Fieldwork

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Fieldwork

• GEOG 290 Geographic Analysis
• Dr. Sandy Clark

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Before you do Fieldwork, you have to have a
_______________ ..
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Research Question!
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How Research Starts

• Identify a problem to solve
• State it in the form of a Question!
• But wait! How do you identify
• the problem that needs to be solved???

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Get out in the Field and start by Observing!
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Wellwhat are you waiting for???
Bring a notebook ! and lets go!
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Ok, now you havesome potential questionsjust
aching to be answered!
now what?
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How Research Starts

• Identify a problem to solve
• State it in the form of a Question!
• Form a hypothesis
• the educated guess that answers the problem
• set up a testable situation

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• Review previous research
• Literature search or literature review
• Where might your research fit in?
• Do you notice a gap in the current research?

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Into the Guts of Research

• Refine your question/hypothesis
• Determine type of data to be collected

Hydrogeology student (and friend), southern
Illinois
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• Primary Sources
• Raw or fresh data collected in the field
• without interpretation or commentary
• collected measurements (stream depth, met
  factors)
• original documents (deeds, letters, old church
  records)
• personal interviews

Turtle collecting
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• Develop methodology must plan!
• Action
• Resources

Both in the Field and Beyond the Field (Lab,
Office)
Time and Resources are Limited !
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• Develop methodology must plan!
• Action
• What are you doing when?
• Time deadlines
• Resources
• Labor hours (person power) Self? Volunteers
  or paid?
• Money
• Research equipment
• Vehicles and auxiliary equipment
• Travel concerns
• Technical resources computers peripherals
• Laboratory work in-house or sent out?

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How much time do you have? Never enough!
Students in Texas measure stream dimensions.
Do you do the work yourself, or do you require
the assistance of others?
ASU student Steve Hawkins.
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Funding? Grant You (out of pocket)
Donors be careful! What costs Money?
(What DOESNT?)
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Hazards
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Rewards
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How Research Ends

• Analysis
• perhaps cartographical or statistical, etc.
• Conclusions
• Back to the hypothesis
• Confirm
• Fail to Confirm
• (? NEVER Prove or Disprove!)

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The End???
Islamic astrolabes

• - Old Research begets
• - Current Research begets
• - New Research begets
• - Future Research!
• Good Research
• generates more Questions
• than you can Answer!

Mars Explorer
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Why Do Research?

• Drive science geography forward
• Professional demands
• Aesthetics
• Fun !