With your own small blog created, its time to find blog jobs.

I am a veteran. I was in the U.S. Army for three years, and, during that time, served in the Vietnam War. Also, I have a couple of long-standing illnesses. Nothing is currently threatening my life but I do have medical considerations. Both of these situations have put me in the position to participate in research projects. Should a person participate in a research project?

Are there results that make participating in a study worthwhile; yes! The VA alone has developed artificial limbs for amputees; invented the cardiac pacemaker; performed the first successful liver transplant and developed the nicotine patch to name just a few accomplishments. ((DVA ORCA 1B 10-54 page 3)

A research study is a study about a certain medical condition, or procedure, or effect of medication. It may be one of many different approaches to solving a problem that affects human beings.

People participate in studies to find cures for illnesses; to find better care; and, to battle an illness in which a person may have a particular interest, or indeed, may suffer from.

When considering whether or not to participate in any particular study, it is necessary to know that there may or may be direct benefits to you. There may be a benefit regarding a medical condition you may have, or, in some cases, you may be paid to volunteer. However, hand in hand with that, there may be risks and side effects when participating is a study.

There are many, many questions that a person should ask before participating in a study. Just a few are; "Who is doing the study and why?" "What tests and procedures will be done?" "What can happen to me good and bad if I participate?" "Will I be paid anything?" "Will I be told the results of this study?" "Is it possible I will receive a placebo?" "What happens if my condition gets worse?" (DVA ORCA 1B 10-54 page 11) These are just some of the questions that it makes sense to ask.

You should always make sure that there is comprehensive attention given to "Informed Consent", which is a point where you, as the participant, are given complete information about the study so that you can make an intelligent decision as to whether or not you should participate.

Finally, it is important to know who may see the results. Typically, the results will only be seen by researchers as part of the study. However, I have learned, especially in studies where you are paid, that the results may be sold; it is important that you know too whom the information might be given or sold.

Research studies are most important to mankind. We learn about diseases and quality of life. Further, you never know when a project you participate in may help you or someone in your family. However, as noble as this cause is, it is always important to be diligent in your research about the research.





Reference research: business research and health research and travel research and my bookmark page




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research methods in anthropology

You mean you had to GO to the library to do research?

Understanding Research Types:
Basic: Seeks to create new knowledge and is not directly related to technical or practical problems. Example: analyze the types of information systems used by people with disabilities.

Applied: Seeks to solve problems. Example: A study conducted on how information systems can be used to improve communication with people with disabilities.

Research Terminology:
There are many types of research and each type of research can utilize different methods for collecting information. This glossary can be utilized to clarify the research terms you may come across during your search. In addition, this glossary is a good resource for refining questions you may have of your professor regarding the assignment.

Case Studies: Examines in-depth the practices or trends of a single or limited number of groups. According to the Second Edition of the Dictionary of Sociology edited by Gordon Marshal, case studies include "descriptive reports on typical, illustrative, or deviant examples; descriptions of good practices in policy research; evaluations of policies after implementation in an organization; studies that focus on extreme or strategic cases; the rigorous test of a well-defined hypothesis through the carefully selected contrasting cases; and studies of natural experiments."

Empirical Studies: Research based on critical evaluation through observation or experimentation.

Experimental Research: Examines the relationship between two variables. This type of research conducts experiments on test and control groups to test a hypothesis about the relationship between two variables.

Historical or Interpretive Research Studies: By examining past events and procedures, this type of study attempts to predict future events or make suggestions for future actions. Types of historical or interpretive research studies include: biographical; histories of institutions and organizations; investigation of sources and influences; editing and translating historical documents; studying the history of ideas; or compiling bibliographies.

Qualitative Research: Observes the experiences of a particular group and attempts to understand the actions and reactions of the group. Field studies and ethnographic techniques are examples of this type of research.

Survey Research Studies: Examines small groups of the population in order to learn about the larger population. Observation of the smaller group produces data about the larger population. This data is used to predict future actions or results.

User Studies: Research that evaluates the way in which systems or institutions are utilized and how the needs of users can be addressed.

Identifying Research Articles:
Listed below are some clues to help identify research articles. However, it should be noted that numerous exceptions occur for all of the points listed below. Therefore, the following information should be used as a guideline when looking for research articles

Topic: Research articles tend to be highly specific in nature, relate to a particular field, or specialty within a field, and are written by authors who have done research in the field.

