Class Information
Parent Letter
Course Detailed Syllabus AP Course Description / Standards
Course and Exam Description.pdf (from CollegeBoard)
AP Research Summer Work
Research Paper Rubric.pdf (2018-present)
Course Proficiencies Rubric Outline.pdf (2017-present)
Presentation and Oral Defense Rubric.pdf (2017-present)
Oral Defense Questions.pdf (UPDATED)
Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com
Cambridge Core: https://www.cambridge.org/core
Oxford Journals: http://www.oxfordjournals.org/en
Springer: http://link.springer.com
ERIC: https://eric.ed.gov/?advanced
Wilson Center: http://wilsoncenter.org
National Center for Biotechnology Information: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
100 Search Engines For Academic Research .pdf
Research Design Textbook.pdf
Research Website Guides
USC Libraries Research Guides: http://libguides.usc.edu
Purdue OWL Research: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/research
Social Science Statistics Home Page: http://www.socscistatistics.com
Citation Style by Discipline
University Library: American University
USC Libraries: Citation Guide
Subject-Specific Resources: Purdue Online Writing Lab
Types of Educational Research: Website
Statistics (Videos)
Annenberg Learner Website: Against All Odds: Inside Statistics
AP Central - AP Research Course Home Page: http://bit.ly/2aPAqsi
TED Talks: https://www.ted.com
Educational TED Talks: http://ed.ted.com
Types of Methods.pdf
http://www.socialresearchmethods.net/kb/stat_t.php
Harry Potter Example Paper.pdf
T-Test Link #1 T-Test Link #2
Class Readings and Handouts
Why so many people sleep in McDonald's in Hong Kong - CNN.pdf
Greenland Has The World's Highest Suicide Rate...: NPR.pdf weblink: http://n.pr/1TkUCT5
Time trend by region of suicides and suicidal thoughts among Greenland Inuit.pdf
Facing History webpage for Race and Membership Book (scroll to the bottom of the page)
AP Research Topics for 2016.xlsx
Vaccines and Autism Article.pdf
Jenny McCarthy Article YouTube Video
Do these sources work with PAARC? Which one is best source?
• Why do Koreans prefer apartments over private houses? PDF Version
• Why dream of a high-rise apartment? PDF Version
• After Decades of Economic Growth, South Korea is the Land of Apartments PDF Version
Beginning Your Research.pdf
Understanding the IRB.pdf
Inquiry Proposal Form.docx Inquiry Proposal Form.pdf
Training Sample Papers
Training Sample 1.pdf
Training Sample 2.pdf
Training Sample 3.pdf
Training Sample 4.pdf
Training Sample 5.pdf
Student Research Paper Samples
Student Sample #1.pdf Sample #1 2017.pdf
Student Sample #2.pdf Sample #2 2017.pdf
Student Sample #3.pdf Sample #3 2017.pdf
Student Sample #4.pdf Sample #4 2017.pdf
Student Sample #5.pdf Sample #5 2017.pdf
Student Sample #6.pdf Sample #6 2017.pdf
Student Sample #7.pdf
Student Sample #8.pdf
HHS Research Paper Samples
NOTE: Your name is never on the paper when it is submitted. On the title page is only your title and word count .
1- High School Foreign Language Education.pdf (survey example)
2- Food Deserts.pdf (content analysis, defining)
3- ADHD and Comorbidity.pdf (content analysis)
4-.Speech,Gender,Politicspdf.pdf (content analysis, and video research)
AP Digital Portfolio Student User Guide for AP Capstone
AP Research
Learn all about the course and assessment. Already enrolled? Join your class in My AP.
Not a Student?
Go to AP Central for resources for teachers, administrators, and coordinators.
About the Course
In AP Research, you decide what to study. Curious about the impact of AI on society? You can make a project out of that. Are you passionate about social causes? Interested in climate change or mental health? You can research these, as well. In this course, you’ll learn about different research methods and will develop advanced research skills while researching a topic of your choice.
Skills You'll Learn
Conducting independent research
Analyzing sources and evidence
Applying context and perspective
Writing a college-level academic paper
Presenting research findings to an audience
Equivalency and Prerequisites
College course equivalent.
AP Research is an interdisciplinary course that encourages students to demonstrate critical thinking and academic research skills on a topic of the student’s choosing. To accommodate the wide range of student topics, typical college course equivalents include introductory research or general elective courses.
Recommended Prerequisites
Students must have successfully completed the AP Seminar course.
Assessment Date
Wed, Apr 30, 2025
11:59 PM ET
AP Research Performance Task Due Date
Submit your AP Research performance task as final in the AP Digital Portfolio by this date.
