#research techniques

Historical fiction, with its ability to transport readers to bygone eras, offers a captivating blend of storytelling and factual accuracy. As writers venture into recreating history, the challenge lies in capturing the essence of the past while weaving a compelling narrative. This guide aims to illuminate the intricate art of researching and crafting historically accurate fiction. Immersive…

When people think of scientists doing research, they tend to think of a laboratory with microscopes, technical machinery, exotic chemicals, and a person in a white coat doing “experiments” to invent a miraculous new compound, or maybe cure a disease. We have a technical laboratory with microscopes, machines, and chemicals at Powdermill, and we enjoy that kind of work. In reality, most of our research is done outside, with living plants and animals in the field. Usually we are in muddy boots, and we are more likely to be wearing rain gear and backpacks than white coats.

Our research comes in several flavors. Because we own the land, we can invest in long-term studies that require strong continuity. Examples of this would be our studies of birds that migrate in spring and autumn along the Appalachian ridges, traversing routes from the Caribbean and South America to Pennsylvania, Canada, and the Arctic. Since these studies were initiated in 1961, we have compiled the longest continuous data set of this type for any American research institute.  Another example would be our forest succession research, initiated in 2012, and intended to last several decades. These long-term studies are not likely to be undertaken by the college professor who must show results promptly for promotion and tenure, so it is important that places like Powdermill commit to them.

On the flip side, we support student researchers to use Powdermill for their projects that have to be completed in a short time, between one summer and three years, depending on whether the research is for a senior thesis or a PhD. Together, the students embrace many topics across the entire diversity of biological systems: What do trout eat? How effective are birds at dispersing seeds? The work of the long-term studies can be thought of as composing a careful symphony, where student projects represent the catchy tunes coming from a dance club: each centered on a good riff, immediate and focused; then another tune, and another. Both the symphony and the dance band are important to our scientific culture, and together they demonstrate the relevance of the nature reserve.

Field stations necessarily focus on topics that occur on their landscape. Most of our work has a strong relevance to Pennsylvania in particular, but also to Appalachia and eastern North America in general. Sometimes our work in Pennsylvania connects us to a much broader audience, as the migrating birds that spend the winter in South America do. We often host researchers from other countries who view Powdermill as an exotic locale. Every year we host a series of workshops to train the next generation of scientists, and every year we have far more applicants than spaces. In the last decade, an award-winning program that sponsors Latin American guests (so that the actual cost of the program is not a barrier to applicants) has trained about 120 scientists from 10 nations who came to Powdermill to learn our research techniques. When they return to their home countries to resume their scientific careers, some of our Powdermill culture goes with them.

The visitor traffic through Powdermill presents a learning opportunity for us. Getting to know our visitors sometimes introduces us to new methods or entirely new fields of research.  We expand our research interests and capacity, too.

A pleasing and unique aspect of a research career at a field station is being in tune with the pulse of the natural world. You care about when it rained last, how cold it was the previous night, and why you have seen so many porcupines this year. The late freeze hurt the beeches and spice bush, but the maples and oaks are okay. Observing a small wildflower where you did not see it last year is like finding a gemstone. Training your eye to notice when certain plants bloom or when certain animals appear becomes rewarding, like playing a favorite game. We expect hummingbirds to arrive from Mexico on April 30. On May 1, they appear at our feeders. All of these observations make each day an experience with its own reward and mystery. And being connected to the natural world makes you feel very much alive.

I’m not the most experienced researcher in the world, I’ll admit, so this post may mostly be for my future reference. Hopefully, it’ll help some others. 

Government/state websites: If it’s a history project about the US, state websites will usually have links to a local historical site, organizations, or resources that are EXTREMELY valuable, often containing primary sources. e.g. researching about the Civil Rights Movement in Baltimore, Maryland, I went to the state and city website, found a link to the Maryland Historical Society, did some snooping, and found hundreds of primary resources that include old articles, newspaper clippings, and photographs. However, not all sources are digitized, and they only provide a catalogue for the sources. If possible, going to the libraries where the resources are kept would be invaluable. The National Archives, the National Public Radio (include PBS radio stuff), and other similar sites are valuable in finding primary historical sources.

I saw this on another post somewhere and haven’t tried it out yet, but Sci-Hub allows you to access a restricted online journal article by pasting the link or DOI in. Removes the frustration finding a really good abstract of a journal then discovering you can’t access the whole thing. 

This sounds weird, but for historical research, the NHD Student Resources page contains at least a hundred links for various topics and resource types, like primary source photographs, videos, oral histories, newspaper, etc. Though mostly only for students researching for NHD, I’m keeping it in mind for future reference.

Google News Archives: In need of some more primary sources or knowledge of current events? Newspapers on this site date back to at least the 1800s in multiple countries around the world. For most years and newspapers after the 1900s, there are daily archives on those papers. Similarly, Google Books also provides archives of old magazines, like Billboard.

It sounds generic, but changing the wording on a Google search can vastly change results. I’m told I’m a good at picking keywords for a Google Search, and while I can’t pinpoint exactly why or the unconcious thought process I have, it also comes with practice. Go from broad to specific, and don’t be afraid to copy-paste nearly word for word the questions in the search bar, because you may be pleasantly surprised that someone made an answer for exactly that. Contrary to others advice, I don’t use or rely on Google Scholar, because I find it almost wholly unuseful to me. It mainly only provides academic journals, which is usually not what I’m looking for. I’m usually better off using the general search bar, which can give me a better variety of primary sources and secondary, like oral histories, radio shows/interviews, PDFs, videos, journals, PhD/Master’s thesis. You could also literally type in the topic and type of source you’re looking for and there may be a webpage or website dedicated to just that, depending on the specificity of the topic.