Audience: The target audience is other researchers, colleagues, students and specialists in the same field. Research articles are written for the scholarly community, rather than a general audience.

Language: The language of research articles is formal, generally does not use the first person, and includes jargon used in the field. Research articles are written to contribute to the knowledge base of the discipline.

Length: research articles can vary in length, but are typically five to fifty pages long.

Authors: Research articles may have numerous authors. The organization, institute or professional society the authors belong to will be listed.

Content: Generally the article is written at a sophisticated enough level that the reader will need to read the article more than once in order to understand and evaluate the article.

Identifying Refereed Journals:
Listed below are some clues to help identify refereed journals. However, it should be noted that numerous exceptions occur for any and all of the points listed below. Therefore, the following information should be used as a guideline when looking for refereed journals

Issue identification: Each issue has a publishing date, volume number and issue number. Generally a volume number is consistent throughout the calendar year, with each issue assigned a corresponding number e.g. vol. 55, issue 4.

Length: A refereed journal may have one to fifty articles, with most having eight to eighteen.

Advertising and graphics: Very little, if any, advertising is included in refereed journals. Any advertising that is included will directly relate to the field. Generally journals of this nature do not have photographs and use black print on white paper. The size of the journal may vary in size from a small paperback size to a large magazine format.

Table of contents: In addition to research articles, refereed journals may contain book reviews, literature reviews, and essays. Therefore, just because an article is published in a refereed journal, it does not necessarily mean that it is a research article!

Publishing: Refereed journals are usually published regularly - once a week, once a month, every quarter, or annually. The majority of journals are published four to six times per year and are often published by a professional society, organization or research institution.

Editorial board: Refereed journals have a peer review process. The editorial board is listed (generally at the beginning of the journal) along with the organizations they are affiliated with. Information about what types of papers are chosen for publication, the selection process, the length of papers accepted, and how to submit a paper is also provided.

Indexing: A listing of where the refereed journal is indexed is often provided.

Title: The title of a refereed journal usually has an "academic" sounding name.

Availability: The location, call number, and availability of the journal can be determined by using the online catalog.

Refereed Materials:
Refereed materials are publications reviewed by "expert readers" or referees prior to the publication of the material. After reading and evaluating the material, the referee informs the publisher if the document should be published or if any changes should be made prior to publication. Refereed materials are also referred to as Peer Reviewed. Refereed materials are significant to the research and the literature of library and information science because they assure readers that the information conveyed is reliable and timely.

Non-Refereed Materials:
Non-refereed materials such as Trade Journals or Magazines use less rigorous standards of screening prior to publication. In some publications, each article may be only screened by the publication's editor. While knowledgeable, no editor can be an authority on all the subject matter printed in a journal. Other non-refereed materials accept almost anything submitted in order to have something to print. The term "scholarly materials" is often used to describe refereed materials, but this term is not exclusive to refereed material. Non-refereed materials may not by scrutinized as intensely as refereed materials, but they can still be considered scholarly.

Locating Materials:
Databases are repositories of article information from journals, magazines, conferences, and sometimes books and newspapers. Databases cover a wide range of topics. Some databases offer a full text feature that links you directly to an article, so you can download and print it directly off the Internet. Explore databases that you use regularly to determine if they have this feature (usually denoted by an "FT" next to the article citation).

Evaluating On-line sources:
Online sources can be a valuable tool if you know how to accurately assess the value and validity of the online information source. In trying to determine the validity of a webpage, it is useful to see what type of organization publishes the page. Sites ending in .edu or .gov are generally more accurate and trustworthy than most, since they emanate from academic and governmental organizations. It is important to verify that you are not looking at a student page located on an academic server, which may or may not be as trustworthy as a page produced by the school. Another element to be cautious of when evaluating your potential source is bias. For example, if you are looking at a commercial site, are they accurately portraying information, or bending the truth to fit their needs? The next criterion to evaluate is accuracy. Begin by looking for spelling mistakes, poor grammar, and typos. Next, look at the sources quoted within the page. Are they well-known, trusted sources and people with expertise in the field at hand? If the page is valid, accurate, and published by a trusted source, then it is generally considered acceptable for research purposes.

