This study sounds convincing. Should it?
Investigate real studies, experiments, dramatic headlines, data displays, and common research misconceptions. Some cases have a major flaw. Others are stronger than they first appear. Your job is to decide what the evidence actually supports.
Start with three questions
Strong research claims survive careful inspection.
Find the research feature.
Show what it means here.
Use the concept on evidence.
Defend or improve the claim.
Choose the case files
Select the cases your teacher assigned, choose a prepared set, or build your own. You can return to this board without losing your answers.
Research Study Challenge
Completed student responses and student grading
Compare, grade, and improve your answers.
Only cases with all five responses completed appear here. Reveal the key, award 0 or 1 point for most questions, and award up to 2 points only when the prompt has two required parts.
How to grade your work
The key shows the essential ideas, not the only acceptable wording. Most questions are worth 1 point. When a prompt contains two required parts, each part is worth 1 point for a total of 2.
Exit reflection
Ready to turn it in?
Print your completed cases now, or choose Save as PDF in the print window.
The Research Detective Checklist
Not every case has every problem. Use these questions to decide what matters in the evidence in front of you.
- What is the research method?Experiment, correlation, case study, naturalistic observation, survey, or meta-analysis?
- Who was studied?How were participants selected, and who can the results reasonably represent?
- What are the variables?Identify what changed, what was measured, and how each variable was operationally defined.
- Was the comparison fair?Look for random assignment, a control or placebo group, blinding, and possible confounding variables.
- What do the numbers actually show?Check direction, strength, averages, variability, effect size, and statistical significance.
- Does the evidence support causation?Correlation can predict a relationship, but it cannot settle directionality or eliminate third variables.
- Were participants protected?Consider consent or assent, risk, deception, confidentiality, withdrawal, debriefing, and ethical review.
- Does the claim go too far?Compare the headline or conclusion with the actual sample, procedure, measurement, and result.
Practice & Review
Choose a topic you want to strengthen. Every Unit 0 video, quiz, and worksheet listed here is free to use. No purchase is needed.
Review Unit 0
Review the complete unit or choose a specific topic.