INTRODUCTION TO
FIELD RESEARCH
Professor Foster--Fall 2015
Modified from Assignment sheet by:
Nick Vagoni, FIU Writing and Rhetoric Instructor
Primary Research
UP TO NOW YOU’VE BEEN CONDUCTING RESEARCH VIA
SECONDARY SOURCES—RESEARCH CONDUCTED BY
OTHER RESEARCHERS AND PUBLISHED IN NEWSPAPERS,
PEER-REVIEWED JOURNALS, WEBSITES, MAGAZINES, OR
BOOKS
Problem:
Sometimes, however, the research that you
need simply hasn’t been published yet, and it’s
up to you to go out into the world and find the
information to fill the gaps in your knowledge
of your subject.
That’s where field research comes in.
Purpose of Field Research
 For this project, you will conduct primary research in
the form of an interview, a survey, or both, with the
purpose of learning even more about the problem
that you’ve been researching.
 Conducting your own primary research will allow you
to gain specific insights that you might not otherwise
be able to find in secondary sources.
For Example:
 Surveying a group of fellow FIU students about a local
problem could give you more specific and recent insights
into that issue.
 Similarly, interviewing an expert, such as an FIU professor,
can allow you to get specific answers to your research
questions, rather than relying on the questions that other
researchers have asked in the past.
 Interviewing an expert will also help you to learn more about
the discourse community that you’ve been working in.
Incorporating Field Research
Into Your Final Paper
You will use your field research in your final
paper to support a practical solution to the
problem you’ve been researching.
Bringing in your own primary sources can help
boost your credibility by incorporating the
voices of experts or others with first-hand
experience on your topic.
Audience
Your audience for this project will be your
classmates in your ENC 1102 class, as well as
your instructor.
Genre
After conducting and recording your field
research, you will write it up in a format similar
to the “empirical research report” in A & B
Chapter 12 (page 277).
Introduction
This section should include a brief explanation
of your topic, its significance, and your
research question(s).
Consider this a condensed version of the
material from the topic proposal.
It should be approximately one page (about
350 words)
Method(s)
This section should include a description of :
 The methods that you used to conduct your research,
including the specific interview or survey questions that you
asked, where you conducted your research,
 How you conducted your research (in person, online, etc.),
and
 Whom you surveyed (keeping sources anonymous is OK if
sources prefer).
Results
 This section should include the responses that you
received.
 For interviews, include all questions and responses.
 For surveys, decide how you will display your data.
Will you include numerical percentages only, or will
you perhaps also include a graph or visual to show
survey results?
Discussion
 This section should include your own interpretation
and analysis of your results.
 In other words, you will reflect on the information
that you gathered and draw conclusions about what
it all means, how it helps to answer your research
question(s), and how you might use it to help
support the solution that you’re proposing.
 This section should also make suggestions about
how further field research could be done more
effectively.
Allyn and Bacon As A Resource
Your report should include the elements on
pages 276-278 in the A & B 276-28--see
detailed descriptions of each section
Important
 WHEN CONDUCTING INTERVIEWS OR SURVEYS, TELL
YOUR INTERVIEWEES THAT THEIR WORDS MAY BE
USED IN YOUR PROJECT AND READ BY YOUR
CLASSMATES.
 YOU MUST OBTAIN PARENTAL CONSENT TO
INTERVIEW MINORS (ANYONE UNDER 18)
Grading Criteria:
 Does the introduction clearly and effectively explain
the research topic and the research question(s)?
 -Does the methods section clearly and thoroughly
explain how the field research was conducted?
 Could someone read this section and recreate your
field research on their own?
 -Does the results section clearly show the responses that you received during your
field research?
 Is survey data easy to understand, either through numerical values or a combination
of numerical values and visuals? –
 Does the discussion section include your own thorough reflections on what you
learned from your field research, how it relates to your research question and your
topic as a whole, and how you might use this information for your final paper in the
course? –
 Is your document clearly organized and easy to read?
Are all sections clearly labeled?
-Does the writing show evidence of thorough
proofreading for spelling, grammar, and
punctuation?
Questions?