Search Strategies:
Your search strategy will vary depending upon which database you are using. Research articles' abstracts & include terms that most non-research articles' abstracts do not. Some examples of these terms are methodology, hypothesis, research, experiment, etc. You can search the field "Words Anywhere" for these terms while simultaneously searching for the keywords of your topic. If you retrieve too many or too few hits, narrow or expand your search by adding or dropping search terms.




Reference research: business research and health research and shopping research and my social page




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research methods for the behavioral sciences

Here are five topics for research in education. The perfect gift for the college student wondering what to select as a topic, or the educational professional seeking to enlighten us with a breakthrough or two.

What nutritional elements elevate learning abilities?

Are there foods that aid in the educational process? Certainly there are foods to be avoided, such as an excess of sugar and the caffeine laden drinks that send my fourth grade students bouncing off the walls. There are the “New Age,” well intentioned, but ill informed folks, who would have us eat nothing but dandelion leaves. There are the hucksters promoting their “overnight weight loss/increased sex drive/mind calming/IQ enhancing wonder diets,” each bearing the disclaimer, “these findings are not substantiated by scientific research.” But is there any real scientific data out there? I’d be fascinated to learn.

What methods most greatly encourage elementary school students to read for pleasure?

What is the psychology behind the impetus some students feel, and some students will never experience? Is there a proven existent paradigm for greater success? What are the latest and most promising approaches? How do I break down the reluctant reader and infuse them with a least a cursory desire to read? All of these questions spark my intense interest.

Are newly arriving freshmen college students better or more ill prepared academically than 1966’s freshmen?

Educators decry the state of affairs of all things educational, and routinely proclaim a crisis is coming or already upon us. But just as every generation in America has resisted and maligned the favored music of their offspring, I suspect this educational outrage is equally ongoing and unending. Is there data supporting the claims that today’s freshmen are more ill equipped to deal with college life?

How does physical movement benefit brain development in elementary students?

I was amazed to learn of the correlation between regular physical movement and brain development in young children. What programs exist that would aid in my bringing movement - and by extension, greater brain development – to my students? What are the latest research findings on physical education’s impact on other areas of learning? What is the physiology involved?

How does art instruction influence other academic progress?

I infuse all my courses with art, and have found it tremendously helpful in capturing the attention of my students. I want to learn more about how art impacts student development, both to make myself better able to utilize this tool and to give myself greater justification for using it. I want to glean all the latest and most well documented research that supports my view that art instruction compliments all other subject lesson planning, captures the attention of a segment of students who would otherwise remain apathetic, and broadens the academic universe of all students.

As this is one of my own personal favorite topics, I'll throw in a thesis, free of charge.   “Art instruction in elementary school curriculums – often among the first targets of politicians seeking to balance budgets – is a powerful and practical educational tool, with far reaching and often underappreciated benefits.”

Possible subtopics include art as a means to reach at-risk and otherwise educationally challenged students; how art instruction gives students a welcome respite from more difficult subjects, re-energizes and makes them better able to focus; how art education compliments and augments standard educationally required subjects; statistical data suggesting (or proving) that students who receive instruction in art have higher grades and do better on standardized tests (assuming this is demonstrable). 

Let's see some data collecting out there!




Reference research: research Dr. and law research and travel research and my social page




Crab the Bookmarketer for Your Site Making

Make it easy for visitors to vote or bookmark your site.

So you've been blogging for awhile. You started with Blogger because it was easy and it was free.

But now, you want to expand your readership, have more flexibility, and look more professional. You've heard great things about WordPress, but you aren't sure you can handle making the leap.

Let me tell you, it's really, really easy, and here's how you can do it in just a few steps.

1. Buy a domain and hosting - There are multiple options for this. I have hosted with GoDaddy in the past, and was always pleased with them. My current host is DreamHost, and I couldn't be happier with them. They have lots of great features, including automatic installation of WordPress, with multiple templates.

Whatever host you choose, make sure that they are WordPress compatible. You will also need to have at least one database, as WordPress is MySql driven. I know that sounds complicated, but it doesn't have to be. Just ask the host if they support WordPress. Usually, it will show right on the features that they are.

Especially if you've never installed WordPress before, go with a host that offers automatic installation. GoDaddy offers it with many of their hosting packages. You just go into your Hosting Control Center, and choose the options to have it installed. DreamHost offers it with their hosting as well. And many, many other hosts offer WordPress hosting, because it's a very popular option.

