningGoals\" aria-label=\"Learning Goals\">\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Explain what research is and what makes a good research question<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/section>\r\n<h2>What is Research?<\/h2>\r\n<div class=\"flex max-w-full flex-col flex-grow\">\r\n<div class=\"min-h-8 text-message flex w-full flex-col items-end gap-2 whitespace-normal break-words text-start [.text-message+&amp;]:mt-5\" dir=\"auto\" data-message-author-role=\"assistant\" data-message-id=\"026a4d13-b4b6-4984-acc8-470ce8a8a1ea\" data-message-model-slug=\"gpt-4o\">\r\n<div class=\"flex w-full flex-col gap-1 empty:hidden first:pt-[3px]\">\r\n<div class=\"markdown prose w-full break-words dark:prose-invert dark\">\r\n<p data-start=\"0\" data-end=\"197\" data-is-last-node=\"\">At its most basic level, research is the process of discovering information you don\u2019t yet know. While this may seem simple, it involves key assumptions that are essential for success in this course\u2014and beyond.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<h3 data-start=\"0\" data-end=\"42\"><strong data-start=\"4\" data-end=\"40\">Understanding Research Questions<\/strong><\/h3>\r\n<p data-start=\"44\" data-end=\"223\">Research begins with a knowledge gap\u2014something you don\u2019t yet know. It is always goal-directed and starts with a specific question. This\u00a0<strong>research question<\/strong>\u00a0is the statement of the thing you don\u2019t know that motivates your research.<\/p>\r\n<p data-start=\"225\" data-end=\"297\">Some questions have straightforward answers that can be found quickly, while more complex questions require gathering and evaluating information.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<section class=\"textbox example focusable\" tabindex=\"-1\" aria-label=\"Example\">\r\n<h4>Homework questions vs. Research questions<\/h4>\r\n<strong data-start=\"300\" data-end=\"314\">Example 1:<\/strong>\u00a0<em data-start=\"315\" data-end=\"364\">Does Columbus, Ohio, have a commercial airport?<\/em>\r\n<ul data-start=\"369\" data-end=\"417\">\r\n \t<li data-start=\"369\" data-end=\"417\">A quick Google search confirms that it does.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<strong data-start=\"420\" data-end=\"434\">Example 2:<\/strong>\u00a0<em data-start=\"435\" data-end=\"509\">Do any airlines offer direct flights from Kansas City to Columbus, Ohio?<\/em>\r\n<ul data-start=\"514\" data-end=\"589\">\r\n \t<li data-start=\"514\" data-end=\"589\">A search on travel websites shows that no direct flights are available.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<strong data-start=\"664\" data-end=\"678\">Example 3:<\/strong>\u00a0<em data-start=\"679\" data-end=\"746\">What\u2019s the best way to travel from Kansas City to Columbus, Ohio?<\/em>\r\n<ul data-start=\"751\" data-end=\"967\">\r\n \t<li data-start=\"751\" data-end=\"967\">This requires comparing travel options based on factors like cost, time, and personal preferences. A business traveler may prioritize speed, while a college student with a pet may choose a more affordable option.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/section>Although all three questions we listed above require information gathering, for the purposes of this course we are going to call questions like #1 and #2 \u201c<strong>homework questions<\/strong>.\u201d These are homework questions because you can find the answer just by going to a single reference source and looking it up. We will address the \u201c<strong>research question<\/strong>\u201d like #3 for which developing a fully functional answer requires both gathering relevant information and then assembling it in a meaningful way.\r\n\r\nIn other words, a research question differs from a homework question because\u00a0<strong>research<\/strong>\u00a0is the process of finding the information needed to answer your research question and then deriving or building the answer from the information you found.\r\n\r\n<section class=\"textbox tryIt\" aria-label=\"Try It\">[ohm2_question hide_question_numbers=1]40695[\/ohm2_question]\r\n\r\n[ohm2_question hide_question_numbers=1]40696[\/ohm2_question]\r\n\r\n<\/section>&nbsp;","rendered":"<section class=\"textbox learningGoals\" aria-label=\"Learning Goals\">\n<ul>\n<li>Explain what research is and what makes a good research question<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/section>\n<h2>What is Research?<\/h2>\n<div class=\"flex max-w-full flex-col flex-grow\">\n<div class=\"min-h-8 text-message flex w-full flex-col items-end gap-2 whitespace-normal break-words text-start [.text-message+&amp;]:mt-5\" dir=\"auto\" data-message-author-role=\"assistant\" data-message-id=\"026a4d13-b4b6-4984-acc8-470ce8a8a1ea\" data-message-model-slug=\"gpt-4o\">\n<div class=\"flex w-full flex-col gap-1 empty:hidden first:pt-[3px]\">\n<div class=\"markdown prose w-full break-words dark:prose-invert dark\">\n<p data-start=\"0\" data-end=\"197\" data-is-last-node=\"\">At its most basic level, research is the process of discovering information you don\u2019t yet know. While this may seem simple, it involves key assumptions that are essential for success in this course\u2014and beyond.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h3 data-start=\"0\" data-end=\"42\"><strong data-start=\"4\" data-end=\"40\">Understanding Research Questions<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p data-start=\"44\" data-end=\"223\">Research begins with a knowledge gap\u2014something you don\u2019t yet know. It is always goal-directed and starts with a specific question. This\u00a0<strong>research question<\/strong>\u00a0is the statement of the thing you don\u2019t know that motivates your research.