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WELCOME TO MOA: MODERN ORIGIN ARCHIVE     Grade 9 History: Foundations of the Modern World     ★ Events 1990–2015 ★     Checkpoint #1: 8 May     Checkpoint #2: 18 May     Checkpoint #3: 1 June    
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Big6 Research Process – MOA: Modern Origin Archive
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The Big6 Research Process

The Big6 is a framework for solving information problems. It gives you a sequence: six stages that move you from "I have a question" to "I have a well-argued answer." Every part of this project maps onto one of these stages.

Stage What you are doing In MOA
1. Task Definition Figure out what you need to know The Project Research Question
2. Information Seeking Strategies Decide what kinds of sources you need Finding Sources
3. Location and Access Find the sources and the information inside them Finding Sources
4. Use of Information Read, watch, and extract what matters Annotated Bibliography
5. Synthesis Organise the evidence into your argument Crafting Your Narrative TCC
6. Evaluation Judge how well it worked Conclusions

Stage 1: Task Definition

1
Task Definition
The Project → Research Question →

Before you can research anything, you need to know what you are actually looking for. This stage is about turning a vague interest into a clear, answerable question.

1.1
Define the problem
What question are you trying to answer? A Research Question, not a report topic. How, Why, or To what extent are the right starting points.
1.2
Identify what you need
What specific facts, context, and evidence will you need to answer that question? These become your Supporting Questions.
In this project

Browse the era using the table on The Project page. Choose a development. Then use the Research Question page to sharpen a vague interest into a proper RQ and supporting questions.

Stage 2: Information Seeking Strategies

2
Information Seeking Strategies
Finding Sources →

Not all sources are equal. Before you start searching, decide what types of sources you need and why. This saves you from wasting time with sources that won't help your argument.

2.1
Determine all possible sources
What could you use? Primary sources, academic articles, reference articles, databases, archives, and your own searches.
2.2
Select the best sources
What should you prioritise? Primary sources for first-hand evidence; academic articles for analysis; reference articles for background context.
In this project

The 6-source rule on the Finding Sources page tells you exactly what balance you need: 2 primary sources, 2 academic articles, 2 reference articles.

Stage 3: Location and Access

3
Location and Access
Finding Sources →

Now you actually go and find the sources. This stage is about knowing where to look and how to get to the specific information inside each source once you have found it.

3.1
Locate sources
Use the databases listed on the Finding Sources page. For primary sources: Google News Archive, YouTube, Internet Archive (archive.org).
3.2
Find information within sources
Read abstracts, skim section headings, use Ctrl+F. Don't read everything. Find the parts that speak directly to your Research Question.
In this project

The database links on Finding Sources are your starting points. Gale, JSTOR, and Internet Archive are all accessible through the library login.

Stage 4: Use of Information

4
Use of Information
Annotated Bibliography →

You have found sources. Now engage with them properly. Read, watch, or listen. Extract what is actually relevant to your Research Question and record it carefully.

4.1
Engage with the source
Read it properly. Watch it. Listen. Don't skim for quotes to copy. Understand what the source is actually saying and what its limitations are.
4.2
Extract relevant information
Take notes. Record exact quotes with page numbers. Write down what this source proves, and what it doesn't. Note who made it, when, and why.
In this project

This is the Annotated Bibliography. For each source, you write a summary, analyse its origin and purpose, and evaluate its usefulness to your argument. Use NoodleTools to organise this work.

Stage 5: Synthesis

5
Synthesis
Crafting Your Narrative → TCC →

This is where the project comes together. You stop looking at individual sources and start building your argument. What do all of these sources, taken together, actually prove?

5.1
Organise from multiple sources
Group your evidence by claim. What does each piece support? Where do sources agree? Where do they contradict each other? That tension is where your argument lives.
5.2
Present the information
Write the narrative. Build the argument clearly, using evidence at each step. Apply the lens of Time, Continuity and Change: what shifted, and what stayed the same?
In this project

This covers Crafting Your Narrative and the Time, Continuity and Change lens. What should people understand about your development? Why does it matter today?

Stage 6: Evaluation

6
Evaluation
Conclusions →

The final stage. Step back and evaluate both the product (your argument) and the process (how you researched). Good historians reflect honestly on their own work.

6.1
Judge the product
Is your argument convincing? Did you actually answer the Research Question? What evidence is strongest? What gaps remain that you couldn't fill?
6.2
Judge the process
Did your research strategy work? Were your sources the right ones? What would you do differently? What did you learn about how to research?
In this project

This maps to the Conclusions page. Your final task is not just to state what you found, but to honestly assess how convincing your argument is and where its limits lie.

Activities

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Activities for this page are being developed.

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