2. Install WordPress - This will vary depending on your host. If you went with GoDaddy, DreamHost, or any of the other hosting companies that offer a WordPress installation option, then just follow their directions for getting it installed.

3. Choose your theme - There are so many themes to choose from with WordPress. Just do a search for "free WordPress themes" on Google, and you'll find thousands of site. DreamHost installations of WordPress come with dozens of themes ready for you to use. You can also pay to have a theme custom made to fit your needs.

4. Notify your readers - Post on your Blogger blog that you're going to be migrating to WordPress. Tell them your new domain name, and let them know that you'll be moving all posts and comments over there, and to change their feeds to follow the new blog.

5. Import your Blogger posts to WordPress - WordPress 2.7 makes this oh so easy. Once your WordPress installation is all setup (you'll get notification from your host that it's done within just a few minutes of you requesting the install), login to /wp-admin using your username and password. Go to Tools -> Import. Click on the Blogger option (or whatever your current weblog is). Just follow the directions! You'll input your blogspot blog link, and other information, and it will begin the import immediately.

6. Start posting in WordPress!

That's it! The import will copy all your posts from your Blogger blog to your new WordPress blog, including all comments that were made, and all categories that you've created for your blog. You can begin posting in WordPress, and have fun with all the wonderful themes and plugins that are out there!




Source article: free blogging and free blog site and Open Source Blog and online blogging sites and Journal
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research methodology

Middle School students love to explore the unknown and share what they have discovered. Take advantage of this natural curiosity about the unknown to develop research and presentation skills. Even reluctant learners get involved when you allow them to research and write about real life unsolved mysteries.

Pre-teaching: Before beginning this hands on project, students must understand the concepts of theories and evidence. It would be wise to choose a topic of your own and complete the project to share with students prior to assigning the project.

Skills Needed: To complete this project, students must be familiar with PowerPoint or any other slideshow presentation tool you choose to use. If they are not already skilled in this area, provide opportunities for students to work with the program.

Search Engines: This project relies heavily on Internet Research. Time must be devoted Internet search techniques.

Assessing web sites: Teach students how to determine if a website is reliable. Use this template or create your own.

Note Taking: Require Middle School students to take notes of their research. Spend time teaching students to paraphrase and summarize what they have read. Use this template or create one of your own for students to use.

Crediting sources: Middle School students don't really understand the importance of crediting their sources. Take the time to teach the basics of citing sources.

Plagiarism: This is a good time to teach about plagiarism. Many middle school students still think that if they change around a few words they are not plagiarizing. Take the time to teach them how to use information without plagiarizing. Make sure you emphasize that using photos created by others must be credited too.

Unsolved Mysteries Project

Provide students with a list of unsolved mysteries to choose from. (See suggested topics at the end of this article). Most students will find a suitable topic on the list. For those who wish to choose their own topic, insist that the topic be approved by you prior to beginning.

Minimum Requirements:
Slide 1: Title slide containing the "unsolved mystery", student name, and date.
Slide 2: Introductory slide: The mystery must be introduced with an explanation of why it is a mystery. This should include a statement of opposing views or beliefs.
Slide 3: Supporting theories
Slide 4: Opposing theories
Slide 5: Evidence (photos, news reports, witnesses, police reports)
Slide 6: Conclusions, which includes the student's belief based on the information provided in their project.
Slide 7: Credits

Special thanks to Ruth Sundra who designed a similar group projects for 4th and 5th grade. The project outline shared here has been designed for middle school students to complete individually to demonstrate mastery of core skills while researching topics of interest to them.

Suggested Topics

Big Foot/Yeti
Loch Ness Monster
Ghosts
Life-after-Death Experiences
Psychic abilities
UFOs/aliens
Alien Abduction
Shadow People
How the Pyramids Were Built
Stonehenge
Bermuda Triangle
Angels
Auras
Out-of-Body Experiences
Mayan Calendar (end of the world)
Time Travel/Time Slips
Spontaneous Human Combustion
Miracles
Psychic Healing
Crop Circles

Add topics that fit the interests of the particular group you are working with. For 8th graders, the more bizarre, the better. Allow plenty of class time for research and for creating the slide show. Setting specific due dates for each portion will curtail misuse of time.

Your middle school students just may astound you with their final project. Not only do they get involved in their individual project, they are eager to learn what their classmates have discovered, too.




Reference research: finance research and computer research and shopping research and my bookmark page




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