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Why Is Academic Research Important? Your Complete Guide

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The accessibility of the internet has made most information available to anyone at any time. It’s great to have limitless knowledge at the tip of your fingers, but there are some pitfalls. 

For one, it can be difficult and time-consuming to find the most accurate information amid the extra noise. The advancement of scientific inquiry isn’t likely to advance with a random but convincing blog post light on facts, for example. 

It’s crucial to have a culture of people who are working hard to discover new information and document it in a reliable way. This is why academic research is important . 

We’re going to explore the value of academic research in this article. Hopefully, we can give you some idea of the importance it has had in the past and continues to have today.

Why Academic Research is Important

There are many fields that require you to engage with academic research. Most people use research most heavily when they’re in college. Research  citation tools  are an essential piece of the academic writing process.

Writing academic papers requires that a person cites academic research to make arguments. Trained professionals are also required to engage with academic research in a lot of instances. 

Individuals can rely on academic research because it’s absent of personal opinion. That objectivity is where we’ll start our exploration of research’s importance.

The Scientific Method and Objectivity

Any light research into the state of the media today will show you that, whether justified or not, there is a great deal of mistrust. 

People aren’t sure that their news sources are giving reliable information or if the messages are skewed in favor of one opinion or another. Many reliable sources do objective work every day, but the fact remains that the potential for an unreliable narrator exists.

It’s only natural, considering there’s one person writing the material and the result is bound to their personal opinions. We need the media to provide us with information, though, and it’s often their style and personal take on a story that makes their work so engaging. 

On the other side of things, there are areas of inquiry that require objectivity and as little personal influence as possible.

The Scientific Method

The scientific method is a longstanding formula that, hopefully, prevents false conclusions. Additionally, it defends against personal opinion and preference. 

Ideally, people will trust the scientific method against all diverging opinions. Scientists accept conclusions that come from academic research until new information comes forward.

The method prompts individuals to do a few things. First, a person asks a question. Then a person or team does research on that question. They follow by making a hypothesis.

That hypothesis gets tested with experiments. After the data comes in, researches can either accept or deny their hypothesis. When followed, this method is an excellent defense against mistakes and unchecked ideas. 

Academic research follows this rigorous method. It’s incredibly important to distinguish academic research from speculation or personal opinion. We’ve entered a period where personal opinion is ubiquitous on the internet, and there’s a lack of awareness as to what is fact and what is speculation.

Peer-Reviewed, Ensures Accuracy

Another defense against misinformation is the fact that most academic research is  peer-reviewed.

This simply means that all research, methods, and conclusions are examined by other professionals in a field. These professionals should revere the scientific method and its principles above other loyalties. 

Our description of the scientific is admittedly brief. There is a lot of work and discipline that goes into a proper study. All of those steps are double-checked by trained professionals who, hopefully, have objectivity in mind. 

We should appreciate the work that researchers do and  celebrate opportunities for them  to get exposure.

This strict adherence to truth is the foundation of what makes academic research important. It is the baseline of all advances made in our understanding of the world and each other. 

Whether you’re inquiring into the nature of the atom or discovering how the human mind understands sound, objectivity is key.

Technology is Conceived Through Research

Research into the world of physics, biology, economics, and culture all translate into insights that change the way we live. 

Most notably, those insights lead to an understanding that contributes to the development of new technology. We could labor over numerous research insights that have benefited all of society, but we’ll discuss a couple of the most fundamental for the sake of brevity. 

Without the principles of Newtonian physics, our world would still be very simple. All of the technology used today would be impossible without those principles. 

The law of gravity and the theories of special and general relativity have made almost all of our technology possible. 

Those theories were given scrupulous criticism because they defied what humans thought about the world. Although those ideas were radical when they were conceived, they held up under the scientific method. 

Similarly, groundbreaking research is conducted every day. The ideas explored may even be controversial or troubling to some people. The fact is, though, that we benefit greatly when people dig deeper into reality through academic research.

A Catalyst for Changes in Society

The impact of academic research is spread through all tiers of human civilization. 

As we inch forward, changes are made that benefit all people. Research into microbiology finds a way to  decompose plastic . Inquiry into the cosmos demystifies longstanding cultural myths that people have accepted for centuries. 

The changes caused by academic research are both practical and cultural. Advances in medical technology, for example, can extend the average human lifespan by a large margin. Research into ocean water might prompt a solution to human dehydration in the near future. 

From the soles of your shoes, all the way to the work your dentist does to prevent gingivitis, academic research has been silently improving the quality of your life since before you were born. 

On the other end of things, cultural shifts are caused by new understanding. People will generally change their opinions when faced with reliable, fact-based evidence. For example, research on  human diversity and biology  has given us information that discredits racism. 

As we dig deeper, we find that our similarities far outstretch our differences and that claims to demean or dehumanize people from different races are entirely false. 

Modern Examples of the Importance of Research

It can seem like the world of research is reserved for professionals and academics until the benefits reach society. 

Academic research expands through most areas of modern life, though. The value of research is evident in a lot of the most pressing issues of our times, and a few examples might be useful.

1. The Climate

Whatever your personal opinions on the state of the world’s climate, it can’t be denied that academic research is the avenue that will bring us the most understanding. 

Every layer of the climate change issue is informed by academic research. We know that the earth goes through periods of long climatological change. There’s evidence of glacial advance and retreat as well as other signs that the earth enters into natural periods of change. 

These changes, the science tells us, are prompted by slight changes in the earth’s orbit. Currently, shifts in fundamental pieces of ecosystems, climates, and more are all telling us that another shift is taking place. 

Each component of the vast effects of climate change is informed by academic research. From geological evidence to animal behavior to our understanding of climate itself, research underpins the understanding. 

The body of data and academic research that compose our understanding of the climate crisis is interpreted by those in power. Nasa, one of the more respected scientific institutions, claims that there is a greater than  95 percent chance  that human behavior is causing global warming. 

Researching Solutions

In the case that action is taken to counteract the causes of climate change, academic research will guide our response. 

Research is needed to understand the global systems that contribute most to carbon emissions. Academics will work to uncover the alternatives to current materials and processes that are affecting the environment. 

If those efforts are going to have any notable effect, the actions we take will have to be informed by the scientific method and identified through academic research. 

2. The World of Business

The business world is heavily  informed by academic research . Businesses use research to understand markets and make profitable decisions. 

This benefits consumers as well. For example, a business wouldn’t be very effective if it had no idea what consumers wanted. Alternatively, consumers would be disappointed if businesses didn’t know their needs. 

Research is conducted to find the desires of consumers. Research also ensures that the products and services provided to consumers are safe and reliable. There are a lot of things we use every day that have the potential to be very dangerous. 

Take any one of your household appliances, for example. Without sound understandings of the technology and machinery used in those devices, the manufacturers would be unable to promise that your microwave wouldn’t explode.

You wouldn’t know if your heat would stay on through blistering cold winters. You couldn’t know that the packaging that holds your ground beef would protect against disease. 

All of those safety measures and technological advancements are underpinned by research. 

3. Political Opinion

Most politicians make dozens of claims every single day. As people of power, those claims have a huge influence on thousands of people. 

Now that social media is synonymous with politics, claims can reach hundreds of millions of people in a matter of seconds. It’s important that there is a force in place to fact-check the claims made by people of power. 

Research is used to determine whether or not politicians are being honest or trying to manipulate the masses. Further, research is needed to create the data that politicians use to inform their audiences. 

Things like polling numbers, environmental data, global economic figures, and more are all the results of research. 

So, the next time you click on a political article in your feed, try and make note of all of the potential research that went into the claims. Additionally, try to see if any  claims aren’t reliable . As we mentioned earlier, it’s pretty easy for a journalist or blogger to make false claims these days. 

How to Use Academic Research in Your Life

In light of all of the information above, you might be wondering how to approach the world of research. It would be impossible to fact-check or understand all of the research that holds up the world around us. 

That said, it’s possible to engage with academic research in ways that are meaningful to you. You can start by identifying some of your most prominent opinions and beliefs. Write these ideas out on a piece of paper in as much detail as you can. 

Once you’ve got a visual of these opinions, find a credible source of academic research. Browse through different papers and see how your opinions hold up under the scientific method. There’s so much research out there that you’re bound to find material that relates to you. 

It’s enlightening to learn that we’re wrong about something. It’s encouraging to find out that our opinions are in line with academic understanding. 

Additionally, take your media sources to task on their claims. The next time you read a really bold claim online, try your best to get to the bottom of it. Check the sources of the article and do your own research if sources aren’t provided. 

As we become more informed, our world will be a better-ordered and more reliable place. All of the information is available to you, all you have to do is sit down and do some research of your own!

Want to Learn More?

Clearly, it’s important to understand why academic research is important. Research helps us in all areas of our lives, and there’s limitless knowledge out there for you to discover. 

Contact us  to learn more about academic research, how to access it, and the things it can do.

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What is Academic Research?

After completing this module you will be able to:

• recognize why information exists, who creates it, and how information of all kinds can be valuable, even when it’s biased.
• understand what scholarly research is, how to find it, how the process of peer-review works, and how it gets published.
• identify types of databases and understand why databases are critical for academic research

How to use this module

This module is organized into a number of pages. To navigate, you can either:

• use the “Previous” and “Next” buttons at the bottom of each page (suggested)

• follow the links in the “Contents” menu on the left side of the page

Introduction to Academic Research Copyright © by matt0341; ampala; and heitz106. All Rights Reserved.

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Academic Research Home: What is Academic Research? Why is it Important?

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What is Academic Research

Professors and others in academic fields often conduct research related to their studies. These researchers may be scientists, sociologists, educators, historians, English professors, etc. When conduct experiments or conduct a systemic analysis they then write an article with their findings.

This article is then submitted to a journal for review. This is called the peer review process (see below). Once approved, the article is published in the journal.

These articles are sometimes referred to as scholarly research, journal article, or peer reviewed article.

To be considered academic research, the article should include a discussion of the research methods, a detailed summary of the data, and an analysis of the data. Look for the following sections: (the section names may differ) Abstract, Methods, Data, Conclusion. More information about what these sections mean can be found on the " How to Read " page. 

This type of research is important because it provides new information for those in the field. These articles are often the primary source of information in the sciences. It also helps inform best practices or analyzes current systems.

Peer Review Process

The peer review process.

