Primary Research Overview
I. GOALS
While you are likely very familiar with conducting secondary research (that is, using online, library, or other resources that other people have produced), many of you may not have actually conducted your own research before. For specific, real world projects such as the ones you are pursuing for the final project, you will likely be unable to attain all of the information you need simply by searching for it online. Moreover, simply relying on your own personal experience provides a very limited perspective. Thus, through interviews and surveys, you will be able to collect useful information from other relevant parties - ideally members of your primary, secondary, and/or tertiary audiences - ensuring you are able to create final projects that are user-friendly and specifically tailored to your targeted readers.
II. REQUIREMENTS
For the Final Project, you are required to conduct at least two (2) forms of primary research, including interview and surveys (1 of each, or two of either), the complete results of which will appear in designated appendices at the of your report.
- Surveys, when distributed online, should (ideally) utilize Google Forms Links to an external site.. Whatever you use, you should provide a link to your original data (for this reason alone, you should use Google Forms rather than something like SurveyMonkey, which requires a separate log in).
- For interviews, you should have contact information, including phone numbers and email addresses, for your interviewees, and you should keep notes and copies of emails to include in your appendices. Examples of Primary Research appendices available here Links to an external site..
III. FURTHER GUIDANCE
It is highly recommended that you start early on this component of your research, as it can often take a long time to accomplish. Moreover, as most students in semesters past have learned, speaking to the right people about your topic may very well be the most important research you do for this assignment.
IV. USEFUL RESOURCES
- Introduction to Primary Research (Narrated Powerpoint) Links to an external site.
- Final Project Example Primary Research Links to an external site.
Interview Resources:
- An Introduction to Qualitative Research Interviewing Links to an external site.
- Asking Research Questions Links to an external site.
Survey & Data Resources:
