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Human Services Research Guide

Research Definitions

What is Research?

  • A simple definition that comes from a French word used in the 1500s is "the act of searching closely" (Online Etymology Dictionary, 2021).
  • Another, slightly more specific definition was offered by J. W. Cresswell, a well-known education research scholar. According to Cresswell (2008) research is “a process of steps used to collect and analyze information to increase our understanding of a topic or issue” (Creswell, 2008, as cited in Sansom, 2019, p. 1).
  • Research can often involve posing questions and then answering them with evidence or support.

Research Topic Ideas

Where do Ideas for Research Come From?

  • Personal experiences""
  • Professional experiences
  • Course materials
  • News
  • Social media posts
  • Talking with friends or classmates
  • Other online spaces
  • Almost anywhere!

 

"Portrait of woman in red top ... thinking" image by Andrea Piacquadio is shared under a Pexels license.

Living your life and observing what is happening around you can spark ideas that you would like to investigate further. Sometimes these ideas just need a bit of refining so that they fit with what is expected in your courses.

Here are library resources that can help you identify topics of interest:

  • CQ Researcher (Sage) has a "Browse by" page that includes tabs for Topics, Hot Topics, Pro/Con, and Upcoming [Features] with issue lists and background information.
  • Gale in Context (College) has a "Topics of Interest" gallery and a "Browse Topics" page with more than 1,000 potential topics identified with linked information sources.

 

Types of Research

Personal Research

  • Example: You are wondering what the different career possibilities are for someone with a Human Services degree so you gather information from job posting sites, talking to people at work or in the community, exploring websites like O*Net, etc. You are using the information to guide your decision-making in response to a personal question or need.

Professional Research

  • Example: Your supervisors at work have noticed a way the company or team provides a particular service that they think can be improved. You are asked to collect and then share information with them about other possible ways to offer the service that could enhance customer experiences, increase efficiency, etc., while still adhering to industry regulations.

Academic / Scholarly Research

  • Academic researchers often need to publish their work in discipline-specific journals or present at research conferences. The editorial boards for journals and academic conferences generally have strict requirements to be followed when research is conducted (for example protection of human participants) and when writing or sharing results (using standard document formats, explaining study methods, crediting and citing others' work, etc.).
  • Within academic research, there are many different types and approaches. Some research relies solely on already published text documents. Other research involves collecting data by having participants respond to surveys or take part in an experimental treatment program. Modern research methods may also include collecting and analyzing social media posts and evidence of other online activities. Academic journals mostly include articles that are the first-hand reports of these studies by the researchers. 

More on Research

To Learn More About Different Research Methods, See...