The peer review process describes the process in which academic research is approved for publication.

After conducting research, the researcher (or more often than not, researchers) write an article which discusses their guiding question or hypothesis, their methods to conduct the research, their findings, and their analysis of the findings.

The research then submits the article to a journal for publication. Before the article is published, a panel of peers in with that specific academic expertise critically reviews the article. They ensure that the research methods are based on sound methods, that the results match the method of research, and that the conclusions drawn by the research are valid. They then either approve the article for publication, request revisions, or deny the article for publication.

Research and Identiies

Is it credible?

Peer reviewed academic research is often considered one of the most credible reference source. The peer review process is rigorous, and misleading or false information or conclusions is often caught before publication.

HOWEVER, nothing is perfect. Mistakes are sometimes missed, and fraudulent data is occasionally published. Additionally, bias exists in any academic field, and that bias can affect all levels of the peer review process (the question being researched, their research methods, the conclusions, and the peer review response). So, as with any source, it is still important to read with a critical eye.

Other Types of Articles

Other articles in academic journals.

Academic journals typically publish this kind of peer-reviewed research, but they might also publish any of the following types of articles as well.

• Literature review - a review of previously published research on a subject
• Meta-analysis - an analysis of previously published research
• Book review
• Editorial or commentary
• Conference reports

These articles are often great as a source for your school research, but if your teacher requests an academic research article, it is important to make sure includes sections that discuss methods, data, and analysis.

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Introduction to Academic Research

What is Academic Research?

• Planning your Research
• Search Strategies
• Choosing Sources
• Choosing Databases
• Scholarly Sources
• Evaluating Websites
• Citing your Sources

Academic research involves a thorough investigation into what is known about a given topic. In most cases, you will be required to examine and analyze scholarly sources when completing your assignments (unless otherwise indicated by your instructor).  Scholarly sources help:

• Add depth to your understanding.
• Strengthen your argument.
• Reduce bias and misconceptions.

Research assignments are designed to help you think like a researcher and learn good research skills, such as selecting appropriate topics, identifying keywords, searching for information efficiently, and evaluating your sources. In this guide, we'll cover some of the key information and skills you need to know to succeed at Sheridan.

In this Guide

• Last Updated: May 1, 2023 9:28 AM
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Academic Research: What it is + Free Tools

Academic research is critical to the success of a university, involving the whole system participating in it, whether it’s students, faculty members, or administrators. Although research is stereotypically associated with being in a laboratory mixing substances, the reality is that academic research involves all disciplines.

As a university student, you probably have many subjects to take, pending projects, and academic research to do. As part of that research, collecting information and data is essential for a final delivery that will give you an A and a 100% reliable result. Researchers use academic papers to earn colleagues’ respect, be a pioneer in their respective fields, and participate in future related research.

But how do you create an excellent quality academic research paper? Why is data collection a crucial point to it? In the following blog post, you’ll find the answers to those questions.

What is academic research?

Academic research is the best tool universities have to create or enhance knowledge and facilitate learning. Additionally, most academic research helps solve different social and economic problems in the community surrounding the university where it originated.

Academic research is a systematic process of studying a research problem or situation, where the intention is to identify facts that help solve the problem or deal with the situation.

Academic research aims to generate new knowledge that improves social development. This research is one of the essential responsibilities of a faculty member working at an educational institution. 

Mainly this focuses on scientific discoveries, conducting studies into various aspects of life, with the eventual aim of developing a more in-depth knowledge of the subject.

It’s all about using new research techniques, creating studies into untouched areas of life, and giving us a better understanding of the world in which we live. There are four types of Academic Research:

• Exploratory research to identify new situations/problems. Because of its nature, this type of research is often qualitative; however, a study with a large sample in an exploratory manner can incorporate qualitative research.
• Descriptive research identifies the characteristics of a particular phenomenon without investigating its causes.
• Explanatory research identifies cause-and-effect relationships in a problem, allowing generalizations that can apply in similar situations.
• Correlational research identifies the relationship between two or more variables and the effect on the system when a change in one of them occurs.

Characteristics of academic research

Academic research is more than just choosing a topic, collecting data, and putting it together on paper. To be considered good research, this must meet specific criteria to ensure the quality of the research. Some of the characteristics of good research are:

• Good research anchors to its topic question; this is the critical factor in the research. When coming up with the research question, try using FINER criteria (Feasible, Interesting, Novelty, Ethical, and Relevant)
• Every research follows a systematic and appropriate methodology.
• Acknowledgment of previous research is critical for the discovery of new knowledge. Using articles, journals, and investigations done in the past will give you a notion of the study’s direction.
• The criteria of good research is that it is representative and generalizable; this refers to the sample’s ability to represent a larger group with minimal variation.
• External validation of the research is a huge differentiator, as it gives recognition to the investigation for it to be used in future studies. 

Objectives of academic research

Academic research seeks to advance new knowledge and has relevance based on solving problems that contribute to the improvement of society.

When you perform academic research, you are essentially trying to solve a mystery—you want to know how something works or why something happened. In other words, you want to answer a question that you, academics, and professionals have about the world. This is one of the most fundamental reasons for performing research.

The process doesn’t stop right after solving the problem. Academic research needs to be presented, the most common way is through an academic paper, but if the paper is outstanding in quality, it can be published in professional journals.

Importance of academic research

As we have said before, academic research facilitates learning, highlights key issues in society, and can promote the growth of students.

• Facilitates the learning process: It is the best activity to develop or improve knowledge and allows to understand specific problems through varied angles that were never identified or talked about much. While conducting the study, you collect the evidence based on facts and rationale. This is how academic research papers open the doors for more discourse and debate.
• Highlights the problems: Generally, academic research highlights some problems that prevail in society, which could be related to cultural norms, health, education, specific practices, etc.
• Leads to the personal growth of students: This process helps in the development of skills. Students learn to identify a problem and arrive at a possible solution or develop a point of view on a specific issue. In addition, they develop skills such as big data analysis, critical thinking, time management, and organization.

Difference between academic and professional research  

There are several types of research, depending on the perspective and objective of each one. If we talk about academic research, it mainly focuses on making new discoveries for the scientific community.

Instead, professional research is more geared towards solving a specific problem for an organization, often a company or its clients. It could be called the next step of the investigation because it is at the same time collecting information and finding a solution, only applied to different approaches and objectives of life, one academic and one more from working life.

Academic research focuses on the research objectives and questions that arise from independent researchers. It uses formal, scientific, and systematic procedures to discover answers and to prove or reject existing theories.

On the other hand, professional research is defined as work carried out to achieve the objectives of an organization and focuses on the research objectives that arise from the requirements of the company. 

You may or may not use formal, scientific, and systematic procedures to discover answers. It is not based on theory and may not require a representative sample.

LEARN MORE: Descriptive Research vs. Correlational Research

Academic research methods

Research methods are the strategies, processes, or techniques used to collect data or analyze evidence to uncover new information or better understand a topic.

Different types of research methods use different tools for data collection. The principal tools for this type of research are interviews, focus groups, observation, and surveys.

• Interviews . A qualitative interview is the best research technique that allows the researcher to gather data from the subject using open-ended questions. The most important aspect of an interview is how it is made. Typically, it would be a one-on-one conversation focusing on the substance of the question.
• Focus group. Focus group is one of the best examples of qualitative data in education or in academic research. It is also a qualitative approach to gathering information. The main difference from an interview is that the group is composed of 6 – 10 people purposely selected to understand the perception of a social group. Rather than trying to understand a more significant population in the form of statistics, the focus group is directed by a moderator to keep the group in topic conversation. Hence, all the participants contribute to the research.
• Observation. Observation is a method of data collection that incorporates the researcher into the natural setting where the participants or the phenomenon is happening. This enables the researcher to see what is happening in real-time, eliminating some bias that interviews or focus groups can have by having the moderator intervene with the subjects.
• Surveys . A survey is a research method used to collect data from a determined population to gain information on a subject of interest. The nature of the survey allows for gathering the information at any given time and typically takes no time, depending on the research. Another benefit of a survey is its quantitative approach, which makes it easier to present it comprehensively.

Tips for doing academic research through surveys

Data collection is the process by which information is collected and measured based on our interests, taking the right path to answer specific research questions , test our hypotheses and predict the results.

The data collected should be similar to that of the study area, while the methods vary depending on the rules and regulations of each industry. Emphasis must be placed on ensuring accuracy and honesty in data collection, this is very important. 

Regardless of what qualitative and quantitative research methods you are conducting in your academic research, data collection must be accurate, which is essential to maintaining the integrity of academic research.

01. Perform effective sampling

Survey sampling size has to do with correctly defining the number of participants. This is one of the main steps in designing and organizing a survey. 

• Main concept : Before starting your academic research survey, you must confirm the study population and give it the correct follow-up. We must be aware that a change throughout the research process can critically affect the reality of the data collected. 
• Diversity: Ensuring the diversity of your sample and getting them to participate can be tedious work. However, it is very important to have a representative sample of the population to obtain richness in the responses. 
• Clarity : There are several limitations to determining the size and structure of the population sample. It is crucial that researchers describe their limitations and maintain the procedures they follow to select the sample transparently so that the results of surveys are seen from the correct perspective.

02. Select Survey Software 

We at QuestionPro are interested in fostering an interest in students in conducting effective academic research. It is because of students that we have different tools that will help them achieve it effectively:

The platform allows you to select different types of questions such as multiple choice , open , matrix type , satisfaction questions with smileys , and many more. 

In addition, our survey software allows students to email their survey, share it on social media, send it via SMS, etc., to facilitate data collection. 

03. Analysis of the responses

Analyzing the responses will help to know in detail the data obtained in the data collection process and confirm or refute the established hypothesis. 

With QuestionPro, it is possible to view survey data responses in real time. This way, you can effectively perform in-depth analysis for your academic research.

We have for you this article on data analysis, techniques, and step-by-step guide .

04. Research report

There are several essential points to consider when reporting the research results. All reports should be educational, relevant to the target audience, and customized to each company’s needs. 

The report of your academic research can be presented through visual presentations, written on an academic paper, or electronic reports. The way you present your survey results will make a big difference. A complete, formal report usually includes the following elements:

• Cover Sheet
• Introduction
• Research Purpose
• Survey Sample
• Methodology
• Conclusion and Recommendations
• Contact Information

QuestionPro platform also provides you with survey dashboards that will be very useful for presenting a report of results.

