Research

Marianne English is a freelance health and science writer whose articles for Discovery News often focus on academic research. While pursuing a master’s degree in journalism at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, she continues to publish pieces on a wide variety of subjects — everything from baseball and education to sharks and HIV.

From Wild West sheriffs trading drinks for votes to PACs pouring on the soft money, cash has long been central to politics. This relationship only deepened in January 2011 with the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision, which enabled corporations to spend unlimited amounts in support of candidates — and anonymously, should they choose to do so.

To newcomers the world of academic studies can seem like a foreign land. But as with traveling, one can become quite comfortable over time by learning some of the language and basic customs. The following provides an overview of how studies are produced, their relevance and how they might be used.

What is a scholarly study?

Eric Ferkenhoff is an assistant professor at the Medill School, Northwestern University, where he advises and teaches classes ranging from enterprise to projects reporting.

The education category of Journalist’s Resource includes scholarly material on a variety of subjects within the discipline. The studies are selected for their timeliness, authority and public-policy importance.