AP Research: Online Resources Recommended by AP Teachers
We surveyed AP Research teachers about what online resources they recommend, and the list below comes directly from their responses. The list also includes teacher descriptions of the resources. This is not a comprehensive list, nor is it an endorsement of any of these resources by the College Board.
- Online database of undigested data (secondary data source)
- Home of the United States government’s open data sources. Contains access to more than 235,000 databases covering issues like, agriculture, climate, consumer, ecosystems, education, energy, finance, health, local government, manufacturing, maritime, ocean, public safety, and science and research.
The Evaluation Guide from The Pell Institute
- Online instructions tutorials/resources pages for students and teachers
- Website that walks students through the process of planning data collection and then analyzing what is gathered. “The information is easy to understand, and the level of detail is not overwhelming.”
- Online database of undigested data (secondary data source)
- A national survey that asks questions on thousands of different topics. “The types of questions are too numerous to list, but include political attitudes, personal behaviors, psychological well-being, trust in institutions, economic well-being, spending habits, public opinions, family structure, etc.” The survey is conducted on a yearly basis, so there is data available from the 1970s to the present. Also features an on-site data analysis tool.
Harvard Journal of Emerging Investigators
- Online resource for students and teachers; potential publication platform for students
- A journal for publication of middle and high school science findings; “this is a great place for students to publish their projects.” Account creation is required if a student is planning on submitting their work for publication consideration.
Measurement Instrument Database for the Social Sciences (MIDSS)
- Online database of data collection instruments for teachers and students
- Database of data collection instruments used in social science research, which can be used by anyone. However, their use is governed by the creative commons license attribution non-commercial 3.0.
National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)
- Online database of undigested data (secondary data source)
- Provides a wide variety of data related to education, such as attendance and enrollment, educational history, employment, faculty and staff, finances, parents and family, school and institutional characteristics, school districts, special education, student characteristics, and teachers.
Online Writing Lab (OWL) Purdue University
- Online instructions tutorials/resources page for students and teachers
- “One-stop site for APA, MLA, and writing tips.”
Oregon School Library Information System: Cite My Sources
- Online database for sources and citation generator for students
- Website that allows students to find sources and generate citations (for MLA and APA styles only).
- Online database of undigested data (secondary data source)
- Provides public opinion data on a variety of public issues including media, religion, race, science and technology, social trends, and more.
- Online data analysis tool for students and teachers
- “A free, open-source alternative to SPSS.” Will run data analysis for quantitative studies.
Psychology Learning Resources: Internal Validity Tutorial
- Online tutorial with self-directed student practice
- Website that “teaches students how to recognize threats to internal validity for various types of research studies and then how to correct for such.”
Rice Virtual Lab: Online Stats Textbooks
- Online textbooks
- Virtual lab that houses multiple textbooks pertaining to statistical analyses that can be “a helpful tool for students when designing and choosing their inquiry methods.”
- Online instruction tutorials/resource pages for students and teachers; online data analysis tools
- A free, online tool for running an assortment of statistical tests. “Students can manually enter or import data to run t-tests, calculate correlation, ANOVA, ANCOVA, and more.”
- Online resource for students and teachers; potential publication platform for students
- A peer-reviewed journal dedicated to publishing the best original research from secondary school students around the world. Account creation is required if a student is planning on submitting their work for publication consideration.
- Online database for sources and citation generator for students
- Website that allows students to find sources and generate citations (for a variety of citation styles).
$ = May require a fee = Account creation needed