Online surveys will help you obtain the data you need for decision-making in your academic research. However, it is important that before collecting a series of data, you choose the right topic, the right questions to ask, and the type of survey you will carry out. 

The design of your survey and the target audience, that is, the right people to answer the questions in your questionnaire, will depend on all of the above.

We know that surveys play an important role in educational projects. That is why our platform allows you to conduct quantitative and qualitative research, polls, questionnaires, and online surveys. 

QuestionPro is a global company concerned about education. That’s why we offer academic alliances so that university students and teachers obtain our tool to take online exams, create forms, conduct research projects, and perform data analysis.

If you are interested in using our platform to carry out academic research, we invite you to learn about the benefits of our academic alliances. Take advantage of everything you can achieve by implementing our tool into your education services and start carrying powerful research to your education institution.

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How to Do Academic Research

Use the links below to jump directly to any section of this guide:

Academic Research Fundamentals

How to begin finding academic resources, how to use scholarly sources once you have located them, databases of scholarly resources, resources for teaching students how to do academic research.

Few high school students or college underclassmen are prepared to conduct the type of academic research their instructors expect. While many institutions offer library orientation sessions, the information is rarely at hand when students are dealing with midterm or finals panic. Furthermore, those sessions generally focus on finding resources, and often fail to teach students how to use those resources effectively. This guide contains links to resources, exercises, and assignments that will help instructors fill these gaps. It also includes tips and responsible shortcuts for students who don't have access to good library resources, or are panicking because they have a lot of material to sort through and don't know how to begin.

Students often want to know the quickest way to get the minimum number of sources required, and many of them cannot see the connection between a slapped-together bibliography and an unfocused mess of a paper. The resources in this section encourage students to think about what they're doing when they write a paper. These resources can also help students understand why a good bibliography is the foundation of a good paper.

What is Academic Research?

"Overview of Research Process" (Univ. of Nebraska)

This resource discusses how the overarching process of research should guide the writing of a research paper. It also includes separate attachments that provide specific guidance for thinking about research questions and proposals.

"Qualitative Research vs. Quantitative Research" (YouTube)

This video introduces students to two basic approaches to conducting research. Understanding basic methodological approaches will help students evaluate whether a scholarly source is appropriate for their research project.

"The 'Realistic' Research Paper" ( Chronicle of Higher Education )

This article from the  CHE  asks whether the formal academic research paper can be made more relevant while still preserving academic rigor. This could be a very good discussion starter for a class of advanced high schoolers or college underclassmen.

Types of Academic Research Sources

"Types of Sources" (Purdue OWL)

The reliable folks at the Purdue Online Writing Lab provide a basic introduction to the types of academic research sources, with section devoted to both traditional print and online-only resources. 

"Articles, Books, and...? Understanding the Many Types of Information Found in Libraries" (UCLA)

This guide breaks down categories of scholarly sources (they are all listed in the sidebar on the left). It defines terms like "scholarly source" and "secondary source," and its explanation of when  to use certain types of sources is succinct and clear. 

Many students have no idea where to begin looking for books and journal articles. Students, here's a tip I always gave my students when I was a professor: begin by looking at the works cited in your assigned readings. You'll probably notice that certain authors, books, or articles are cited frequently. It's safe for you to assume those are the type of respectable sources that are the foundation of any good bibliography. The links below will help you navigate the process, one step at a time.

First Steps

These resources will aid you in time management, and will introduce you to the best places on the web to start the research process.

"Research Paper Planner: Timeline" (Baylor Univ.)

This tool generates a responsible timeline for the research and writing process based on the current date and assignment due date. It is useful to budget extra time for obtaining books and articles through Interlibrary loan (for more on ILL, see "How to Deal with Hard-to-find Sources"). 

Google Scholar  

Anyone who does not know where to begin should start here. Google Scholar searches across the internet for various kinds of scholarly resources. Use the "cited by" option to narrow down articles. NOTE: Users may not be able to access resources' full text if they are not connected to a library, or college or university network.

"Basic Guide to Google Scholar" (YouTube)

This tutorial demonstrates how to perform basic searches, save search results, and generate MLA, APA, and Chicago-style citations.

"Intermediate Guide to Google Scholar" (YouTube)

This tutorial, led by a STEM Ph.D., goes into more detail about the workings of Google Scholar. 

Google Books

Google Books permits searches of  millions  of books. Even when the full text is not available, users can still find the pages where a particular keyword is mentioned. This can be a valuable shortcut if a user needs to identify the most relevant chapters of a large book quickly.

How to Judge the Quality of a Source

In the age of Fake News and Stupid Algorithm Tricks, being able to evaluate a source's credibility is more important than ever. This section's first two resources help students learn to evaluate the credibility of a variety of sources. Since studies suggest that many students struggle with evaluating non-academic internet sources, the last two resources focus on those sources specifically.

"What is a 'Good' Source? Determining the Validity of Evidence" (Univ. of Maryland)

This webpage gives students tips on evaluating the author and the content of a potential source. NOTE: Be sure to click through all the modules.

"Research 101: Credibility is Contextual" (Univ. of Washington via YouTube)

This brief video (2:56) helps students learn to evaluate web and social media sources. NOTE: All the Research 101 videos are helpful for students who are new to academic research.

"The C.R.A.P. Test in Action" (Portland State Univ. via YouTube)

This video (5:00) shows how to evaluate websites using the Currency, Reliability, Authority, and Purpose or Point of View test. The video gives specific examples of high-quality and low-quality websites.

"Evaluating Internet Content" (Georgetown Univ.)

This resource gives students some very specific questions they can use to evaluate the quality of a source.

How to Deal with Hard-to-find Sources

Sometimes, you cannot access a particular source because it isn't in your library or your library doesn't have the right database subscription. In that case, you can see about an Interlibrary Loan (ILL). Every library system does ILL somewhat differently, so ask for a librarian's assistance when using the system for the first time. 

WorldCat is an immense catalog of books, articles, reports,  and more. To locate a source, copy and paste a title into the search bar. By entering a ZIP code under "Find a copy in a library," users can see if any libraries in the area have access to the scholarly source. 

"Interlibrary Loan" (Wikipedia)

This Wikipedia article provides a general overview of the interlibrary loan process. Many students are not well-informed about how ILLs work. Knowing how the system works is especially important for students at rural colleges or colleges without large budgets.

Even if an instructor can get students to build a substantial and relevant bibliography responsibly, there is still another major hurdle. Students must learn how to read, annotate, and incorporate sources efficiently. Many students operate under the assumption that they must read every prospective source cover-to-cover. This is overwhelming and frustrating, and it's no surprise that students start doing shoddy work under these conditions. The resources in this section expose students to effective shortcuts and organizational tricks to help them make sense of their scholarly sources.

How to Do Effective Reading, Annotation, and Note-taking

"How to (Seriously) Read a Scientific Paper" ( Science Magazine )

Science  asked leading scholars to describe the shortcuts they take when reading journal articles. The lesson here is that using shortcuts is absolutely OK. In fact, researchers who use the  right  shortcuts often build the most effective bibliographies.

"Tips for Reading Scholarly and Journal Articles" (Brandeis Univ.)

The general tips on the first page are helpful, but the most valuable part is the chart on the second page. It explains how to read an article depending on whether it was assigned in class or whether you want to test its suitability for your research paper.

"Student Worksheet: Analyzing a Journal Article" (Univ. of Guelph)

This template will help students break down any article that has a specific, testable hypothesis. 

"Reading in the Humanities and Social Sciences" (Trent Univ.)

This reading guide is tailored specifically for the humanities and other fields where scholars write both books and articles. Be sure to click on the reading template link on page three.

How to Integrate Scholarly Sources Into an Essay or Research Paper

"Incorporating Sources into Research Writing" (Germanna C.C.)

Pages five through nine of this guide provide clear, detailed instructions for using scholarly sources in an academic paper. There are also two examples provided. 

"Integrating Sources into Your Writing" (James Madison Univ. via YouTube)

This guide to integrating sources includes numerous examples and illustrations. In addition to discussing incorporating sources, it touches on evaluating the credibility of sources.

"Paraphrasing Exercise" (Purdue OWL)

Instructors can use this exercise to help students practice the sometimes tricky technique of incorporating sources via paraphrase.

"Incorporating Sources Exercises" (Wilmington Univ.)

This webpage links to nearly 20 resources for students who are struggling with quotation, paraphrase, summary, or similar techniques. 

How to Avoid Academic Integrity Issues

Everyone knows copying and pasting from the Internet or directly lifting material from a book constitutes cheating. But what makes a good paraphrase? What is "common knowledge," and what needs to be cited? Can you plagiarize yourself? These are all legitimate, good-faith questions students might have about using scholarly sources. These online resources can help address those challenging gray areas.

"Incorporating Sources and Avoiding Plagiarism" (UC Irvine)

This detailed, example-rich presentation (helpfully written from a STEM perspective) dispels some common myths about what does and doesn't count as plagiarism.

"How Students Commit Academic Dishonesty: Plagiarism" (Northern Illinois Univ.)

This webpage contains links to lots of plagiarism examples. These examples are useful because they illustrate the difference between things like good and bad paraphrasing.

"Paraphrasing" (Univ. of Guelph)

Paraphrasing is a difficult skill and honest, well-meaning students sometimes commit academic dishonesty unintentionally by not paraphrasing correctly. This presentation discusses the elements of a good paraphrase and provides examples.

"Citation Builder" (NC State)

This webpage generates citations in MLA, APA, and Chicago format.

Here are the citation guides for the three major academic writing formats:

• APA Citation Guide (BibMe.org)
• Chicago Manual of Style Citation Guide
• MLA Citation Guide (EasyBib.com)

Included here are links to resource collections that are free of charge to any user, or that students can access through their  public or academic libraries. Remember, if you can't get access to a particular scholarly source because your public library or educational institution doesn't have access, be sure to investigate the Interlibrary Loan option mentioned earlier in this guide.

Freely Accessible Resources

The academic world becomes more accepting of open-source journals with every passing year. JURN is a database of scholarly articles from over 3,000 journals in a variety of disciplines.

Library of Congress eResources

The Library of Congress provides access to a staggering number of databases across all academic disciplines. Not all the resources are free, but many are.

