Tuesday February 25, 2025 by Eric L Chow

Do Now

chowsir — 2025-02-25 00:30:00 UTC

Please sit at the conference tables. At your table, discuss some of your successful and not-so-successful research experiences. Record your notes on the document and be prepared to share out with the class.

Senior Capstone Project Research

chowsir — 2025-02-25 00:33:48 UTC

The Capstone topic/project...

should be one that you are interested in, but not already an expert;

should be related to an identified community issue or need. Preliminary research may be helpful;
should be related to the student’s interests and/ or future post- secondary and career plans.

Zora Neale Hurston on Research

chowsir — 2025-02-25 00:34:39 UTC

"Research is formalized curiosity. It is poking and prying with a purpose."

Hurston (1891-1960) was an American anthropologist and writer known for her research and writing on slavery, race, folklore and the African-American experience.

Primary Sources

chowsir — 2025-02-25 02:22:16 UTC

Primary Sources are immediate, first-hand accounts of a topic, from people who had a direct connection with it. Primary sources can include:

Texts of laws and other original documents.
Newspaper reports, by reporters who witnessed an event or who quote people who did.
Speeches, diaries, letters and interviews - what the people involved said or wrote.
Original research.
Datasets, survey data, such as census or economic statistics.
Photographs, video, or audio that capture an event.

From Healey Library, University of Massachusetts Boston.

Secondary Sources

chowsir — 2025-02-25 02:24:44 UTC

Secondary Sources are one step removed from primary sources, though they often quote or otherwise use primary sources. They can cover the same topic, but add a layer of interpretation and analysis. Secondary sources can include:

Most books about a topic.
Analysis or interpretation of data.
Scholarly or other articles about a topic, especially by people not directly involved.
Documentaries (though they often include photos or video portions that can be considered primary sources).

From Healey Library, University of Massachusetts Boston.

Capstone Project Research Notes

chowsir — 2025-02-25 03:47:09 UTC

Use the template on Padlet to create your own Capstone Project Research Notes.

If you are working with a team, share the Padlet so that your team members can view and contribute to the research.