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"225\" data-end=\"297\">Some questions have straightforward answers that can be found quickly, while more complex questions require gathering and evaluating information.<\/p>\n<section class=\"textbox example focusable\" tabindex=\"-1\" aria-label=\"Example\">\n<h4>Homework questions vs. Research questions<\/h4>\n<p><strong data-start=\"300\" data-end=\"314\">Example 1:<\/strong>\u00a0<em data-start=\"315\" data-end=\"364\">Does Columbus, Ohio, have a commercial airport?<\/em><\/p>\n<ul data-start=\"369\" data-end=\"417\">\n<li data-start=\"369\" data-end=\"417\">A quick Google search confirms that it does.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong data-start=\"420\" data-end=\"434\">Example 2:<\/strong>\u00a0<em data-start=\"435\" data-end=\"509\">Do any airlines offer direct flights from Kansas City to Columbus, Ohio?<\/em><\/p>\n<ul data-start=\"514\" data-end=\"589\">\n<li data-start=\"514\" data-end=\"589\">A search on travel websites shows that no direct flights are available.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong data-start=\"664\" data-end=\"678\">Example 3:<\/strong>\u00a0<em data-start=\"679\" data-end=\"746\">What\u2019s the best way to travel from Kansas City to Columbus, Ohio?<\/em><\/p>\n<ul data-start=\"751\" data-end=\"967\">\n<li data-start=\"751\" data-end=\"967\">This requires comparing travel options based on factors like cost, time, and personal preferences. A business traveler may prioritize speed, while a college student with a pet may choose a more affordable option.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/section>\n<p>Although all three questions we listed above require information gathering, for the purposes of this course we are going to call questions like #1 and #2 \u201c<strong>homework questions<\/strong>.\u201d These are homework questions because you can find the answer just by going to a single reference source and looking it up. We will address the \u201c<strong>research question<\/strong>\u201d like #3 for which developing a fully functional answer requires both gathering relevant information and then assembling it in a meaningful way.<\/p>\n<p>In other words, a research question differs from a homework question because\u00a0<strong>research<\/strong>\u00a0is the process of finding the information needed to answer your research question and then deriving or building the answer from the information you found.<\/p>\n<section class=\"textbox tryIt\" aria-label=\"Try It\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" id=\"ohm40695\" class=\"resizable\" src=\"https:\/\/ohm.one.lumenlearning.com\/multiembedq.php?id=40695&theme=lumen&iframe_resize_id=ohm40695&source=tnh\" width=\"100%\" height=\"150\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" id=\"ohm40696\" class=\"resizable\" src=\"https:\/\/ohm.one.lumenlearning.com\/multiembedq.php?id=40696&theme=lumen&iframe_resize_id=ohm40696&source=tnh\" width=\"100%\" height=\"150\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<\/section>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"menu_order":2,"template":"","meta":{"_candela_citation":"[]","pb_show_title":"on","pb_short_title":"","pb_subtitle":"","pb_authors":[],"pb_section_license":""},"chapter-type":[],"contributor":[],"license":[],"part":286,"module-header":"background_you_need","content_attributions":[],"internal_book_links":[],"video_content":null,"cc_video_embed_content":{"cc_scripts":"","media_targets":[]},"try_it_collection":null,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/content.one.lumenlearning.com\/englishcomp1\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/1330"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/content.one.lumenlearning.com\/englishcomp1\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/content.one.lumenlearning.com\/englishcomp1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/chapter"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/content.one.lumenlearning.com\/englishcomp1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/14"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/content.one.lumenlearning.com\/englishcomp1\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/1330\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3476,"href":"https:\/\/content.one.lumenlearning.com\/englishcomp1\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/1330\/revisions\/3476"}],"part":[{"href":"https:\/\/content.one.lumenlearning.com\/englishcomp1\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/parts\/286"}],"metadata":[{"href":"https:\/\/content.one.lumenlearning.com\/englishcomp1\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/1330\/metadata\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/content.one.lumenlearning.com\/englishcomp1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1330"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"chapter-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/content.one.lumenlearning.com\/englishcomp1\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapter-type?post=1330"},{"taxonomy":"contributor","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/content.one.lumenlearning.com\/englishcomp1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/contributor?post=1330"},{"taxonomy":"license","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/content.one.lumenlearning.com\/englishcomp1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/license?post=1330"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}