Library of Congress Map Collections

Maps are valuable resources for students, professional scholars, independent scholars, and interested amateurs. The Library of Congress has access to multiple collections of current and historical maps.

U.S. National Library of Medicine

This service is provided by the National Institutes of Health. The NLM includes PubMed, an important collection of journal articles and abstracts. Many resources at the NLM are free, but not all of them are. 

Resources Available at Public Libraries

Some public library systems may have no access or limited access to these resources. Please consult your local library system's website.

EBSCO allows users to search a wide variety of databases. The version of EBSCO available at most public libraries includes access to newspaper and genealogy  databases. Users who connect through a university library will access Academic Search Premier, EBSCO's scholarly database collection.

Learning Express Hub College Prep Center

This database has resources to help students prepare for Advanced Placement, the SAT, the ACT, and a variety of other exams.

LexisNexis Public Library Express

LexisNexis created this service to meet the needs of public library systems. Patrons can use this resource to search current events, business news, and legal news.

ProQuest Libraries

ProQuest's list of databases for public libraries includes searchable news databases, genealogy databases, and medical health databases.

Resources Available at Most College or University Libraries

Some colleges or universities may not have all these databases, or they may have limited access. If you need a source that your library doesn't have access to, use ILL (see "How to Deal with Hard-to-find Sources").

JSTOR is a leading database of academic journals from a wide variety of disciplines.

LexisNexis is one of the leading databases for legal and business research. 

Project MUSE

Project MUSE is a database with strong offerings in the humanities and social sciences.

ProQuest Academic

This is another database collection that contains links to journals from a variety of disciplines.

PsycINFO is hosted by the American Psychological Association. It is an important database for psychologists and other social scientists.

SAGE Journals

SAGE is a leading academic publisher. Its journals are sorted by four categories: Health Sciences, Social Sciences and Humanities, Life and Biomedical Sciences, and Materials Science and Engineering.

The idea of doing "research" is daunting for many students. A good way to make students more comfortable with the process is to break the giant concept of "research" into smaller pieces. These resources help teachers break down the research process effectively. "Resources for High School Teachers" help instructors understand the context and challenges of teaching their students about research, and provide sample assignments and exercises. "Resources for College Instructors" are focused more narrowly on teaching undergraduate students about formal academic papers. 

Resources for High School Teachers

"How Teens do Research in the Internet World" (Pew Research Institute)

This 2012 Pew study summarizes the challenges high school teachers face when it comes to teaching students about responsible online research. The study's findings serve as a jumping off point for teachers to discuss effective strategies and probable obstacles and constraints.

"The 6 Online Research Skills Your Students Need" (Scholastic)

This article suggests classroom activities appropriate for freshmen and sophomores.

Questia School: "Teacher Guide for Research Tutorials" (Cengage)

This lengthy, free guide from a leading educational publisher provides teachers with nearly 100 pages of tutorials and exercises that introduce every element of brainstorming and writing a research paper. 

"Research Paper Complete Resource Pack" (Teachers Pay Teachers)

This resource pack (designed primarily for MLA or APA style) contains worksheets and exercises to help students learn annotating, editing, integrating sources, and more. 

Resources for College Instructors

"Creating Successful Research Skills Assignments" (Univ. of Pennsylvania)

This guide contains suggested assignments that help students become more comfortable with various aspects of the research process.

"Teaching Students to Write Good Papers" (Yale)

This resource discusses general strategies for teaching students to write well. Most importantly, it contains links to numerous worksheets and handouts that are useful for struggling students.

"Effective Assignment Sequencing for Scaffolding Learning" (Univ. of Michigan)

Many instructors are proponents of the scaffolding approach to research papers. This approach requires students to focus more carefully on the intermediate steps in the process, and is also effective against plagiarism. This guide from Michigan's Writing Center provides detailed instructions and suggestions for creating a scaffolded assignment.

"Keys to Designing Effective Writing and Research Assignments" (FacultyFocus)

This collection of short papers asks provocative questions and offers suggestions for new ways of looking at research paper assignments.

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• Ways to prepare for grad school

Graduate School Strategies: What is Academic Research?

• January 28, 2022

Home Educators Blog

What is Academic Research?

Academic research is a systematic approach to increase knowledge on a particular subject matter or topic. The deep exploration and study of a specific topic found through academic research are often used to explain particular facts, misconceptions, and opinions of a relevant topic about a field of study.

A person’s academic research is most often associated with a master’s degree , doctoral program , or professional contribution to journals, conferences, or internships.

Why is Academic Research Important in Graduate School?

Academic research is essential in graduate school because it is often the culminating project or final paper submitted to support a candidate’s complete understanding of a topic within a graduate program. The actual academic research usually takes a year or more to complete in addition to a two-year to five-year time period in an in-person or online program, depending on the field of study and amount of coursework required.

Academic research often indicates or proves that a candidate is qualified to be a leader in their field of study while also representing the graduate school. Academic research is an in-depth critical analysis of statistics, observations, literature, case studies, and theories closely related to a graduate school candidate’s professional interests and career path.

More often than not, the academic research conducted in graduate school is later published in a trade publication or periodical. It can also be submitted and used as a research-based presentation at a professional trade or industry conference. Sometimes, it is even used later to write and publish a book on the subject matter. In this instance, graduate school is the driving force behind academic research.

How Do I Know if Something is Credible?

Several factors can be used to determine if academic research is credible . The first question to ask is why the study was chosen in the first place to fully examine. Then, ask a variety of inquiry-based questions to support the reason behind the research:

• What is the purpose of the research?
• Why was this research so important to conduct?
• How relevant is this research?

It is important to identify the credentials of the person conducting the research, what school is backing or supporting the academic research, and if any particular organization or institution funds the research.

The sample size of the case study and the data collected are important to review for credibility in addition to understanding the measures and said outcomes of the conducted research. Finally, peer-reviewed and trusted resources are a good indicator of credible sources.  

Academic Research Tips: How to Find Trustworthy Research

When an individual is completing the actual research, it is imperative to ensure that trustworthy research is available to help create a substantial research paper to present. One of the best ways to do this is to be skeptical about everything you read. The tips to finding trustworthy research are similar to determining if something is indeed credible. Peer-reviewed papers and highly ranked trusted institutions and organizations often produce and publish the most trustworthy research.

Reviewing the identity of the researcher conducting the academic research and their credentials of the person conducting the research is vital to locate trustworthy research. Find out if a particular school, organization, or institution is backing, supporting, or funding the academic research.

Depending on the industry, a various institutions and organizations are nationally and internationally recognized as trustworthy research sources in their field. Check the sources cited by the author of the research as well. In addition to reviews, check if the research received any awards, accolades, testimonials, or endorsements.

Visit a university library, public library, or academic research library to begin the research process. Google Scholar is an online search that is primarily focused on housing academic journals, articles, and publications on a particular subject matter. Finding trustworthy research begins by finding and selecting relevant articles, journals, and publications that address the topic a student or candidate is researching.

It is recommended that sources published within the past ten years are the most reliable and relevant materials for up-to-date and current research. An exception would be when you are looking for historical pedagogy or theories to support the present-day research.

Once you find, read, and critically analyze the research that you have found, it is time to use it effectively to share and present your research. Organize and communicate information in a manner that allows you to write and express your research efficiently. Finally, you present and defend your research to your committee within the graduate program.

The ultimate goal of academic research is to make an impact, create a solution to a problem, or better a system within your industry or organization. When academic research can be implemented for a positive outcome, the purpose of completing the academic research in the first place is validated.

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Research Impact: The What, Why, When and How

• First Online: 06 October 2020

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• Hugh P. McKenna   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0003-4916-6602 2  

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In this opening chapter, readers will be introduced to the attainment and assessment of research impact. The traditional approach to research assessment will be described briefly and how more active and proactive means of achieving impact have developed. It is a given that researchers have not grasped the importance of impact voluntarily. Rather, various incentives encouraged them to pursue research impact from their projects. These included the emphasis that funding bodies placed on pathways to impact and the drive within universities for a third funding stream through technology and knowledge transfer. However, it was the United Kingdom’s Research Excellence Framework that concentrated the minds of researchers and university leaders on research impact. This chapter will introduce the REF structures and processes and pay specific attention to the reach and significance of impact.

We grow no food on campus, so like every poet, priest or potter…, we must explain why we have faith in the usefulness of what we do provide (Gray and Gray [ 1 ]).

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Critical Thinking in Academic Research - Second Edition

(4 reviews)

Cindy Gruwell, University of West Florida

Robin Ewing, St. Cloud State University

Copyright Year: 2022

Last Update: 2023

Publisher: Minnesota State Colleges and Universities

Language: English

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Learn more about reviews.

Reviewed by Julie Jaszkowiak, Community Faculty, Metropolitan State University on 12/22/23

Organized in 11 parts, this his textbook includes introductory information about critical thinking and details about the academic research process. The basics of critical thinking related to doing academic research in Parts I and II. Parts III –... read more

Comprehensiveness rating: 5 see less

Organized in 11 parts, this his textbook includes introductory information about critical thinking and details about the academic research process. The basics of critical thinking related to doing academic research in Parts I and II. Parts III – XI provide specifics on various steps in doing academic research including details on finding and citing source material. There is a linked table of contents so the reader is able to jump to a specific section as needed. There is also a works cited page with information and links to works used for this textbook.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

The content of this textbook is accurate and error free. It contains examples that demonstrate concepts from a variety of disciplines such as “hard science” or “popular culture” that assist in eliminating bias. The authors are librarians so it is clear that their experience as such leads to clear and unbiased content.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 5

General concepts about critical thinking and academic research methodology is well defined and should not become obsolete. Specific content regarding use of citation tools and attribution structure may change but the links to various research sites allow for simple updates.

Clarity rating: 5

This textbook is written in a conversational manner that allows for a more personal interaction with the textbook. It is like the reader is having a conversation with a librarian. Each part has an introduction section that fully defines concepts and terms used for that part.

Consistency rating: 5

In addition to the written content, this textbook contains links to short quizzes at the end of each section. This is consistent throughout each part. Embedded links to additional information are included as necessary.

Modularity rating: 4

This textbook is arranged in 11 modular parts with each part having multiple sections. All of these are linked so a reader can go to a distinct part or section to find specific information. There are some links that refer back to previous sections in the document. It can be challenging to return to where you were once you have jumped to a different section.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

There is clear definition as to what information is contained within each of the parts and subsequent sections. The textbook follows the logical flow of the process of researching and writing a research paper.

