Exploring Research worksheet
You are required to complete the tasks on this sheet and place the content in your website section called
RESEARCH. You will be looking at three sections, these should be clear on the page. They are in RED on this
document.
Task 1/3: Tools
You are required to think about each of the following tools for research and talk about advantages, disadvantages and show
an example. A table has been included to help with this, or you can create headings on the Weebly page for each one.
Write detailed answers for each box and add an image for each example (this could be a photo, logo, etc).
Tool Advantage
Lots of books on different
subjects, as well as computers
to access the internet, so you
can cross reference
information with different
sources to make sure the
information is correct, books
are arranged systematically so
you can find what you need
easier and make studying
more efficient, books are also
logged so you can know for
definite if they have the book
you need. You can add sticky
LRC
notes to the book and write
notes on them to help your
studying. Some libraries also
have DVDs and Blu Rays which
you can borrow and use. It’s
also quiet and easy to focus
You can take books, and DVDs
and Blur Rays home with you
to study. It’s also free and cost
no money. There are also
librarians to help you find the
subjects you need as they
know where everything is
stocked.
Books can be very detailed and
are mostly written by
professionals in the field that
the book is written about
which means the information
is most likely reliable and gives
you a source to site so you can
show where you get the
information from, some books
are organised with a contents
page or glossary page so can
Books be easier to find the page you
need.
Example (with photo/URL
Disadvantage
evidence)
Don’t always have the book
you need as they may not
have it in stock, or someone
else is using it so you need to
wait for them to use it which
sometimes may be longer than
the time you need to research
the subject. If you are late
with your returns, you get a
fee. They have a limited
opening and closing time. You
must physically go to them to
get there, and you might not
be anywhere near a library to
get there. There is also print
payment to use their ink.
You need to pay for books if
you can’t find them in
libraries, they can be
damaged, information doesn’t
get updated, unless there is a
new issue, in which you need
to buy or find in your library,
and sometimes you need to
wait for them to be published. The Illusion Of Life (12 Principles)
Some books may not have
contents or glossary pages, so
you must search through and
read the whole book to find
the information you need.
They can be physically
destroyed and damaged from
wear and tear and you may
lose pages and could possibly
be vandalised. Some books are
in different languages, and you
may not be able to read them,
and must manually translate
them yourself. They are

Millions of websites across the
world, filled with information
from all sorts of people in all
sorts of professions, which
means chances are they have
the information you are
looking for. Websites are also
easy to access with any place
with the internet. Some
information is organised very
well so it can be very quick to
find it. Some websites have
contact information if you
have any questions. You can
also copy and paste
information from websites, so
you can quote or store it on a
document for research.
Doesn’t have a filter on it.
Web Range of media sources, such
as pictures, videos, music and
audio. Speed of access and the
access to global information.
There are billions of hours of
footage on YouTube so there
is a vast visual library on
practically every subject, many
professionals in different fields
have channels which have
reliable information on, and
the comment section allows
you to interact with the
channels. For some people
visual learning is easier then
YouTube reading facts so they take on
the information better.
physical items so can be lost or
stolen.
Some websites you need to Google
pay for as it’s not all free, a lot
of information is false as it’s by
people who don’t necessarily
have a full grasp on the
subject or is there to
intentionally misinform you,
there can be pop up adverts
which may be viruses or scams
which can be very serious for
you or your computer, you
also have to search through all
the information if it isn’t
labelled clearly on the
website. Websites owners
may not reply to your
questions. Some people have
a hard time remembering
things from just reading facts,
so they don’t take on the
information. You can also
waste a lot of time looking for
the right websites as some of
them may be on the wrong
information and suggested
because the algorithm messed
up, or because words you’ve
searched for appear on the
website but in a completely
different context then what
you are searching for. You
need an internet connection
to access them and a device
with a screen. The Light from
screens can hurt your eyes.
The lack of filter can be
damaging as unsafe websites
and inappropriate media
comes up.
The same with the internet, YouTube
some YouTube channels you
need to pay for as it’s not all
free, a lot of information is
false as it’s by people who
don’t necessarily have a full
grasp on the subject or is
there to intentionally
misinform you, there are
advertisements which you are
forced to watch before
accessing the videos. You need
to watch through the entire
video to find the information
you want and then you waste
a lot of time. Channels may
not reply to your comments as
they might not see it if they
are a large channel or if they
are busy. You can also spend a
lot of time searching for the
right videos to watch and
looking through videos that

