Navigating Research Methodology with OASIS and IRIS databases: A Showcase for Early-Stage PhD Students

Early-stage PhD students often face methodological challenges, such as finding reliable research materials within a constrained timeline and accessing analysis protocols or scripts with quality. This presentation showcases, in the “Methods Fair”, how openly accessible databases like OASIS and IRIS can provide valuable support to address these methodological issues.

OASIS summaries offer a non-technical overview of peer-reviewed research articles on language learning, teaching, and multilingualism, including the methodology used. IRIS is a freely accessible collection of instruments, materials, stimuli, data, and analysis tools used for research in language studies. The presentation demonstrates, using a recent research article as an example, how an OASIS summary can provide an entry point to explore the methodology section of a research article in-depth. With the information provided in the summary, researchers can search the IRIS database for related materials and analysis code. In this session, attendees will learn how to access and use the OASIS and IRIS databases and explore the benefits of using these resources for their methodological needs. They will have the opportunity to ask questions and engage in discussion with the research assistant of the databases and other delegates, which enables them to share insights and experiences.

This presentation will highlight how the use of these databases can help early-stage PhD researchers to access reliable instruments that have been reviewed for publication, save time by avoiding reinventing the wheel, and benefit from the analysis protocols or scripts provided by other researchers.