Interface rating: 4

The pictures have alternative text that appears when you hover over the text. There is one picture on page 102 that is a link to where the downloaded picture is from. The pictures are clear and supportive of the text for a visual learner. All the links work and go to either the correct area of the textbook or to a valid website. If you are going to use the embedded links to go to other sections of the textbook you need to keep track of where you are as it can sometimes get confusing as to where you went based on clicking links.

Grammatical Errors rating: 4

This is not really a grammatical error but I did notice on some of the quizzes if you misspelled a work for fill in the blank it was incorrect. It was also sometimes challenging to come up with the correct word for the fill in the blanks.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

There are no examples or text that are culturally insensitive or offensive. The examples are general and would be applicable to a variety of students study many different academic subjects. There are references and information to many research tools from traditional such as checking out books and articles from the library to more current such as blogs and other electronic sources. This information appeals to a wide expanse of student populations.

I really enjoyed the quizzes at the end of each section. It is very beneficial to test your knowledge and comprehension of what you just read. Often I had to return and reread the content more critically based on my quiz results! They are just the right length to not disrupt the overall reading of the textbook and cover the important content and learning objectives.

Reviewed by Sara Stigberg, Adjunct Reference Librarian, Truman College, City Colleges of Chicago on 3/15/23

Critical Thinking in Academic Research thoroughly covers the basics of academic research for undergraduates, including well-guided deeper dives into relevant areas. The authors root their introduction to academic research principles and practices... read more

Critical Thinking in Academic Research thoroughly covers the basics of academic research for undergraduates, including well-guided deeper dives into relevant areas. The authors root their introduction to academic research principles and practices in the Western philosophical tradition, focused on developing students' critical thinking skills and habits around inquiry, rationales, and frameworks for research.

This text conforms to the principles and frames of the Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education, published by the Association of College and Research Libraries. It includes excellent, clear, step-by-step guides to help students understand rationales and techniques for academic research.

Essential for our current information climate, the authors present relevant information for students who may be new to academic research, in ways and with content that is not too broad or too narrow, or likely to change drastically in the near future.

The authors use clear and well-considered language and explanations of ideas and terms, contextualizing the scholarly research process and tools in a relatable manner. As mentioned earlier, this text includes excellent step-by-step guides, as well as illustrations, visualizations, and videos to instruct students in conducting academic research.

(4.75) The terminology and framework of this text are consistent. Early discussions of critical thinking skills are tied in to content in later chapters, with regard to selecting different types of sources and search tools, as well as rationales for choosing various formats of source references. Consciously making the theme of critical thinking as applied to the stages of academic research more explicit and frequent within the text would further strengthen it, however.

Modularity rating: 5

Chapters are divided in a logical, progressive manner throughout the text. The use of embedded links to further readings and some other relevant sections of the text are an excellent way of providing references and further online information, without overwhelming or side-tracking the reader.

Topics in the text are organized in logical, progressive order, transitioning cleanly from one focus to the next. Each chapter begins with a helpful outline of topics that will be covered within it.

There are no technical issues with the interface for this text. Interactive learning tools such as the many self-checks and short quizzes that are included throughout the text are a great bonus for reinforcing student learning, and the easily-accessible table of contents was very helpful. There are some slight inconsistencies across chapters, however, relative to formatting images and text and spacing, and an image was missing in the section on Narrowing a Topic. Justifying copy rather than aligning-left would prevent hyphenation, making the text more streamlined.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

(4.75) A few minor punctuation errors are present.

The authors of this text use culturally-relevant examples and inclusive language. The chapter on Barriers to Critical Thinking works directly to break down bias and preconceived notions.

Overall, Critical Thinking in Academic Research is an excellent general textbook for teaching the whys and hows of academic research to undergraduates. A discussion of annotated bibliographies would be a great addition for future editions of the text. ---- (As an aside for the authors, I am curious if the anonymous data from the self-checks and quizzes is being collected and analyzed for assessment purposes. I'm sure it would be interesting!)

Reviewed by Ann Bell-Pfeifer, Program Director/ Instructor, Minnesota State Community and Technical College on 2/15/23

The book has in depth coverage of academic research. A formal glossary and index were not included. read more

Comprehensiveness rating: 4 see less

The book has in depth coverage of academic research. A formal glossary and index were not included.

The book appears error free and factual.

The content is current and would support students who are pursuing writing academic research papers.

Excellent explanations for specific terms were included throughout the text.

The text is easy to follow with a standardized format and structure.

The text contains headings and topics in each section.

It is easy to follow the format and review each section.

Interface rating: 5

The associated links were useful and not distracting.

No evidence of grammatical errors were found in the book.

The book is inclusive.

The book was informative, easy to follow, and sequential allowing the reader to digest each section before moving into another.

Reviewed by Jenny Inker, Assistant Professor, Virginia Commonwealth University on 8/23/22

This book provides a comprehensive yet easily comprehensible introduction to critical thinking in academic research. The author lays a foundation with an introduction to the concepts of critical thinking and analyzing and making arguments, and... read more

This book provides a comprehensive yet easily comprehensible introduction to critical thinking in academic research. The author lays a foundation with an introduction to the concepts of critical thinking and analyzing and making arguments, and then moves into the details of developing research questions and identifying and appropriately using research sources. There are many wonderful links to other open access publications for those who wish to read more or go deeper.

The content of the book appears to be accurate and free of bias.

The examples used throughout the book are relevant and up-to-date, making it easy to see how to apply the concepts in real life.

The text is very accessibly written and the content is presented in a simple, yet powerful way that helps the reader grasp the concepts easily. There are many short, interactive exercises scattered throughout each chapter of the book so that the reader can test their own knowledge as they go along. It would be even better if the author had provided some simple feedback explaining why quiz answers are correct or incorrect in order to bolster learning, but this is a very minor point and the interactive exercises still work well without this.

The book appears consistent throughout with regard to use of terminology and tone of writing. The basic concepts introduced in the early chapters are used consistently throughout the later chapters.

This book has been wonderfully designed into bite sized chunks that do not overwhelm the reader. This is perhaps its best feature, as this encourages the reader to take in a bit of information, digest it, check their understanding of it, and then move on to the next concept. I loved this!

The book is organized in a manner that introduces the basic architecture of critical thinking first, and then moves on to apply it to the subject of academic research. While the entire book would be helpful for college students (undergraduates particularly), the earlier chapters on critical thinking and argumentation also stand well on their own and would be of great utility to students in general.

This book was extremely easy to navigate with a clear, drop down list of chapters and subheadings on the left side of the screen. When the reader clicks on links to additional material, these open up in a new tab which keeps things clear and organized. Images and charts were clear and the overall organization is very easy to follow.

I came across no grammatical errors in the text.

Cultural Relevance rating: 4

This is perhaps an area where the book could do a little more. I did not come across anything that seemed culturally insensitive or offensive but on the other hand, the book might have taken more opportunities to represent a greater diversity of races, ethnicities, and backgrounds.

This book seems tailor made for undergraduate college students and I would highly recommend it. I think it has some use for graduate students as well, although some of the examples are perhaps little basic for this purpose. As well as using this book to guide students on doing academic research, I think it could also be used as a very helpful introduction to the concept of critical thinking by focusing solely on chapters 1-4.

Table of Contents

• Introduction
• Part I. What is Critical Thinking?
• Part II. Barriers to Critical Thinking
• Part III. Analyzing Arguments
• Part IV. Making an Argument
• Part V. Research Questions
• Part VI. Sources and Information Needs
• Part VII. Types of Sources
• Part VIII. Precision Searching
• Part IX. Evaluating Sources
• Part X. Ethical Use and Citing Sources
• Part XI. Copyright Basics
• Works Cited
• About the Authors

Ancillary Material

About the book.

Critical Thinking in Academic Research - 2nd Edition provides examples and easy-to-understand explanations to equip students with the skills to develop research questions, evaluate and choose the right sources, search for information, and understand arguments. This 2nd Edition includes new content based on student feedback as well as additional interactive elements throughout the text.

About the Contributors

Cindy Gruwell is an Assistant Librarian/Coordinator of Scholarly Communication at the University of West Florida. She is the library liaison to the department of biology and the College of Health which has extensive nursing programs, public health, health administration, movement, and medical laboratory sciences. In addition to supporting health sciences faculty, she oversees the Argo IRCommons (Institutional Repository) and provides scholarly communication services to faculty across campus. Cindy graduated with her BA (history) and MLS from the University of California, Los Angeles and has a Masters in Education from Bemidji State University. Cindy’s research interests include academic research support, publishing, and teaching.

Robin Ewing is a Professor/Collections Librarian at St. Cloud State University. Robin is the liaison to the College of Education and Learning Design. She oversees content selection for the Library’s collections. Robin graduated with her BBA (Management) and MLIS from the University of Oklahoma. She also has a Masters of Arts in Teaching from Bemidji State University. Robin’s research interests include collection analysis, assessment, and online teaching.

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Search catalog, critical thinking and academic research: intro.

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• Implications

Critical Thinking and Academic Research

Academic research focuses on the creation of new ideas, perspectives, and arguments. The researcher seeks relevant information in articles, books, and other sources, then develops an informed point of view within this ongoing "conversation" among researchers.

The research process is not simply collecting data, evidence, or "facts," then piecing together this preexisting information into a paper. Instead, the research process is about inquiry—asking questions and developing answers through serious critical thinking and thoughtful reflection.

As a result, the research process is recursive, meaning that the researcher regularly revisits ideas, seeks new information when necessary, and reconsiders and refines the research question, topic, or approach. In other words, research almost always involves constant reflection and revision.

This guide is designed to help you think through various aspects of the research process. The steps are not sequential, nor are they prescriptive about what steps you should take at particular points in the research process. Instead, the guide should help you consider the larger, interrelated elements of thinking involved in research.

Research Anxiety?

Research is not often easy or straightforward, so it's completely normal to feel anxious, frustrated, or confused. In fact, if you feel anxious, it can be a good sign that you're engaging in the type of critical thinking necessary to research and write a high-quality paper.