There are millions of people
on forum pages and Instagram
and can be a great way to
contact them, or gain
information from them, you
can also find out opinions from
polls, so you can put what you
find into your research. It is
there forever.
Social
media/forum
Streaming services have a
large variety of subjects and
can be great high quality visual
examples to find information,
and do research from and
have most likely been cross
referenced with multiple
people to ensure the
information they tell you is
Streaming correct, they most commonly
services feature professionals on the
subjects you are looking for in
things like documentaries, a
lot of the fictional things also
have a lot of references from
real life to make them seem
more authentic and you quite
often learning things from
entertainment shows as well
as the more informative
have nothing to do with what
you are looking for because
either the algorithm is off or
because you’ve become
distracted by another video
you’ve seen. You need an
internet connection to access
them and a device with.
screen. The Light from screens
can hurt your eyes. It is
monopolised, and harder to
find smaller channels with the
content you need as they push
bigger channels with less
relevant information to gain
more money for themselves.
You may not receive any Reddit
comments or views from your
posts, it’s a lot harder to do if
you don’t have a large
following and a lot of social
media pages are more vanity
focused so could be very hard
to gain interaction on your
posts. There are also a lot of
people who are there solely to
cause upset or spread
misinformation and cause
more harm then good. You
could also spend a very long
time trying to find what you
are looking for, as social media
sites are continuously being
uploaded to and only continue
to get bigger and bigger, it can
also be very distracting, and
sometimes take you away
from the area you’re searching
for. You need an internet
connection and a screen to
access them. The Light from
screens can hurt your eyes.
Beauty standards distort
reality. It is there forever.
Documentaries take longer to Disney Plus
make so there aren’t as many
of them and there isn’t always
a documentary for your
subject that you are
researching. They take longer
to watch, and you don’t know
when in the video you’ll find
the information you need, so it
causes you to waste time. You
need an internet connection
to be able to watch or
download the videos. The
documentary may not have
any information you need so it
could waste your research
time. Streaming platforms
constantly change what they
have on them so you may be
watching the documentary
 shows. Some streaming sites
let you download them, so you
can watch them anywhere
without internet connection,
so they are portable. When
you stream the show or film
doesn’t take up any space on
your device. They have a large
budget which allows for high
quality media products. Some
streaming services are focused
and specific.
You can get portable DVD
players which let you watch
them anywhere, or you can
play them on your laptop.
Some people learn better
visually which DVDs and Blu
Rays can help with. DVDs and
Blu Rays have a large variety of
subjects and can be great high
quality visual examples to find
information, and do research
from and have most likely
been cross referenced with
multiple people to ensure the
information they tell you is
correct, they most commonly
feature professionals on the
=DVD/Blu Ray
subjects you are looking for in
things like documentaries, a
lot of the fictional things also
have a lot of references from
real life to make them seem
more authentic and you quite
often learning things from
entertainment shows as well
as the more informative
shows. Can’t be removed or
censored. There is bonus
content and extras, with
director and cast and crew
commentaries. Limited
addition bonuses such as
merchandise or online code to
watch online.
and it is taken down so you
can’t watch them. You need a
device with a screen to be able
to watch. When you download
the show or Film, or audio file
take up storage on your
device. The Light from screens
can hurt your eyes. You must
pay for the service. Globally
locked, so different places see
different things on the
services. Removal and
censorship of content.
You need a DVD player or Blu Blu Ray
Ray player to watch them, and
you also need a TV or monitor
that connects to the DVD or
Blu Ray player. They can break
easily from wear and tear so
you can’t watch them and
must pay to replace them and
pay to buy them in the first
place. They may not have any
relevant information and
aren’t very searchable, so you
waste valuable research time
by watching them. Take up a
lot of physical storage and
space in your house if you
have multiple DVDs and Blu
Rays. The Light from screens
can hurt your eyes. There is a
shelf life to them and last
around on average 25 to 35
years. Redundant technology,
so older formats of DVDs can’t
be played on newer DVD
players. Finite amount of
information. They are physical
so they can be lost or stolen.
DVDs can’t be updated, so
information may be outdated.
They take up a lot of physical
space.

Task 2/3: Methods

This time think about each of the methods in the table below and consider what the benefits and drawbacks of them are.

