Chapter 2
primary source
is a firsthand report of observations or research results written by the individual's who actually conducted the research and made the observations
secondary source
is a description or summary of another person's work. is written by someone who did not participate in the research or observations being discussed
literature search
to find a set of published research reports that define the current state of knowledge in an area and to identify an unanswered question.
subject words
correct terms, used to identify and describe the variables in the study and the characteristics of the participants.
Database
contains about one million publications, or records, that are all cross-referenced by subject words and author names
abstract
is a brief summary of the publication, usually about 200 words
introduction
discuss previous research that forms the foundation for the current research study and presents a clear statement of the problem being investigated
method section
presents details concerning the participants and the procedures used in the study
Results section
presents the details of the statistical analysis and usually is not important to for generating a new research idea
discussion section
begins by summarizing the results of the study, stating the conclusions, and noting any potential applications