Think of the research process not as one giant, impossibly complicated task, but as a series of smaller, interconnected steps. These steps can be messy, and there is not one correct sequence of steps that will work for every researcher. However, thinking about research in small steps can help you be more productive and alleviate anxiety.

Paul-Elder Framework

This guide is based on the "Elements of Reasoning" from the Paul-Elder framework for critical thinking. For more information about the Paul-Elder framework, click the link below.

Some of the content in this guide has been adapted from The Aspiring Thinker's Guide to Critical Thinking (2009) by Linda Elder and Richard Paul.

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• Last Updated: Jul 10, 2023 11:50 AM
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Why should you do research as an undergraduate?

Alumni, faculty, and employers answer the question., erika james, dean, the wharton school; reliance professor of management and private enterprise.

When I was a student, I took a short detour to a corporate setting, which was an experience that only reinforced my belief that my true calling was in academia. The lasting professional and personal relationships I have developed through my research have proven to be invaluable, and transformed my life in many ways. Though not every student will pursue a career in academia, all students can benefit greatly from the skills gained through research. The experience will prepare you to think critically, anticipate opportunities and be an effective leader in any industry or endeavor.

Diana Roberson, Vice Dean, Wharton Undergraduate Division; Samuel A. Blank Professor of Legal Studies & Business Ethics 

Raveen Kariyawasam, W’22, SEAS’22

Adam Grant, Saul P. Steinberg Professor of Management, Professor of Psychology

I can’t imagine a better way to learn than doing undergraduate research. When I was in college, getting involved in research changed the course of my life. It gave me the chance to explore fascinating questions, soak up wisdom from brilliant mentors, and stretch my creative and critical thinking muscles. I discovered that I loved creating knowledge, not just consuming it.

Dara Cook, W’95

Wendy De La Rosa, Assistant Professor of Marketing

So many consumers, cultures, and organizations have been ignored and under-researched. As a result, so much is still unknown. For me, there is nothing more honorable than being the person who pushes our collective human knowledge forward (even if it is just by a centimeter). You can be that person, and you can start right now, right here at Penn.

Michael Roberts, William H. Lawrence Professor of Finance

Nancy Zhang, Professor of Statistics and Data Science, Vice Dean of Wharton Doctoral Programs

Geoffrey Garrett, Former Dean and Reliance Professor of Management and Private Enterprise, The Wharton School

Debi Ogunrinde, C’16, W’16

Paul Karner, C’03, W’03

Ashish Shah, W’92

My undergrad experience prepared me for success in a crisis that few expected and fewer were prepared for. When at Wharton, I was fortunate enough to conduct research in two completely different areas of finance.   Read more

Kate Lakin, Putnam Investments

Julio Reynaga, C’13, W’13

Katherina M. Rosqueta, WG’01, Founding Executive Director, Center for High Impact Philanthropy,  University of Pennsylvania

Joseph Wang, C’13, W’13

Nada Boualam, C’17, W’17

Academic Research Basics for Students: What is Academic Research? How do I do it?

• About This Guide
• Library Essentials
• What is Academic Research? How do I do it?
• Understanding the Topic -- Background Information
• Academic Research Sources and Tools Explained
• Time Management
• Note Taking
• Studying Skills
• Research Process and Planning Your Research

Academic Research vs. Finding Day-to-Day Information

Doing academic research is different from looking for information to solve problems and questions that come up in everyday life. On any given day we might need to solve questions like: What's the fastest way to get to Grand Central Terminal? How big is Central Park? What's the weather going to be like tomorrow?, etc. It's usually quite easy to find the information to answer these kind of questions through a simple Google search.

Research Process

There are many ways to approach the research process. As you gain experience doing research assignments you will gradually develop a process that works best for you. In the mean time, you might want to look at the steps below, which represent one way you can organize your research process.

• Understand your topic.
• Find Background information about your topic
• Develop a research question.
• Determine data/information needed to answer your research question.
• Identify search tools (like article databases) to find your information/data..
• Evaluate which search results are most appropriate/relevant.
• Analyze and synthesize the data/information you've selected (KEEP NOTES)
• Outline how you will address your research question.
• Write draft of paper integrating your analysis, recommendations, and conclusions.
• Repeat 4, 5, 6, 7 as needed.

Online Resources About Doing Research

Books on research.

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• Last Updated: Apr 18, 2024 11:25 AM
• URL: https://guides.laguardia.edu/academic-research-basics

More From Forbes

The role of research at universities: why it matters.

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(Photo by William B. Plowman/Getty Images)

Teaching and learning, research and discovery, synthesis and creativity, understanding and engagement, service and outreach. There are many “core elements” to the mission of a great university. Teaching would seem the most obvious, but for those outside of the university, “research” (taken to include scientific research, scholarship more broadly, as well as creative activity) may be the least well understood. This creates misunderstanding of how universities invest resources, especially those deriving from undergraduate tuition and state (or other public) support, and the misperception that those resources are being diverted away from what is believed should be the core (and sole) focus, teaching. This has led to a loss of trust, confidence, and willingness to continue to invest or otherwise support (especially our public) universities.

Why are universities engaged in the conduct of research? Who pays? Who benefits? And why does it all matter? Good questions. Let’s get to some straightforward answers. Because the academic research enterprise really is not that difficult to explain, and its impacts are profound.

So let’s demystify university-based research. And in doing so, hopefully we can begin building both better understanding and a better relationship between the public and higher education, both of which are essential to the future of US higher education.   

Why are universities engaged in the conduct of research?

Universities engage in research as part of their missions around learning and discovery. This, in turn, contributes directly and indirectly to their primary mission of teaching. Universities and many colleges (the exception being those dedicated exclusively to undergraduate teaching) have as part of their mission the pursuit of scholarship. This can come in the form of fundamental or applied research (both are most common in the STEM fields, broadly defined), research-based scholarship or what often is called “scholarly activity” (most common in the social sciences and humanities), or creative activity (most common in the arts). Increasingly, these simple categorizations are being blurred, for all good reasons and to the good of the discovery of new knowledge and greater understanding of complex (transdisciplinary) challenges and the creation of increasingly interrelated fields needed to address them.

It goes without saying that the advancement of knowledge (discovery, innovation, creation) is essential to any civilization. Our nation’s research universities represent some of the most concentrated communities of scholars, facilities, and collective expertise engaged in these activities. But more importantly, this is where higher education is delivered, where students develop breadth and depth of knowledge in foundational and advanced subjects, where the skills for knowledge acquisition and understanding (including contextualization, interpretation, and inference) are honed, and where students are educated, trained, and otherwise prepared for successful careers. Part of that training and preparation derives from exposure to faculty who are engaged at the leading-edge of their fields, through their research and scholarly work. The best faculty, the teacher-scholars, seamlessly weave their teaching and research efforts together, to their mutual benefit, and in a way that excites and engages their students. In this way, the next generation of scholars (academic or otherwise) is trained, research and discovery continue to advance inter-generationally, and the cycle is perpetuated.

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University research can be expensive, particularly in laboratory-intensive fields. But the responsibility for much (indeed most) of the cost of conducting research falls to the faculty member. Faculty who are engaged in research write grants for funding (e.g., from federal and state agencies, foundations, and private companies) to support their work and the work of their students and staff. In some cases, the universities do need to invest heavily in equipment, facilities, and personnel to support select research activities. But they do so judiciously, with an eye toward both their mission, their strategic priorities, and their available resources.

Medical research, and medical education more broadly, is expensive and often requires substantial institutional investment beyond what can be covered by clinical operations or externally funded research. But universities with medical schools/medical centers have determined that the value to their educational and training missions as well as to their communities justifies the investment. And most would agree that university-based medical centers are of significant value to their communities, often providing best-in-class treatment and care in midsize and smaller communities at a level more often seen in larger metropolitan areas.

Research in the STEM fields (broadly defined) can also be expensive. Scientific (including medical) and engineering research often involves specialized facilities or pieces of equipment, advanced computing capabilities, materials requiring controlled handling and storage, and so forth. But much of this work is funded, in large part, by federal agencies such as the National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, US Department of Energy, US Department of Agriculture, and many others.

Research in the social sciences is often (not always) less expensive, requiring smaller amount of grant funding. As mentioned previously, however, it is now becoming common to have physical, natural, and social scientist teams pursuing large grant funding. This is an exciting and very promising trend for many reasons, not the least of which is the nature of the complex problems being studied.

Research in the arts and humanities typically requires the least amount of funding as it rarely requires the expensive items listed previously. Funding from such organizations as the National Endowment for the Arts, National Endowment for the Humanities, and private foundations may be able to support significant scholarship and creation of new knowledge or works through much more modest grants than would be required in the natural or physical sciences, for example.

Philanthropy may also be directed toward the support of research and scholarly activity at universities. Support from individual donors, family foundations, private or corporate foundations may be directed to support students, faculty, labs or other facilities, research programs, galleries, centers, and institutes.

Who benefits?

Students, both undergraduate and graduate, benefit from studying in an environment rich with research and discovery. Besides what the faculty can bring back to the classroom, there are opportunities to engage with faculty as part of their research teams and even conduct independent research under their supervision, often for credit. There are opportunities to learn about and learn on state-of-the-art equipment, in state-of-the-art laboratories, and from those working on the leading edge in a discipline. There are opportunities to co-author, present at conferences, make important connections, and explore post-graduate pathways.

The broader university benefits from active research programs. Research on timely and important topics attracts attention, which in turn leads to greater institutional visibility and reputation. As a university becomes known for its research in certain fields, they become magnets for students, faculty, grants, media coverage, and even philanthropy. Strength in research helps to define a university’s “brand” in the national and international marketplace, impacting everything from student recruitment, to faculty retention, to attracting new investments.

The community, region, and state benefits from the research activity of the university. This is especially true for public research universities. Research also contributes directly to economic development, clinical, commercial, and business opportunities. Resources brought into the university through grants and contracts support faculty, staff, and student salaries, often adding additional jobs, contributing directly to the tax base. Research universities, through their expertise, reputation, and facilities, can attract new businesses into their communities or states. They can also launch and incubate startup companies, or license and sell their technologies to other companies. Research universities often host meeting and conferences which creates revenue for local hotels, restaurants, event centers, and more. And as mentioned previously, university medical centers provide high-quality medical care, often in midsize communities that wouldn’t otherwise have such outstanding services and state-of-the-art facilities.

(Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

And finally, why does this all matter?

