Welcome to your journey to becoming a communication scholar! We developed this workbook to guide you through the semester as you learn how understand and conduct scholarly research. What does it mean to be a scholar? A scholar is someone who specializes in a particular area of study. For you, this area is communication. And how do you become a scholar? By doing research.

But why is it important for you to learn research skills? You might be thinking, I want to be a journalist or make TV shows or work in public relations, why do I need to learn how to do research? Well, if you want someone to watch your TV show, read your article, or listen to your campaign, you will need to conduct research to see if the audience you’re targeting even exists. You will need to research to find out if your ideas are original, what the person you’re interviewing for an article has done in the past, or what makes a successful public relations campaign. You’ll need data in order to pitch your new TV show idea.

To be successful in organizational and business communication, it is essential that you learn how to effectively promote successful communication in any institution. This may include writing training manuals, employee handbooks, or conducting in-depth personnel research to ensure overall satisfaction of employees. Also, scholarly research is the foundation of any discipline, and many of the core principles of this field are derived from scholarly research.

Because we want you to succeed in the industry, we will spend the semester learning how to conduct research in the field of communication. We’ll start by providing you with a short history of communication research, show you how to gather academic research, and teach you how to write a literature review. Let's get started!

Introduction to the current research questions in phonological theory. Topics include: metrical and prosodic structure; features and their phonetic basis in speech; acquisition and parsing; phonological domains; morphology; and language change and reconstruction. Activities include problem solving, squibs, and data collection. The year-long Introduction to Phonology reviews at the graduate level fundamental notions of phonological analysis and introduces students to current debates, research and analytical techniques. The Fall term reviews issues pertaining to the nature of markedness and phonological representations - features, prosodies, syllables and stress - while the second term deals with the relation between the phonological component and the lexicon, morphology and syntax. The second term course will also treat in more detail certain phonological phenomena.

Literature Reviews for Education and Nursing Graduate Students is an open textbook designed for students in graduate-level nursing and education programs. Its intent is to recognize the significant role the literature review plays in the research process and to prepare students for the work that goes into writing one. Developed for new graduate students and novice researchers just entering into the work of a chosen discipline, each of the eight chapters covers a component of the literature review process. Students will learn how to form a research question, search existing literature, synthesize results and write the review. The book contains examples, checklists, supplementary materials, and additional resources. Literature Reviews for Education and Nursing Graduate Students is written by two librarians with expertise guiding students through research and writing assignments, and is openly licensed.

Reviews available here: https://open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/textbooks/literature-reviews-for-education-and-nursing-graduate-students

This textbook guides students through rhetorical and assignment analysis, the writing process, researching, citing, rhetorical modes, and critical reading. Guided by Oregon's statewide college writing outcomes, this book collects previously published articles, essays, and chapters released under Creative Commons licenses into one free textbook available for online access or print-on-demand.

IThis course introduces students to the conduct of political research using quantitative methodologies. The methods are examined in the context of specific political research activities like public opinion surveys, voting behavior, Congressional behavior, comparisons of political processes in different countries, and the evaluation of public policies. Students participate in joint class projects and conduct individual projects.

This Open Educational Resource is a collection of texts and materials that team together students’ familiarity with sports and critical inquiry skills. Sports has an undeniable fascination for cultural studies scholars, and the athletic competition and the social conversations it elicits can help students to see how ethical argumentation plays beyond the walls of the ivory tower. The Politics of Sports, as a broad field of study, is of interest to both scholars and pundits alike. Through inquiry into sports, students can see how debate functions in both academic and public spheres. We have found sports to inspire a wide range of independent research topics in our writing classrooms that challenge students to engage with complex research questions that delve into the social structures that shape what we value and how we act as citizens. Sports is often central to the college experience and ubiquitous in families and communities around the world. The wide variety of audiences interested in sports the personal, economic, and social values tied up in sports invites research writers to think carefully about audience, community, and stakes of argument. We believe that The Politics of Sports has the potential to capture the interest of college students in order to excite them to begin a research journey with a sense of authority and investment in a topic that is at once familiar and complex enough to yield a wide range of inquiry .

Use this lesson to help students distinguish between primary and secondary sources and use them in them in the appropriate context.

In this course, students identify issues in educational or other professional settings on which to focus their critical and creative thinking skills. Each student works through the different stages of research and action - from defining a manageable project to communicating findings and plans for further work. Supervision is provided when the student's research centers on new teaching practices, workshops in the community, or volunteer. The classes run as workshops in which students are introduced to and then practice using tools for research, writing, communicating, and supporting the work of others.

Psychology is designed to meet scope and sequence requirements for the single-semester introduction to psychology course. The book offers a comprehensive treatment of core concepts, grounded in both classic studies and current and emerging research. The text also includes coverage of the DSM-5 in examinations of psychological disorders. Psychology incorporates discussions that reflect the diversity within the discipline, as well as the diversity of cultures and communities across the globe.Senior Contributing AuthorsRose M. Spielman, Formerly of Quinnipiac UniversityContributing AuthorsKathryn Dumper, Bainbridge State CollegeWilliam Jenkins, Mercer UniversityArlene Lacombe, Saint Joseph's UniversityMarilyn Lovett, Livingstone CollegeMarion Perlmutter, University of Michigan

To provide instruction and dialog on practical ethical issues relating to the responsible conduct of human and animal research in the brain and cognitive sciences. Specific emphasis will be placed on topics relevant to young researchers including data handling, animal and human subjects, misconduct, mentoring, intellectual property, and publication.

In this learning area, you will find step-by-step support for writing a research paper (a paper with source material) for your college courses. In Research, the Excelsior OWL will help you as you begin to write your paper, pick a topic, conduct research for articles and books, draft your work, integrate your research, and revise and edit your finished paper.