Going to a Wikipedia entry, going down to the links and sources and the bottom, clicking on them, and seeing where they take me.

Carrot2: It’s a visual clustering engine that sorts your search results into smaller topics. Though the websites found there aren’t particularly extraordinary or unfindable through a normal Google Search, it does help sift through the possible doorways your topic could lead you.

Check local/school libraries for books pertaining to your topic. But also, check if the library provides exclusive access to some research sites like EBSCO, JSTOR, or Questia.

Slip dresses are fast becoming my second biggest fashion obsession, they are everywhere at the moment! From catwalk to high street, celebrities and bloggers. Since this piece is a favourite of mine, I thought that it would be the perfect way to investigate research techniques through the exploration of Fashion Movement. This is due to the fact that despite the slip dress being quite a minimal and timeless staple piece, it is also an item that has recently come back into fashion after being an iconic element of 90s fashion. Being a popular choice for celebrities, fashion bloggers and even people like myself - I believe that through the slip dress, each of the theories of Fashion Movement are demonstrated. These are:

1) The ‘Trickle Down’ theory: The assumption that fashion trends start among the upper class or fashion leaders and move down to the masses or fashion followers.

2) The 'Trickle Up’ theory: The assumption that fashion trends start amongst the young or lower income groups and move upward to higher income groups.

3) The 'Trickle Across’ theory: The assumption that fashion moves horizontally through groups at similar social levels from fashion leaders to followers.

From my own ideas, knowledge and interest of the slip dress - I think it could be argued that this piece is an example of both the 'Trickle Down’ and 'Trickle Up’ theories as it is a piece that has recently become on trend once again, whereas in the 90s - when the slip dress became notorious - grunge and street style were the key inspirations for fashion leaders and designers; meaning that further exploration and research could prove that the birth of the slip dress in the 1990s could be an example of the 'Trickle Up’ theory. However, on the other hand: the current love for the slip dress has been redeveloped by high profile celebrities, designers and fashion bloggers - clearly showing an example of the 'Trickle Down’ theory. These initial thoughts and ideas are a great way to begin to explore and develop ideas through Secondary and Primary research methods. My first thought processes will inspire research by giving me direction and allowing myself to ask questions such as:

-How would I like to approach this topic? -Where will I look for Secondary research? -Who/where could I look for primary data? -What research techniques could I use?

Secondary research would be my first task, as this is how I would find my information and inspiration for further exploration. I like to pursue as many Secondary research sources as possible in the first stages of the process - this gives me all of the knowledge that I will need to respond effectively and seek primary data. In any research based task, I always begin with using the internet to conduct Secondary research, as in my opinion it is the quickest and easiest way to search for information. In particular, I like to use Pinterest to create visuals relating to the topic of research. Finding a range of images from a variety of sources on one website helps me to create links between new information, thoughts and ideas. When researching Fashion Movement - and specifically how the slip dress presents this - I would begin by 'pinning’ a range of images relating to the slip dress to create a board full of visuals, inspiration and information to explore further. Images relating to trend, designers, culture, media and communication would be particularly beneficial to my research as they would provide direction for further Secondary research. This would then lead me to preform the common Google search - which I predict would leave me with more questions than answers - but nevertheless, a range of paths to focus my research. I would narrow my search towards articles, videos and trend reports as well as researching fashion bloggers to discover their position and influence in relation to Fashion Movement. Furthermore, after gaining more ideas and focus points from using the internet to conduct Secondary research, I would continue this process by visiting the library to search for specific books, articles, magazines and journals relating to fundamental areas found through my online research. This would widen my knowledge of the slip dress and how this represents Fashion Movement, which would then allow me to produce informed, factual responses and generate appropriate, effective Primary research. Before concluding the research process, I would definitely produce a range of Primary research in order to collect informative data which would give me the opportunity to gain current opinions and ideas from a range of individuals. Since my focus is on Fashion Movement and the different theories surrounding it, Primary research would be vital in discovering different thoughts and perspectives that would enable me to consider new concepts and perceptions of Fashion Movement. For this area of research, I believe that it would be beneficial and informative to conduct a questionnaire - asking a large variety of people about their beliefs, knowledge and experiences of fashion through the slip dress in order to understand the concept of Fashion Movement further. Likewise, interviewing the bloggers that I would investigate within the Secondary research process would be a very interesting and helpful form of gaining Primary data as these individuals play an important role in Fashion Movement. Subsequently, discussing Fashion Movement through the example of the slip dress with trend forecasters and fashion buyers would provide me with detailed information that would be vital to the research process.

Crime Justice; how do we know it’s a crime drama? The thriller aspect is achieved when a normal, optimistic guy, someone we would least suspect is charged with murder after a drug fulfilled night-out. The fact that Ben could be any of us, he’s just a normal guy is what builds tension, hearing someone just like us is capable of murder even with the goody-two shoes look would keep the audience at the feet. Crime comes in when we as an audience start to suspect what he’s about to do next. Is he innocent, is it all a mishap or is he guilty as charged? What happened on that night before he was charged with murder? What happened in those 24 hours to lead up to this? Ben is taught the harsh lessons of how the law works when it’s almost too late, he finds out how to keep a good heart when almost everyone doubts him.