Research is essential to advancing society, strengthening the economy, driving innovation, and addressing the vexing and challenging problems we face as a people, place, and planet. It’s through research, scholarship, and discovery that we learn about our history and ourselves, understand the present context in which we live, and plan for and secure our future.

Research universities are vibrant, exciting, and inspiring places to learn and to work. They offer opportunities for students that few other institutions can match – whether small liberal arts colleges, mid-size teaching universities, or community colleges – and while not right for every learner or every educator, they are right for many, if not most. The advantages simply cannot be ignored. Neither can the importance or the need for these institutions. They need not be for everyone, and everyone need not find their way to study or work at our research universities, and we stipulate that there are many outstanding options to meet and support different learning styles and provide different environments for teaching and learning. But it’s critically important that we continue to support, protect, and respect research universities for all they do for their students, their communities and states, our standing in the global scientific community, our economy, and our nation.

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Recognizing the Value of Educational Research

• A recent survey shows that research on teaching and learning is not valued at many AACSB-accredited schools across the U.S. and Canada.
• One reason that business schools might not recognize research on teaching and learning is that the journal quality lists they commonly use to assess faculty intellectual contributions focus primarily on discipline-based scholarship.
• STEM fields already place equal value on research on teaching and learning within individual disciplines. By following their lead, two Canadian scholars argue, business schools will enrich their students’ learning experiences.    

If business educators were asked to define the purpose of business schools, they likely would emphasize the need to “prepare the next generation of leaders.” But if this is the case, why do so few business schools prioritize research that advances teaching and curricular design?

Researcher Sanobar Siddiqui first explored this question as the subject of her doctoral dissertation. “One of my thesis findings was that the tenure system’s lack of rewards impedes business academics from pursuing research in teaching and learning,” she explains.

Now an assistant professor of accounting at the University of Regina’s Faculty of Business Administration in Canada, Siddiqui wanted to learn why so many business schools do not value research on teaching and learning (RoTL). This response is puzzling, she says, given that Standard 7 of the  AACSB Business Accreditation Standards  accepts “scholarship of teaching and learning” as documentation to indicate a business school’s teaching effectiveness and impact.

She and Camillo Lento, a professor with the Faculty of Business Administration at Lakehead University in Thunder Bay, Ontario, published a  paper  on the status of RoTL in the April 2022 edition of the International Journal of Educational Management . The paper’s findings are based on a survey in which Siddiqui and Lento asked educators two questions:

• How do AACSB-accredited business schools in the U.S. and Canada define “teaching effectiveness,” according to AACSB’s Standard 7?
• Do these schools consider research on teaching and learning in their promotion and tenure decisions?

This topic is particularly important, says Siddiqui, because business schools serve such diverse student audiences. Moreover, learner success is integral to every business school’s mission. Many of the instructional strategies “that we use in class are not research-informed or evidence-based. Hence, we are shortchanging our students,” she says. “Our teaching needs to catch up with the changes we see in our classroom.”

‘A Last Priority’

Siddiqui and Lento received 78 responses to their survey; in the second phase of their study, they conducted semi-structured interviews with 11 educators in the U.S. and Canada.

Among survey respondents, 42 percent noted that they were “unaware of an explicit teaching effectiveness definition” at their schools, but 58 percent said the policies in place at their schools communicated “an implied definition.” Only one respondent could quote a definition of teaching effectiveness from the school’s website.

Respondents noted a lack of “perceived respect and value” for RoTL, describing this line of scholarship as “a last priority” at their schools. As one educator put it, “Our department does not really care about teaching as long as you are cranking out strong scholarship.”

Schools that consider educational research for tenure and faculty qualification tend to focus on journal quality alone, not on whether published articles are discipline-based.

The good news is that 55 percent of respondents noted that their schools did take RoTL into account when making tenure decisions. Siddiqui and Lento found that these schools have two things in common. First, they focus on journal quality alone for the purposes of tenure and faculty qualification, not on whether faculty’s published articles are discipline-based.

Second, these schools are more likely to consider RoTL when faculty include this work “as part of a larger research plan that includes discipline-based research.” Only faculty following teaching tracks are likely to receive tenure based solely on publications in education-focused journals. 

Additionally, teaching-oriented schools are more likely than research-oriented schools to recognize RoTL. While this makes outward sense, Siddiqui wonders why prolific faculty who produce innovative scholarship on pedagogical issues that are critical to business education cannot “be hired, promoted, and awarded just like discipline-based researchers” at research-oriented institutions.

What Perpetuates the Stigma?

Siddiqui and Lento point to several factors that could be driving the lack of recognition of RoTL among AACSB-accredited schools:

No consensus about teaching quality.  Although many individual educational institutions have defined teaching effectiveness based on existing research, business schools have not yet established a shared definition of what constitutes effective teaching. However, the co-authors emphasize, more dedicated research could produce findings that inspire a common language around teaching and learning.

The complex nature of determining teaching quality. Schools often evaluate the quality of faculty’s research by whether the work appears in academic journals that are rated highly by certain  journal quality lists . However, they find they cannot use a similar approach to evaluate the quality of faculty’s teaching, says Lento. “The evaluation of teaching effectiveness is much more complex and requires many more sources of information, possibly compiled into a teaching dossier that is unique to an educator.”

A lack of attention in business doctoral programs. Most doctoral programs train young researchers to study topics related to their disciplines of choice. As a result of this early training, RoTL “may come with a stigma as it is outside of traditional discipline-specific research,” Lento says.

Lento admits that the reasons listed above are speculative. He and Siddiqui would like to see other researchers conduct follow-up studies that take deeper dives into the broader stigma surrounding RoTL.

Changing Mindsets, Taking Action

In the meantime, Siddiqui and Lento call on business school administrators and faculty to work together to create a “shared and precise definition of teaching effectiveness.” Educators can start by defining teaching quality within their own institutions.

From there, Siddiqui and Lento say that schools can take any or all the following actions to change mindsets about RoTL:

• Set appropriate objectives, incentives, and evaluation mechanisms.
• Create and nurture communities of practice that help like-minded faculty pursue research focused on solving issues they face in their classrooms.
• Consider weighing education research in peer-reviewed articles more heavily, particularly for faculty in teaching-focused roles.
• Recognize RoTL for accreditation and tenure and normalize it as a legitimate form of scholarship.
• Make seed funds available to faculty who pursue RoTL.
• Give awards and incentives to faculty who use research-informed teaching in their classrooms.
• Consider hiring tenure-track academics who also are expert educators with an expressed interest in pursuing RoTL. These scholars can investigate and develop “research-informed teaching tools ready to be put into practice in almost any business classroom,” says Siddiqui. This outcome, she emphasizes, is an indication of how RoTL contributes to the advancement of business disciplines.
• Encourage and teach RoTL in doctoral programs, with the aim of improving and advancing the quality of teaching at business schools.

Siddiqui points out that information on the websites of AACSB-accredited schools “are replete with research centers, research chairs and scholars, core research focus areas, research awards, annual research celebration reports, intellectual contributions, and grant-funding awards.”

There is no reason, she says, that schools could not also highlight information about their teaching philosophies, teaching awards, student feedback, educational leadership and professional development, and faculty research on teaching and learning.

Two B-School Perspectives

So far, Siddiqui and Lento’s paper has captured the attention of other like-minded educators in the business school community. This includes Nicola Charwat, associate dean of teaching and learning and senior lecturer of business law and taxation at Monash University’s Monash Business School (MBS) in Caulfield East, Australia.

MBS prioritizes scholarship on teaching and learning (SoTL) where appropriate, she says, through efforts that include identifying quality education-oriented journals and valuing publication in those journals equally to publication in discipline-based journals. The school uses “a consultative process” to identify journals specializing in teaching and learning that are equivalent to discipline-based journals rated as A*, A, B, and C on the quality list compiled by the Australian Business Deans Council.

“We have also instituted a Business Education and Research Group, which has been awarding both practice- and research-output-focused grants to staff for three years,” Charwat says. “Alongside these efforts, of course, there are moves in the university in line with the broader trend of raising the profile of teaching and ensuring its status is on par with other work of the university.”

Educators in STEM disciplines have long recognized educational research in tenure decisions and regularly reward academics who pursue RoTL in their disciplines.

Despite these changes, Charwat notes that the perception remains that accomplishments related to educational research are “somehow lesser” than those related to discipline-related scholarship. Additionally, many faculty remain uncertain about how to approach educational research. In response, MBS has built communities of practice dedicated to teaching and is now working “to increase awareness of and opportunities to undertake SoTL and education research,” Charwat says.

Charwat says that the questions raised in Siddiqui and Lento’s paper are “essential” to business education, and that their article “has prompted us to start exploring the patterns of our own SoTL and education research.” MBS faculty, she adds, might also pursue a similar study focused on AACSB-accredited schools in Australia. 

Another educator who read the article with interest is Martin Lockett, former dean and professor of strategic management at Nottingham University Business School China (NUBS China) in Zhejiang. Lockett explains that NUBS China uses the Academic Journal Guide , which is produced by the Chartered Association of Business Schools (CABS), to support tenure decisions and to classify faculty under AACSB accreditation standards.

But in the CABS guide, only four journals focused on teaching and learning are rated as 3, 4, or 4*, which are the targets that NUBS China uses to qualify faculty as Scholarly Academics under AACSB accreditation or for internal recognition of quality research, Lockett says.

This has led to worry among the school’s teaching-oriented faculty that if they focus on RoTL, they risk being classified as “additional faculty,” unless they can consistently publish in the few education-focused journals listed by CABS. That concern, Lockett says, deters most faculty from pursuing RoTL in any substantial way.

While this scenario is all too common at institutions with research-focused missions, it is not mandated by AACSB accreditation standards, emphasizes Stephanie Bryant, AACSB’s chief accreditation officer. She clarifies that whether a business school considers educational scholarship for the purpose of accreditation or tenure is its choice, based on the parameters it has set for its individual mission. “The standards do not say anywhere, or imply, that educational research is not valued,” Bryant stresses. The devaluation of RoTL, she adds, “is a school perspective.”

Time to ‘Balance the Scales’

The stigma surrounding RoTL at AACSB-accredited business schools could be lifted, say Siddiqui and Lento, if administrators acknowledge the benefits that fostering cultures of teaching and learning bring to all business school stakeholders. These advantages include a wider scope of scholarship and more evidence-based pedagogical tools for faculty, richer learning experiences and better learning outcomes for students, and more well-rounded job candidates for employers.

