Useful Tools at different research life cycle for high school students
If you are a high school student aiming to do research, it is very important that you have appropriate tools to carry out your research. If you do not know how to choose a research topic, you might need the tools to help you indentify your passion and find background knowledge. It is also important that you keep tabs on what other people in your research arena are doing, so you need paper research tools. If you have no idea how to initiate a research, you need to know the methodology of doing research. If your research involves data analysis, then you need a good statistical research tool for your work. If you are a non-native English speaker, then you need a research tool to help you with your written language. Finally, you need a research project management software to stay on top of the deadlines.
Here we provide useful tools at different stages of research life cycle for high schools students.
Tools to find out your Passion
YouScience is a aptitude-based guidance platform that leverages data and artificial intelligence to help individuals identify their aptitudes, validate their skills, and get matched with educational and career pathways.
ASA Futurescape™ is the mobile-first experience that lets students explore thousands of education and career paths on their own terms
Pathfinders is a 3-session, one-on-one mentorship program that lets high school students take 3 careers or academic subjects on a test-drive. Pathfinders is designed to give students exposure to a diversity of college majors through connecting them with experts who are devoting their careers to those disciplines. Our students walk away from the program with a clearer sense of their career and academic interests, ideas and next steps for further exploration, a 400-word reflection paper on their learnings, as well as a written diagnostic on their passion discovery journey so far from a trained professional.
Tools to identify Research Subject
1. UN SDG (United Nations Sustainable Development Goals)
The UN Sustainable Development Goals are the blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all. They address the global challenges we face, including poverty, inequality, climate change, environmental degradation, peace and justice. We may choose one research subject that interests you most from UN SDG to contribute to the world.
2. Tools to find Foundation Knowledge of Research Subject
UN SDG knowledge database include information about background description, publications, events, paper documents, statements and milestones.
High students can get lots of fundamental knowledge about this research subject.
Tools to find research Paper
1. Google Scholar
1. Google Scholar
Google Scholar allows users to search for academic literature, scientific articles, journals, white papers and patents across the web. This is an excellent tool for research. It not only searches well-known databases, it also looks for articles in university repositories, so your chances of finding the full-text PDF of the research article you are after is very high. You can set up keyword alerts so that Google Scholar notifies you when there is a new article in your field or from your co-authors. You can manage multiple libraries of papers. You can label paper or article, and Google Scholar will organize them for you. Google Scholar displays vital information about the article such as citation number, versions and other articles citing the current article. Google Scholar also alerts you if somebody else has cited your paper. You can download citations in a wide variety of formats – MLA, APA, Chicago, Harvard, Vancouver, – and you can easily export the citation to EndNote and other bibliography managers.
Link : https://scholar.google.com/
2. ResearchGate
ResearchGate is a social networking site for people doing research. The site contains more than 11 million members that include scientists, academics, Ph.D. students, and researchers. Users can create an account using a valid institutional email address. Once successful, they can create a profile, upload pictures, list publications and upload full-text papers. ResearchGate is a perfect research tool for researchers and academics looking for collaborations. You can follow updates from your colleagues or peers with similar interests. You will be notified if somebody reads or cites your paper, and also you will know if the people you are following have published new research. You can email other members and request for full-text of their listed publications. ResearchGate also computes a RG score based on your profile and publications. This is different from H-score computed by Google Scholar or citation score given by journals. On the whole, ResearchGate is an excellent tool for research if you want to keep tabs on your colleagues’ research and collaborate with different institutions.
Tool of 3D printing Design Software
Sketchup
SketchUp is a 3D modeling software used for a wide range of applications such as architectural, interior design, landscape architecture, civil and mechanical engineering, film and video game design, and more.
SketchUp allows users to create and manipulate 3D models of buildings, furniture, landscapes, and other objects by using a variety of tools, such as push-pull, extrude, and rotate. It also has a user-friendly interface that makes it easy for beginners to learn, while still providing advanced features for professionals.
SketchUp has a large user community and provides access to an extensive library of free and paid plugins and extensions, allowing users to add functionality and customizability to their models. Additionally, SketchUp models can be exported to various file formats for use in other software applications.
Link : https://www.sketchup.com/
Tools of Data Analysis and Image Processing
1. Statistical Analysis Tools
The mathematical computations used for data analysis is called statistics. Description, summarization, and comparison of data can be done using tools called statistical analysis tools. The statistical data can be analyzed using various tools. Statistical data analysis ranges from simple computations to analysis in advanced level. The computation of basic analysis is simple whereas the computation of advanced analysis needs a good understanding of statistics in advanced level and understanding of computer software. Software designed for statistical analysis makes the process of understanding what to do with the data and how to perform results interpretation, as easy as possible.
2. Image Processing Tool
ImageJ is a public domain Java image processing program inspired by NIH Image for the Macintosh. It runs, either as an online applet or as a downloadable application, on any computer with a Java 1.4 or later virtual machine.
It can display, edit, analyze, process, save and print 8-bit, 16-bit and 32-bit images. It can read many image formats including TIFF, GIF, JPEG, BMP, DICOM, FITS and “raw”. It supports “stacks”, a series of images that share a single window. It is multithreaded, so time-consuming operations such as image file reading can be performed in parallel with other operations.
It can calculate area and pixel value statistics of user-defined selections. It can measure distances and angles. It can create density histograms and line profile plots. It supports standard image processing functions such as contrast manipulation, sharpening, smoothing, edge detection and median filtering.
Tools of Best Practice Research Projects for High School Students
1. ISEF(International Science and Engineering Fair) Best Practice Project Database
The International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) is the Olympics for STEM projects for high school students. It is owned and administered by the Society for Science,a non-profit organization based in Washington, D.C. Each May, more than 1500 students from roughly 70 countries and territories compete in the fair for scholarships, tuition grants, internships, scientific field trips and the grand prizes, including one $75,000 and two $50,000 college scholarships. All prizes together amount to over $5,000,000. Two awards ceremonies are held including: Special Awards Organization Presentation (which now includes the Government Awards Presentations) and the Grand Awards Ceremony.
2. IJHSR(International Journal of High School Research)
The International Journal of High School Research is a publication of Terra Science and Education, a 501.c.3. nonprofit organization and has been published since 2019.
All manuscripts published by IJHSR are indexed internationally by EBSCO, which makes it available to be searched by most libraries around the world. It provides a platform for high school students who are involved in research to learn publication about the publication process and to become a published author.
IJHSR is a peer-reviewed by university faculty members, STEM experts, postdoctoral researchers, and doctoral students. Six issues are published each year with selections from a variety of student work in all areas of science, including the behavioral and social sciences, technology, engineering, and math.