Whether they work in professional or academic contexts, effective writers draw on research to craft persuasive arguments that can generate change or draft compelling explanations that allow audiences to see important issues in a new light. As you work through ENG 205, you will pursue both collaborative and individual writing projects that require primary and secondary research.
- Primary research involves the direct investigation of a given issue, problem, or idea. Surveys, interviews, questionnaires, artifact analysis are all types of primary research a writer might pursue.
- Secondary research involves the review of existing work that has already been done on that issue, problem, or idea. By conducting both types of research, writers can discover the answers to the questions they’ve posed or the problems they’ve identified.