Educators in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines already know this, says Siddiqui. STEM departments have long recognized educational research in tenure decisions and regularly reward academics who pursue RoTL in their disciplines.

As one example, Siddiqui points to Carl Edwin Wieman, winner of the 2001 Nobel Peace Prize in Physics. Wieman established the  Carl Wieman Science Education Initiative  at the University of British Columbia in Canada to encourage evidence-based teaching methods focused on improving undergraduate science education. Since its inception, the initiative has hired fellows who are interested in conducting education research, particularly based in the disciplines in which they have earned their doctorates. It also has inspired the creation of teaching materials in science education, a dedicated website, and a sister initiative at the University of Colorado Boulder in the United States.

Business schools, says Siddiqui, could achieve comparable results by raising awareness of the importance of RoTL, disseminating RoTL findings beyond peer-reviewed journals, and driving research-informed teaching methods that advance business education.

This year, the co-authors published a second paper that finds that scholarly and practice academics who developed rigorous research skills in their doctoral programs and who publish discipline-based research are more likely to pursue RoTL research. Here, Siddiqui and Lento more directly call on business school deans to reward and incentivize this line of research by creating communities of practice and expanding their journal ranking frameworks to include relevant peer-reviewed publications.

It is imperative, Siddiqui and Lento argue, that business schools place studies based on classroom settings on equal footing with studies based on corporate settings. “Research on teaching and learning balances the scales,” Siddiqui says, “by utilizing evidence-based, efficient, and effective teaching to foster deep learning amongst diverse student audiences.”

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• 01 May 2024

Why it’s essential to study sex and gender, even as tensions rise

You have full access to this article via your institution.

In 2023, students protested against a new policy in Texas, where parents would be notified if their child asks to be identified as transgender. Credit: Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle/Getty

This week, Nature is launching a collection of opinion articles on sex and gender in research. Further articles will be published in the coming months. The series will highlight the necessity and challenges of studying a topic that is both hugely under-researched and, increasingly, the focus of arguments worldwide — many of which are neither healthy nor constructive.

Some scientists have been warned off studying sex differences by colleagues. Others, who are already working on sex or gender-related topics, are hesitant to publish their views. Such a climate of fear and reticence serves no one. To find a way forward we need more knowledge, not less.

Collection: Sex and gender in science

Nearly 20 researchers from diverse fields, including neuroscience, psychology, immunology and cancer, have contributed to the series, which provides a snapshot of where scholars studying sex and gender are aligned — and where they are not. In time, we hope this collection will help to shape research, and provide a reference point for moderating often-intemperate debates.

In practice, people use sex and gender to mean different things. But researchers studying animals typically use sex to refer to male and female individuals , as defined by various anatomical and other biological features. In studies involving humans, participants are generally asked to identify their own sex and/or gender category. Here, gender usually encompasses social and environmental factors , including gender roles, expectations and identity.

For as long as scientific inquiry has existed, people have mainly studied men or male animals. Even as recently as 2009, only 26% of studies using animals included both female and male individuals, according to a review of 10 fields in the biological sciences 1 . This bias has had serious consequences. Between 1997 and 2000, for instance, eight prescription drugs were removed from the US market, because clinical testing had not revealed women’s greater risk of developing health problems after taking the drugs.

Male–female comparisons are powerful in biomedical research — don’t abandon them

The tide, however, is turning. Many journals, including those in the Nature Portfolio , and funders, such as the US National Institutes of Health, have developed guidelines and mandates to encourage scientists to consider sex and, where appropriate, gender in their work.

These efforts are reaping benefits 2 . Studies, for example, are showing that a person’s sex and/or gender can influence their risk of disease and chances of survival when it comes to many common causes of death — including cardiovascular conditions and cancer.

Despite this, many researchers remain unconvinced that the inclusion of sex and gender information is important in their field. Others, who are already doing so, have told Nature that they’re afraid of how their work is perceived and of how it could be misunderstood, or misused.

Podcast: Sex and gender discussions don't need to be toxic

Because researchers who are exploring the effects of sex and gender come from many disciplines, there will be disagreements. An often-raised and valid concern, for example, is that when researchers compare responses between female and male animals, or between men and women, they exclude those whose sex and/or gender doesn’t fall into a binary categorization scheme. Another is that variability between individuals of the same sex could be more important than that between sexes.

Sometimes sense does seem to get lost in the debates. That the term sex refers to a lot of interacting factors, which are not fully understood, does not invalidate its usefulness as a concept 3 . That some people misinterpret and misuse findings concerning differences between sexes, particularly in relation to the human brain, should not mean denying that any differences exist.

Tempering the debate

Many of the questions being raised, however, are important to ask, especially given concerns about how best to investigate biological differences between groups of humans , and the continued — and, in some regions, worsening — marginalization of people whose sex and/or gender identity doesn’t fall into narrowly defined norms. Often, such questions and concerns can be addressed through research. For example, studies might find that variability between individuals of the same sex in diet, or body weight, say, are more important predictors of how likely they are to develop anaemia than whether they are male or female.

We need more-nuanced approaches to exploring sex and gender in research

The problem, then is not the discussions alone: science exists to examine and interrogate disagreements. Rather, the problem is that debates — and work on sex and gender, in general — are being used to polarize opinions about gender identity. As Arthur Arnold, a biologist at the University of California, Los Angeles, and his colleagues describe in their Comment article , last September, legislation banning gender-affirming medical care for people under 18 years old was introduced in Texas on the basis of claims that everyone belongs to one of two gender groups, and that this reality is settled by science. It isn’t. Scientists are reluctant to study sex and gender, not just because of concerns about the complexity and costs of the research, but also because of current tensions.

But it is crucial that scholars do not refrain from considering the effects of sex and gender if such analyses are relevant to their field. Improved knowledge will help to resolve concerns and allow a scholarly consensus to be reached, where possible. Where disagreements persist, our hope is that Nature ’s collection of opinion articles will equip researchers with the tools needed to help them persuade others that going back to assuming that male individuals represent everyone is no longer an option.

Nature 629 , 7-8 (2024)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-024-01207-0

Beery, A. K. & Zucker, I. Neurosci. Biobehav. Rev. 35 , 565–572 (2011).

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Research in Brief: The What, Why, and How

In this edition:

Research from the Kirchdoerfer Lab in the Department of Biochemistry and the Institute for Molecular Virology, in collaboration with the Coon Lab , identifies that multiple coronaviruses share protein features in critical viral machinery. Here’s the run down on their latest research, which is published in Nucleic Acids Research , and its implications for treating diverse coronavirus infections.

• Coronaviruses are a large and varied family of viruses that infect humans and other animals.
• Researchers are working to gain a deeper understanding of coronaviruses and identify targets for antivirals that treat these rapidly-evolving viruses.
• Findings indicate that mechanisms of RNA replication may be conserved across the coronavirus family, suggesting the possibility of antivirals that treat multiple coronaviruses.

What background information do you need to know?

While the term “coronavirus” is now often used colloquially to mean COVID-19 illness or SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19), there are several coronaviruses, including the common cold, which infect and cause illness in humans. Coronaviruses are, in fact, a large and varied family of viruses that infect a wide array of animals, including domesticated cats and dogs and agriculturally important livestock. Porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV), for example, is a coronavirus first documented in the U.S. in 2013 which causes a diarrheal disease in pigs and is especially deadly in piglets. An outbreak of PEDV can have devastating economic consequences for impacted farms.

As ubiquitous as coronaviruses are, they remain difficult to treat with antivirals.

Why is it difficult to develop antivirals to treat coronaviruses?

Coronaviruses are RNA viruses, which means that they cause infection by inserting their own RNA into a host’s cells and hijacking the host’s molecular machinery to make proteins encoded in viral RNA. Inhibiting the virus’ ability to replicate its RNA could slow down their mode of infection.

But identifying RNA replication as a target for antivirals is relatively simple compared to what comes next: determining when and where in the process to attack.

The complex of protein subunits which viruses use to replicate their RNA is known collectively as an RNA polymerase. Antivirals that target RNA polymerase trick the complex into incorporating the antivirals instead of making more RNA during viral replication. This can cause the viral RNA polymerase to slow, stop, or create a large burden of errors. The result is a halt in viral replication, killing the virus.

In coronaviruses, RNA polymerase machinery is notoriously large and complicated, with at least 12 viral subunits (other RNA viruses are comprised of just a handful of subunits). Developing effective antivirals requires decoding the form, function, and interactions among the many subunits.

How have scientists made progress?

The Kirchdoerfer Lab took pictures of PEDV RNA polymerase using cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM), a high-resolution imaging technique that reveals the form of biomolecules in a variety of orientations. These images gave the scientists a more nuanced understanding of PEDV RNA replication by visualizing how subunits in the RNA polymerase assemble, orient, and bind to other molecules.

The scientists then compared the structure of PEDV RNA polymerase to that of SARS-CoV-2. They observed that the RNA polymerases of these two distinct coronaviruses have similar structures. This result suggests that the orientation and function of RNA polymerase subunits has been conserved as coronaviruses evolved, and that drugs which attack coronavirus RNA polymerase may effectively treat a wide range of coronaviruses.

Their research also lends insight into the function of a subunit thought to keep RNA bound to the polymerase. Although the subunit detached during sample preparation, the RNA and polymerase remained tightly bound to each other, debunking the prevailing theory about the subunit’s function.

The Kirchdoerfer Lab’s findings collectively pave the way for further research into the function of coronavirus RNA polymerase subunits, bringing us one step closer to developing effective antivirals to treat coronaviruses that infect us, our pets, and our livestock.

Written by Renata Solan.

In Research In Brief: The What, Why, and How , we explore new research from the UW–Madison Department of Biochemistry to learn more about the world around us — and inside us. This edition of Research in Brief: The What, Why, and How is based on the following publication: Anderson, Hoferle, Kennan, Chojnacki, Lee, Coon, and Kirchdoerfer. An alphacoronavirus polymerase structure reveals conserved replication factor functions, Nucleic Acids Research, 2024 Mar 5, gkae153. This research was funded in party by the following grants: NIH/NIAID AI123498 and AI158463; USDA WIS03099; NIH R35GM118110.