Course Content
Big idea 1: question and explore.
You’ll learn about the first step of doing research: inquiry and investigation.
You’ll practice:
- Identifying a problem or issue and developing a question about it
- Finding and organizing the information you need to answer the question
- Evaluating the sources of information you use
- Looking at the problem or issue from different perspectives
Big Idea 2: Understand and Analyze
You’ll learn to read, comprehend, and explain a perspective or argument.
- Reading critically for a purpose
- Explaining and analyzing the line of reasoning of an argument
- Evaluating the evidence an author uses to support their argument
- Assessing potential resolutions, conclusions, or solutions raised by an argument
Big Idea 3: Evaluate Multiple Perspectives
You’ll learn to compare and contrast different perspectives on an issue, idea, or problem so you can understand its complexity.
- Identifying, comparing, and interpreting different perspectives on, or arguments about, an issue
- Evaluating objections, implications, and limitations of different perspectives or arguments
Big Idea 4: Synthesize Ideas
You’ll learn to take information you’ve gathered, analyzed, and evaluated and use it to form your own conclusions and build your own argument.
- Formulating a well-reasoned argument
- Using data and information from various sources to develop and support an argument
- Linking evidence to claims
- Offering resolutions, conclusions, or solutions based on evidence
Big Idea 5: Team, Transform, and Transmit
You’ll learn peer review practices and how to communicate your ideas to an audience.
- Planning, producing, and presenting an argument while considering audience, context, and purpose
- Communicating information through appropriate media
- Using effective techniques to engage an audience
Credit and Placement
Search AP Credit Policies
Find colleges that grant credit and/or placement for AP Exam scores in this and other AP courses.
Course Resources
Ap research course and exam description.
This is the core document for the course. It clearly lays out the course content and describes the assessment and the AP Program in general.
AP Daily Videos
Once you join your AP class section online, you’ll be able to access AP Daily videos in AP Classroom. AP Daily videos cover every proficiency and skill outlined in the AP Research Course and Exam Description. Sign in to access them.
What Are Project Based AP Courses?
Learn how project based AP courses take you beyond the textbook and into a world of learning through hands-on exploration.
- Go to College Board Blog
More About Your Course
Participate in the ap capstone diploma program.
Learn more about the AP Capstone Diploma Program, and how you can participate. Taking AP Seminar and AP Research lets you study topics you love, learn key academic skills, and stand out to colleges.
AP Capstone Diploma Program Policies
Understand policies on plagiarism, participation, extended absence, and more for AP Seminar and AP Research students.
See Where AP Can Take You
AP Research can lead to a wide range of careers and college majors
Additional Information
All Subjects
Academic Paper: Discussion and Analysis
5 min read • june 18, 2024
Dylan Black
Introduction
After presenting your data and results to readers, you have one final step before you can finally wrap up your paper and write a conclusion: analyzing your data! This is the big part of your paper that finally takes all the stuff you've been talking about - your method, the data you collected, the information presented in your literature review - and uses it to make a point!
The major question to be answered in your analysis section is simply "we have all this data, but what does it mean?" What questions does this data answer? How does it relate to your research question ? Can this data be explained by, and is it consistent with, other papers? If not, why? These are the types of questions you'll be discussing in this section.
Writing a 🔥 Discussion and Analysis
Explain what your data means.
The primary point of a discussion section is to explain to your readers, through both statistical means and thorough explanation, what your results mean for your project. In doing so, you want to be succinct, clear, and specific about how your data backs up the claims you are making. These claims should be directly tied back to the overall focus of your paper.
What is this overall focus, you may ask? Your research question! This discussion along with your conclusion forms the final analysis of your research - what answers did we find? Was our research successful? How do the results we found tie into and relate to the current consensus by the research community? Were our results expected or unexpected? Why or why not? These are all questions you may consider in writing your discussion section.
Why Did Your Results Happen?
After presenting your results in your results section, you may also want to explain why your results actually occurred. This is integral to gaining a full understanding of your results and the conclusions you can draw from them. For example, if data you found contradicts certain data points found in other studies, one of the most important aspects of your discussion of said data is going to be theorizing as to why this disparity took place.
Note that making broad, sweeping claims based on your data is not enough! Everything, and I mean just about everything you say in your discussions section must be backed up either by your own findings that you showed in your results section or past research that has been performed in your field.
For many situations, finding these answers is not easy, and a lot of thinking must be done as to why your results actually occurred the way they did. For some fields, specifically STEM-related fields, a discussion might dive into the theoretical foundations of your research, explaining interactions between parts of your study that led to your results. For others, like social sciences and humanities, results may be open to more interpretation.