Related lesson plans are also available for download and adaptation in the Guttman Community College OER collection in the CUNY Academic Works institutional repository.

This course is an introduction to the history, theory, practice, and implications of rhetoric, the art and craft of persuasion. This course specifically focuses on the ways that scientists use various methods of persuasion in the construction of scientific knowledge.

The RoughWriter's Guide is a writing handbook designed specifically for Yavapai College students. The Guide provides students with help navigating academic writing, including all aspects of the writing process, MLA and APA formatting, and grammatical and mechanical issues.

Table of Contents:
I. Studying in College
1. Developing Study Skills
2. Reading in College
3. Taking Notes and Annotating

II. Writing in College
4. Academic Writing
5. Basics of Rhetoric
6. Summary vs. Analysis

III. Pre-Writing
7. Overview of the Writing Process
8. Deciding on a Topic
9. Refining Your Topic

IV. Conducting Research
10. Doing Research
11. Keeping a Research Journal
12. Annotated Bibliography
13. Evaluating Sources

V. Planning
14. Thesis Writing
15. Creating a Title
16. Creating an Outline
17. Proper Paper Formatting: Introduction to MLA and APA
18. Formatting: MLA Style
19. Formatting APA Style

VI. Drafting
20. Introductions and Conclusions
21. Body Paragraph Basics
22. Using Quotes, Paraphrases, and Summaries
23. Avoiding Plagiarism

VII. Documentation
24. Creating a List of Sources Overview
25. List of Sources MLA Style: Works Cited
26. List of Sources APA: References Page
27. In-Text (Parenthetical) Citations

VIII. Revision
28. Revision Strategies
29. Sentence Variety
30. Transitions
31. Using Strong Verbs
32. Writing Clearly and Concisely
33. Aligning Ideas
34. Peer Review

IX. Editing
35. Editing Strategies
36. Grammar Basics: Understand the Vocabulary
37. All About Verbs: Tenses, Mood, and Subject-Verb Agreement
38. Identifying Fragments, Run-ons, and Comma Splices
39. Identifying Pronoun Problems
40. Checking Adjectives and Adverbs
41. Identifying Clarity Issues
42. Identifying Mechanics Problems
43. Identifying Punctuation Problems

X. Samples
44. Essay Checklists
45. Student Essay Example 1 (Argument) in MLA and APA Format
46. Student Essay Example 2 (Literary Analysis) in MLA
YC Writing Resources
Presenting Your Work
Writing Beyond Academia
Writing for Non-Native Speakers

This seminar is intended to help students in the MIT/Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute Joint Program develop a broader perspective on their thesis research by considering some aspects of science in the large. The first part of the course challenges students to develop a thoughtful view towards major questions in science that can be incorporated in their own research process, and that will help them articulate research findings. The second part of the course emphasizes science as a social process and the important roles of written and oral communication.

Writing guides abound, but The Simple Math of Writing Well is one of a kind. Readers will find its practical approach affirming, encouraging, and informative, and its focus on the basics of linguistic structure releases 21st-century writers to embrace the variety of mediums that define our internet-connected world. As Harrop reminds us in the opening chapters of her book, we write more today than ever before in history: texts, emails, letters, blogs, reports, social media posts, proposals, etc. The Simple Math of Writing Well is the first guide that directly addresses the importance of writing well in the Google age.

Table of Contents
Introduction: Myths And Rule Changes 1

Part I. The Sentence Equation

1. Main Verbs
2. Main Subjects
3. Terminal Punctuation Marks
4. Mid-Sentence Punctuation Marks
5. Eight Parts Of Speech
6. Consistency
Part II. The Paragraph Equation

7. Topic Sentences
8. Evidence
9. Summary Sentences
Part III. The Essay Equation

10. Thesis Statements
11. Introductions
12. Body Paragraphs
13. Conclusions
Part IV. The Process Of Writing Well

14. Purpose
15. Audience
16. Voice
17. Context
18. Claims And Appeals
19. Clarity And Cohesion
20. Revision And Creativity
Part V. Research

21. Finding Credible Evidence
22. Including Outside Evidence
Part VI. Academic Formatting

23. Apa
24. Mla
25. Turabian
Part VII. Beyond Academia

26. Emails
27. Letters
28. Reports And Proposals

Social Problems: Continuity and Change by Steve Barkan is a realistic but motivating look at the many issues that are facing our society today. As this book’s subtitle, Continuity and Change, implies, social problems are persistent, but they have also improved in the past and can be improved in the present and future, provided that our nation has the wisdom and will to address them.

It is easy for students to read a social problems textbook and come away feeling frustrated by the enormity of the many social problems facing us today. Social Problems: Continuity and Change certainly does not minimize the persistence of social problems, but neither does it overlook the possibilities for change offered by social research and by the activities of everyday citizens working to make a difference. Readers of Steve Barkan’s book will find many examples of how social problems have been improved and of strategies that hold great potential for solving them today and in the future.

You will find several pedagogical features help to convey the “continuity and change” theme of this text and the service sociology vision in which it is grounded: Each chapter begins with a “Social Problems in the News” story related to the social problem discussed in that chapter. These stories provide an interesting starting point for the chapter’s discussion and show its relevance for real-life issues. Three types of boxes in each chapter provide examples of how social problems have been changed and can be changed.

According to Project Information Literacy, defining and narrowing a topic is the most difficult step for beginning undergraduate researchers. This concept mapping lesson is designed to reinforce the idea that when students are writing academic papers or creating class projects they are engaging in a scholarly conversation.