🔬

AP Research — Cheatsheet

Formulas, exam-day tips, and key terms on one page.

How to get a 5

Your research question must be narrow enough to be manageable within the time frame, but broad enough to allow for original research.
The 'Gap' is essential: your paper must clearly articulate what new understanding you are adding to the existing academic conversation.
Practice your pacing for the Presentation and Oral Defense (POD); you have exactly 15-20 minutes.
Document everything in your Process and Reflection Portfolio (PREP); it is crucial evidence of your year-long inquiry process.

Research Question — A clear, focused, concise, complex, and arguable question around which research is centered.

Gap in the Literature — A missing piece of information in the existing body of research that your study aims to fill.

Quantitative Research — Research that deals with numbers, statistics, and objective measurements.

Qualitative Research — Research that deals with words, meanings, and subjective experiences (e.g., interviews, observations).

Mixed Methods — A research approach that combines both quantitative and qualitative methods.

Methodology — The overarching rationale and theoretical framework for your research approach.

Method — The specific tools or procedures used to collect and analyze data (e.g., survey, experiment).

Literature Review — A comprehensive summary and synthesis of previous research on a topic.

IRB (Institutional Review Board) — A committee that reviews research proposals to ensure ethical treatment of human subjects.

Informed Consent — Ensuring participants fully understand the risks, benefits, and procedures of a study before agreeing to participate.

Validity — The extent to which a test or instrument measures what it is supposed to measure.

Reliability — The consistency or repeatability of a measure or study.