Dr. Swanson

College Board AP Research Course Overview and Course and Exam Description

Students are expected to bring skills and traits necessary for future academic study through the examination of multiple perspectives, evaluation of credibility of sources, construction of arguments and communication of their findings during their research investigation.  
Although Thousand Oaks High School has two pathways for AP Research, Humanities/Social Science and STEM, the transcript does not reflect a difference and student are encouraged to select a course that best suits their interests and passions.
Links to help you uncover a research topic:

Course Requirements:

In AP Research:Humanities and Social Sciences (HSS), the inquiry and investigation will lead to the following products:
​
1.  4,000-5,000 words Academic Paper
2.  PREP Notebook
3.  A presentation and oral defense to a
     panel of evaluators
4.  A professional poster board
5.  Presentation of research findings at
​     the Festival of Scholars.
AP Research Models
Students from the graduating class of 2018 have graciously agreed to upload their research papers, poster boards and multimedia presentations as models.

Also look at the model papers from last year, including (from Dr. Swanson's class) presentations and poster boards.
Research Links to use for Research Topics, Statistics, and Literature Review:

START HERE:
Research Methods Overview
​Identifying the Literature: What Kind of Study was Conducted?

Creating Surveys:
Pew Research Center Question Wording
Survey Methodology​
Statistics:
Basics to Understanding Statistics
​Statistics Terms Used in Research
​Types of T-Tests
Statistics and Data Analysis

Research Topics:
Harvard Kennedy School: Shorenstein Center
  • The product of authoritative institutions such as major U.S. and international universities, research organizations or governmental bodies.
  • Based on rigorous research, without bias or ideological motivation.
  • Published in a peer-reviewed journal.

Literature Review:

EBSCOHOST Academic research database of peer-reviewed, scholarly journals.

Google Scholar Scholarly literature across an array of disciplines. HINT: Read the "Search Tips" to avoid abstracts and costly papers.

Science.gov: Alliance Scientific and technical information from federal agencies including the USDA, and the Departments of Commerce, Defense, Education, Energy, NASA, etc.

ScienceDirect Over 600 Open Access Journals, including areas of art, humanities, economics, social sciences, psychology

BioMed Central Open Access Journals, including areas of philosophy, psychology, public health
​
Directory of Open Access Journals Open Access Journals, including areas of music, naval science, political science, education

Institutional Review Board

2019 Submission Deadlines: 
Guidelines and Requirements for Submitting Project Proposal to​ Institutional Review Board (IRB)
​

College Board Requirements

1. Academic Paper 
Requirements for Conducting, Writing and Formatting the Academic Paper:
2. Process and Reflection Portfolio (PREP) notebook

This portfolio notebook is a formative assessment component of the course and should be maintained by the student as evidence of research and reflection and will be included with the poster boards whether presenting at Festival of Scholars or Science Fair in the Spring.

Ideas for what to include in the PREP notebook:
  • Prior research into investigating what may/will become your research topic
  • Notes on lectures, papers, studies, etc. that help you understand how to conduct research or how to better understand a specific component of your investigation
  • Notes on all communication to experts, mentors, researchers who assist you through the process. Keep record of all correspondence, including dates, times, and discussions
  • Ideas related to your research
  • Potential research questions, questionnaire ideas, etc.
  • Pencil sketch of research findings and data analysis and how those will be charted
  • Anything related to your research that you might find useful and that shows your thought process from beginning to end. This is an official document of the College Board. It does not need to look organized, it needs to look purposeful and well-used.​​
​
3. Presentation and Oral Defense
4. Poster Board
Instructions for creating and submitting poster board. The poster board is in an amalgamation of your presentation and your research report. See AP Research models above.
​5. Festival of Scholars 

In addition to the AP Research presentation, all students will present their research boards (see samples) at the Festival of Scholars during the 2-week AP exam period. 


AP Research Summer Research Assignment