Primary ResearchThis is a featured page

Before you begin your research inquiries, view the Powerpoint on stasis theory attached to the bottom of this page and discuss it with your group.

  • 1. Interviews -Inquiry Letters or E-mails


      Review the last part of Chapter 6 of your text concerning primary source research. Your text discusses several kinds of primary research--information you create--such as field observations, interviews, experiments and such.


    The author of your text lists very good guidelines for a successful interview. He also offers the following advice:

    "A useful alternative to a personal interview is an inquiry letter or e-mail. Most large organizations make it more convenient for you to e-mail than to send a letter (look for the Contact Us link on the site). Many people prefer to receive e-mail inquiries because it is easier to hit the Reply button than to create a letter. However, letters are more formal than e-mail messages and therefore might be more appropriate if the topic is important (concerning personnel layoffs, for instance) or related to safety."

    Part of the requirements for your semester research is to write an inquiry letter or email containg questions concerning the topic you have chosen. You will read more about this in the instructions for Assignment 4, the Research Proposal. The letter or email you write will be based on the model discussed here.

    2. Surveys/Questionnaires:

    • 1. One good example of a survey tool is the course evaluation tool used by universities. MSU has revised its course evaluation tool several times using locally generated forms as well as commercial products.
    • Comment in the Discussion Forum on how effective you think MSU's course evaluation form is.
    2. View this example of Colorado University's course evaluation tool: Colorado Course Evaluation
  • Are the questions clear, relevant, necessary, sufficient?
  • Which question do you consider the most important?
  • Notice the use of both Likert-scale type questions and short-answer questions.
  • How does it compare to MSU's survey tool?


    • 3. How would you evaluate the following survey? Library Service Quality Survey - Welcome!.mht

    4. Resource:

    Finally, here is a survey template based on the Likert style of questions. If you wish, you may use this template for writing the survey which is part of Assignment 4. Polls_and_Surveys.doc


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