Method Advantage Disadvantage

Conducting You can find people everywhere to ask and that can
survey mean you find a lot of different views and give you a
diverse data set, you can also group and see if there
is any negative or positive ways in which the subject
effects a group. You can do these in person, on a
form or on a website, so people who aren’t
comfortable speaking or writing have either option
which can make them more articulate or open to
sharing their views, also having an online option
means they can complete it in their own time and
not have to rush. It is also easier to share as you can
send it out virtually rather than physically going to
May be a geographical and social bias, may not
have diverse enough participants, may be an
extreme outlier which can cause a large change
in your outcome, can be hard to find participants
who would like to answer the survey. If you only
choose one option in which you conduct your
survey you get the drawbacks from the ones you
didn’t choose and the ones you did choose, such
as people’s abilities to articulate in person or
written down, their willingness to be open to you
about the subject, feeling like they must rush
their answer if they’re in person or they have
 people. You can tailor the information you want to
find out by how you craft your question.
You can find people everywhere to ask and that can
mean you find a lot of different views and give you a
diverse data set, you can also group the data by
demographics and find out what certain races, ages,
sexes, genders think or believe about the subject,
and see if there is any negative or positive ways in
Interviewing
which the subject effects a group. Having face to
people
face interviews with people can be beneficial for
people who are more articulate speaking in person
and may be more open to talk about their views on
the subject. You can tailor the information you want
to find out by how you craft your question.
Questions can organically arise.
You can find people everywhere to ask and that can
mean you find a lot of different views and give you a
diverse data set, you can also group the data by
demographics and find out what certain races, ages,
sexes, genders think or believe about the subject,
and see if there is any negative or positive ways in
which the subject effects a group. Having a group
means people can suggest ideas and other people
Group can agree or disagree, or build upon ideas, which
discussions gives you more data to write about in your research.
You can tailor the information you want to find out
by how you craft your question.
You get to do your own research and find the
information you are looking for instead of having to
dig through someone else’s research and find the
things that you need which can be more fun than
Primary reading through someone else’s data. You can tailor
research the information you want to find out by how you
craft your question.
Someone has done the research for you so you don’t
need to waste time doing your own when you can
use their research to help you. You won’t need to
pay to visit different places to find the information.
Secondary You can look at several different sources of different
Research forms of media. Information being wrong won’t be
as much of your fault as you’ve quoted or referenced
it.
Quality driven more in-depth questions. The data is
Qualitative
comprehensive and efficient, and of high quality, and
Data
you know that it both reliable and informative.
Quantity driven, and dependant on easy questions.
Quantitative Gives you a large range of data and you can see lots
Data of different examples and research.
Task 3/3: Skills
something else to do. Some people may not take
the interview seriously and mess up your data
and you are open to abuse. Not everyone
answers them and quiet often ignored.
May be a geographical or social bias, may not
have diverse enough participants, may be an
extreme outlier which can cause a large change
in your outcome, can be hard to find participants
who would like to answer the interview. Some
people aren’t as articulate in person as they may
be in written words or might not want to say
what they think without anonymity, they may
feel that they must rush their answer if they are
busy or feel conscious that they are talking too
much. Can cause anxiousness of interviewees.
Interviews over a large distance can cause
connection problems.
May be a geographical or social bias, may not
have diverse enough participants, may be an
extreme outlier which can cause a large change
in your outcome, can be hard to find participants
who would like to take part in the discussion.
Some people aren’t as articulate in person as
they may be in written words or might not want
to say what they think without anonymity in
front of the people in the group, as they are
scared of being judged by them or by you, they
may feel that they have to rush their answer if
they are busy, or feel conscious they are talking
too much, or want to give other people in the
group chance to speak. Might lead to arguments
and disrupt and corrupt your date and waste
research time on useless data. Some people are
easily triggered and get angry easily which may
disrupt data.
You may not be efficient in researching and may
waste your time on something that hinders your
research. You may not have the time or
capabilities to do the research you want to do if
you must travel or pay for something to see it,
for example the information is in another country
or in a place like a business that charges you for
their time or to see something they have. Might
not get enough responses or not information you
want.
You must sift through someone else’s research to
find the part the parts that are relevant for the
things you need to do. The researchers may
charge you to read their research, and without
having read it you may not know if it’s relevant
until you’ve bought and read it, which can be a
waste of time and money. It could be in accurate
as it might not fit your hypothesis, or opinion
based, or fake and fabricated or it may be
outdated.
You may not have a diverse enough data set,
instead more one-sided data, so may not see all
sides in your research.
This data may not be comprehensive or have
much meaning or backing to it and instead could
be an extreme outlier and throw off the rest of
your data.
Finally, think about what skills you should be working on when conducting research. You can consider the animation you’ll
be making when answering these questions if it helps.

Skill How I will do this

To find the right audiences, there are several ways that I can do that. One way being to contact them
through social media or through an email or messages, and through their profiles or conversations we
have I can determine if they are the right audience and categorise them in my data set. This way would
mainly be used to talk to the teenage up to adult demographics, as this is how they mainly
Finding the communicate from longer distances nowadays. I can also ask people in person, whether in a public
right audience space or private event, in which I can ask them directly and then use their thoughts and categorise their
to ask views if necessary. This way can be used to find research from all demographic audiences as it means I
can sort out individually how I talk to them before speaking to them, whether through text, email,
through social media, through a letter, or asking them face to face prior to the meeting with them, as I
can contact them and cater to them when and how they would like to meet to give them more leeway
in order to get the most out of the audiences demographics.
To understand if I am asking the right questions, I need to use quantitative questions, as qualitative the
answers would be limited to answers you give them, rather than answers they give you. Asking
questions that are more constructive can be beneficial, such as ‘What aspects of it did you like and
Asking the
why?’, ‘What part’s do you feel could be improved upon and why?’, ‘Is there anything you feel that
right
should change and why?’. By asking the ‘and why?’, you can then get a complex answer as to what they
questions
feel rather than simple unhelpful comments such as it was ‘good’, ‘bad’, ‘funny’, or ‘great’ as these
things are only words and don’t say what is ‘good’ or what is ‘bad’, but the ‘and why?’ gets audiences
describing exactly what they think about different aspects of the project.
To show what I have learned from my research I will, store all the information from all of my research,
whether it interviews, discussions, surveys, or even post it notes, into a written document, which I can
Interpreting
then use to categorise research into different sections, to separate which part I am talking about, which
the answers
makes finding it easier, and then from that I can then create graphs and charts based on what I have
usefully
found out, and having a visual image of my research will make it easier for me to see what the results
are.