However, "open to more interpretation" does not mean you can make claims willy nilly and claim "author's interpretation". In fact, such interpretation may be harder than STEM explanations! You will have to synthesize existing analysis on your topic and incorporate that in your analysis.
Discussion vs. Summary & Repetition
Quite possibly the biggest mistake made within a discussion section is simply restating your data in a different format. The role of the discussion section is to explain your data and what it means for your project. Many students, thinking they're making discussion and analysis, simply regurgitate their numbers back in full sentences with a surface-level explanation.
Phrases like "this shows" and others similar, while good building blocks and great planning tools, often lead to a relatively weak discussion that isn't very nuanced and doesn't lead to much new understanding.
Instead, your goal will be to, through this section and your conclusion, establish a new understanding and in the end, close your gap! To do this effectively, you not only will have to present the numbers and results of your study, but you'll also have to describe how such data forms a new idea that has not been found in prior research.
This, in essence, is the heart of research - finding something new that hasn't been studied before! I don't know if it's just us, but that's pretty darn cool and something that you as the researcher should be incredibly proud of yourself for accomplishing.
Rubric Points
Before we close out this guide, let's take a quick peek at our best friend: the AP Research Rubric for the Discussion and Conclusion sections.
Scores of One and Two: Nothing New, Your Standard Essay
Responses that earn a score of one or two on this section of the AP Research Academic Paper typically don't find much new and by this point may not have a fully developed method nor well-thought-out results. For the most part, these are more similar to essays you may have written in a prior English class or AP Seminar than a true Research paper. Instead of finding new ideas, they summarize already existing information about a topic.
Score of Three: New Understanding, Not Enough Support
A score of three is the first row that establishes a new understanding! This is a great step forward from a one or a two. However, what differentiates a three from a four or a five is the explanation and support of such a new understanding. A paper that earns a three lacks in building a line of reasoning and does not present enough evidence, both from their results section and from already published research.
Scores of Four and Five: New Understanding With A Line of Reasoning
We've made it to the best of the best! With scores of four and five, successful papers describe a new understanding with an effective line of reasoning, sufficient evidence, and an all-around great presentation of how their results signify filling a gap and answering a research question.
As far as the discussions section goes, the difference between a four and a five is more on the side of complexity and nuance. Where a four hits all the marks and does it well, a five exceeds this and writes a truly exceptional analysis. Another area where these two sections differ is in the limitations described, which we discuss in the Conclusion section guide.
You did it!!!! You have, for the most part, finished the brunt of your research paper and are over the hump! All that's left to do is tackle the conclusion, which tends to be for most the easiest section to write because all you do is summarize how your research question was answered and make some final points about how your research impacts your field. Finally, as always...
Key Terms to Review ( 1 )
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IMAGES
VIDEO
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AP Research Academic Paper Score Report a Presents a topic of inquiry • topic of inquiry through mthe overa line OR be unclear. mostly non research t oversimplified description of a method conthe field of • • OR underdeveloped reasoning AND evidence. or conclusion are implications explanation student's ideas, although s
2016: Through-Course and End-of-Course Assessments. Download sample Academic Papers along with scoring guidelines and scoring distributions. If you are using assistive technology and need help accessing these PDFs in another format, contact Services for Students with Disabilities at 212-713-8333 or by email at [email protected].
Assessment Overview. In AP Research, students are assessed on the academic paper and presentation and oral defense of research. The academic paper is 4,000-5,000 words, and the presentation and defense take approximately 15-20 minutes. Encourage your students to visit the AP Research student page for assessment information and practice.
The paper identifies the topic, purpose, and focus of the inquiry and explains why further investigation of the topic is needed. 4 . The paper articulates the significance of the topic of inquiry by connecting it to the larger discipline, field, and/or scholarly community. It defines its scope by specifying the parameters, limits, or
AP Research Academic Paper. 2023. c PaperScoring Gui. elines2023 College Board. College Board, Advanced Placement, AP, AP Central, and the acorn logo are registered t. ademarks of College Board. AP Capstone is a tradem. rk owned by College Board. Visit College Board on. AP Central is the oficial online home for the AP Program: apcentral ...
