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[edit] The Online Journalism Research Group 2006
In the first few weeks of this course we will explore several themes that will assist you in developing a literature review for your research reports. Each member of the research group will be expected to research and present on one theme in the form of a seminar and publish their findings via the Online Journalism Wiki. After the seminar, other group members will be expected to find additional information sources on the theme, and discuss, debate and revise the wiki.
The "wider context" section is for readings and discussion on the history of the Internet and Online Journalism and background information that is relevant to all the themes.
[edit] Online Journalism Course
Online Journalism course syllabus
[edit] Research Project: Guidelines
[edit] Deadlines
Participants should read the projects on the website to get some sense of the work each group has done. They need to email Lesley to choose a group by May 27. Each group leader will provide a range of readings for the research break.
When the semester starts, participants will meet in their groups, times to be set up by the research leaders. These will cover: • Issues arising out of the readings; • The project the group will be doing; • And how to frame questions and a research plan
Participants will be expected to produce a short page, setting out the research questions, by August 1.
Participants must produce a draft proposal by August 22. The proposal should consist of: Section 1: Aims and Rationale (which includes theory and background related to the questions). Section 2: Proposed methodology.
Participants then need to produce a revised proposal by September 1.
Participants are expected to have completed data collection by September 12, and to circulate a revised methodology section to group members. The group will meet to discuss both the methodology section and the data.
First full-length drafts of the research paper must be handed in by Monday October 17.
Final submission of revised papers is on Monday October 31.
Participants will be expected to attend meetings set up by research leaders, who may also require additional work as part of the research preparation process.
[edit] Writing up
The research project should be divided into the following sections:
[edit] Abstract
(300-400 words)
[edit] Aim and rationale
Including literature review and relevant theory (2 000 to 3 000 words)
This section should set out your questions (both the bigger theoretical questions and the research questions), why the questions are significant, the contextual background to the questions and examine the theory most directly related to the question. For example, let’s say the research project is on television news. This section would set out something of the recent debate around SABC news, talk about the questions this has raised, locate those questions in the relevant theory (eg a discussion of news values, or debate around the watchdog role of the media in society), make a case for why research around the issue is important, and how the particular research project will contribute to an understanding of the issue.
[edit] Methodology
(500 words)
This section will set out specifically how you went about the research. For example, in the case of analysing television news, you would explain that you monitored this many news broadcast over this period of time, how you categorised the various news items, what you “counted�? (sources, etc) and how you drew conclusions from the data. Problems and possible limitations of the research should also be mentioned here.
[edit] Research data
(2000 to 3000 words)
This section will describe the information you got from the research .i.e. how many news stories were of cabinet ministers opening things, how many in Parliament etc etc.
[edit] Findings and conclusions
(1 000 to 1 500 words)
This section will set out broadly what the research has shown, or what further questions it may have raised. It will also seek to link the research findings back to the original questions, both big and small, and draw some conclusions about that. These do not have to be definitive (as in we can now definitely say), but should point to any issues, complexities or difficulties of interpretation.
[edit] Bibliography
Use the American Psychological Association. Examples available on request.
[edit] Appendices
(if any)
You can put things like questionnaires etc here.
[edit] Requirements
Attendance at groups is compulsory. Participants must meet all deadlines listed above. Failure to do so may result in the withdrawal of DP certificate for Journalism Studies B, or, at the very least, lead to handing in an unfinished piece at the end, and losing marks. No extensions will be granted, unless in the case of serious illness or emergency. Please be aware that a fail in the research will lead to failing the Honours.
Research work is significantly more demanding than essay writing, and the key to success is to start working on it early, and to give it consistent time. Good luck!
[edit] Assessment
There are certain fundamentals that need to be met in order to pass the research project.
• First, you need to have a coherent question (or set of questions), and a research design that can potentially provide some information towards answering that question. • You need a coherent discussion of the related theory and background to your question, and you need to clearly locate your research question in both media studies theory and local conditions. • You need to choose the appropriate methodology, and show an understanding of what it can tell you, and what it can’t. • There needs to be a basic overview of the data, and the data needs to be clearly described and organised. • There needs to be some basic analysis of the data. • Finally, the conclusions need to tie the findings of the data back to the theoretical and contextual discussions, showing what the research contributes to those debates.
Some advice on the process (or, the 8 habits of highly effective students)
• Don’t procrastinate. You can’t pull off your research in an all-nighter.
• Always allocate more time for the research than you think it’ll take. So, if you think it’ll take three days, triple it. Or perhaps quadruple it.
• Use your research leaders. This is the one time that you can get feedback BEFORE you hand in. Use the opportunity.
• Make sure your questions are working before you embark on theoretical discussion and argument.
• Use your fellow students. Brainstorm with them, share interesting readings, set up joint interviews, when appropriate.
• Find out early on whether you have access to the people you want to interview, or the documents you’d like to look at, or the media material you need to examine. Nothing is more disheartening than crafting an elegant and beautiful proposal only to discover that some of the people vital to your interviews are on a fact-finding tour in Timbucktoo.
• Read as much other student research as you can. This will not only help you with your topic, but give you a sense of what is required of your project. Examples from last year’s group and some Masters research are posted on our website.
• Finally, try to schedule in regular time for your research, even when there is not a deadline approaching. If you give it a couple of hours a day or a day a week from the beginning of the year, you can only do well.
