Opioid overdose epidemic

Conducting Primary Research (Pathos)

Typically we learn about a subject by gathering secondary information through traditional research methods. While this is a good way to learn, field research is also an interesting way to gain insight about your topic. Field research is considered primary research because you are going out into the field and gathering the information on your own. Collecting data through an interview, survey, or observation are methods of field research.

Assignment: Choose one method for collecting data about your topic. When choosing a method, consider what is most appropriate for the topic. After the data collection is complete, you will then review the written data and come up with a thesis (the argument) based on those findings. You will develop a discussion that includes claims (reasons) that support the thesis and evidence from the data to support those claims. You will engage in a discussion that assists readers with understanding the meaning of these findings in both a local and global manner.

            Your essay should:

• Be comprised of 875-1,000 words.
• Include an introduction, body, and conclusion to structure the essay.
• Include in-text citations for direct quotes pulled from the data (interview or survey) in proper APA or MLA

Remember to include:

• Transcript or Survey with results: A typed copy of your interview or survey data needs to be attached to your completed project. Do not include the word-for-word transcript in your essay but keep it as a separate document that you will turn in at the end of your essay.

Choose one method for collecting data from below:

Interviewing

• Choose a person to interview that can help you gain insight about the topic you are researching. (This interview is not a personal interview; it is about gathering data about the topic.)
• Come up with a list of at least 10 questions that will help you answer your research question.
• Decide what method of communication your will use to conduct the interview (face-to-face, skype, email, phone).
• Find a time to conduct the interview prior to the “what is your point?” discussion forum.
• Take careful, detailed notes during the interview, because you will submit a transcript with this project—representing your interviewee accurately is your ethical duty as a researcher (and this is hard to do without good notes).

Observing

• Choose a place to observe that will help you gather data about your topic you are researching.
• Visit the place a few times to take notes about what you are observing.
• Take notes about what you are seeing. This essay is strictly based on what you are observing. Your notes should not include judgements about what you see.  Instead, record exactly what you see, or use the double-entry notebook (as discussed in the Observation Tips PPT).
• Once you’ve finished your observation and look through your notes, you’ll draw conclusions (what do you notice? what really stands out?) about this community—that’s your thesis. Now, you need to your readers to believe what you saw and to come to the same conclusions that you did—refer to your notes for examples and evidence to support your thesis.

Conducting a Survey (use Google Form)

• You will want to survey at least 15-20 people for this assignment, though more would probably be required for a statistics or sociology class.
• Come up with a list of no more than 10 questions.
• When putting the survey together, include information at the beginning that explains the purpose of the survey.
• Include questions that help you identify the demographic of the people surveyed, so that you can analyze the connections between responses and respondents.
• Make sure that you have time to administer the survey, collect results, and analyze the results.

Writing an Essay Based on Primary Research

Writing an essay based on primary research really is not that different from writing any essay that uses sources. You will use the data that you collect as the source in your essay by referencing it the same way you would a secondary source. In other words, you have collected data that is now a source.

Below are some tips to assist you with writing an essay based on primary research:

Interview and Survey Data Writing Process

1. Review your original claim from the previous and then review the interview transcript or survey results to locate the claim you will make about the topic. This will function as the thesis in the essay.
2. You should include some background information, things like whom you interviewed or surveyed, etc. In other words, in the opening paragraph to help readers understand why this data is credible.
3. Tell your audience about the details and information that emerged from your data. This information will be the evidence you use throughout your essay to support your thesis and discussion.
4. Be sure to include your responses to the interview/survey (what you make of the answers you received). I am looking for you to integrate the three types of writing techniques in the essay: narrative, paraphrase, and direct quotations.
5. Develop what this data has revealed to you about your topic. Why is this revelation important to think about?  What broader social context does this revelation fit into?

Observation Data Writing Process (Pages from the textbook that will assist with this method: p. 105; 132-143)

It is important that you understand that you are not simply typing up your notes and turning them in as your essay.  Instead, your notes will be the text that you read through and analyze to help you come to an understanding about the topic.

1. Review the original claim from the previous essay and then review your notes to locate that claim you will make about the topic. This will function as the thesis in the essay.
2. You should include some background information about why you chose to observe this place to help readers understand why this data is credible.
3. Use information from your notes throughout the essay to support your discussion points. In other words, this data will be the evidence you use to support your discussion and thesis.
4. Be sure to include your responses to the information along the way, so that you are not simply reporting the information.
5. Develop what this data has revealed to you about your topic. Why is this revelation important to think about?  What broader social context does this revelation fit into?