The paper describes in detail the approach, method, or process. 5 The paper provides a logical rationale by explaining the alignment between the chosen approach, method, or process and the research question/project goal. 7 . 5 Establish Argument . The paper presents an argument, conclusion or understanding, but it is simplistic or inconsistent,
AP® RESEARCH 2017 SCORING GUIDELINES Performance Task Rubric: Academic Paper. NOTE: To receive the highest performance level presumes that the student also achieved the preceding performance levels in that row. ADDITIONAL SCORES: In addition to the scores represented on the rubric, readers can also assign scores of 0 (zero).
Content Area: Select and Use Evidence — Row 6. The response earned 4 points for this row because the paper does provide mostly relevant and sufficient evidence derived from the student's research. These include discussions of dialogue and characterization in four Disney films on pages 7 to 14.
Describes a replicable research method, with questionable alignment to the purpose of the inquiry. Conveys a new understanding or conclusion, with an underdeveloped line of reasoning OR insufficient evidence. Competently communicates the student's ideas, although there may be some errors in grammar, discipline-specific style, and organization.
The AP Research Rubric is a set of criteria used to evaluate and score the research papers submitted by students in the AP Research course. It assesses various aspects such as the quality of research design, analysis, and presentation.
AP® RESEARCH 2017 SCORING GUIDELINES Performance Task Rubric: Academic Paper. NOTE: To receive the highest performance level presumes that the student also achieved the preceding performance levels in that row. ADDITIONAL SCORES: In addition to the scores represented on the rubric, readers can also assign scores of 0 (zero).
AP Research Paper Library. Rubric. Publishing Your Paper. AI Policy . Module 6: Presentation and Oral Defense. Module 5: Writing your Paper Module 4: RESEARCH. Module 3: Literature Review. Quiz on Lit Review. Module 1: Choosing a Topic. Module 2: Research Methodologies. AP Research ...
AP Research Academic Paper 2018 Rubric v1.0. The response… Score of 1 Score of 2 Score of 3 Score of 4 Score of 5 . Report on Existing Knowledge Report on Existing Knowledge with Simplistic Use of a Research Method Ineffectual Argument for a New Understanding Well-Supported, Articulate Conveying a New Understanding
Course and Exam Description.pdf (from CollegeBoard) AP Research Summer Work. Research Paper Rubric.pdf (2018-present) Course Proficiencies Rubric Outline.pdf (2017-present) Presentation and Oral Defense Rubric.pdf (2017-present) Oral Defense Questions.pdf (UPDATED)
Some examples of. foods consumed. while abiding to the diet include fish, nuts, legumes, and eggs (Shi, El-Obeid, Li, Xu, Liu, 2019). According to the pre-existing research, the richness in natural foods plays a role in increasing.
This AP Research lesson will provide a review of the Academic Paper rubric by breaking down the language of the rubric into workable parts. This lesson shoul...
College Course Equivalent. AP Research is an interdisciplinary course that encourages students to demonstrate critical thinking and academic research skills on a topic of the student's choosing. To accommodate the wide range of student topics, typical college course equivalents include introductory research or general elective courses.
Performance Task 1: Individual Research Report Scoring Guidelines General Scoring Notes When applying the rubric for each individual row, you should award the score for that row based solely upon the criteria indicated for that row, ... You should score these papers by discounting the words that are over 10% (or 1320 words).
2018 AP Research Academic Paper Rubric v1.0 The response… Score of 1 Score Report on Existing Knowledge Well of 2 Report on Existing Knowledge with Simplistic Use of a Research Method Score of 3 Ineffectual Argument for a New Understanding f 4-Supported, Articulate Argument Conveying a New Understanding f 5 Rich Analysis of a New Understanding
2 4 6. 4 Research Design. The paper presents a summary of the approach, The paper describes in detail the approach, The paper provides a logical rationale by explaining the method, or process, but the summary is method, or process. alignment between the chosen approach, method, or oversimplified. process and the research question/project goal.
Responses that earn a score of one or two on this section of the AP Research Academic Paper typically don't find much new and by this point may not have a fully developed method nor well-thought-out results. For the most part, these are more similar to essays you may have written in a prior English class or AP Seminar than a true Research paper.
Report on Existing Knowledge. Score of 2. Report on Existing Knowledge with Simplistic Use of a Research Method. Score of 3. Ineffectual Argument for a New Understanding. Score of 4. Well-Supported, Articulate Argument Conveying a New Understanding. Score of 5. Rich Analysis of a New Understanding Addressing a Gap in the Research Base.
AP Research Academic PaperAP® Research Academic Pa. er 2023 Scoring. a Gap in the Research BasePresents an ove. y broad topic of inquiry.Presents a topic of inquiry with narrowing scope or focus, that is NOT carried through either in the method or in the. iry through the method ANDoverall line of reasoning, even though the focus or scop.