Page 2 Starting Your Research
Completion requirements
Starting Your Research
What a good researcher does
When you begin a research project, it is important to keep an open mind.
Be prepared to adjust your research and questions based on what you find. It is important that you are able to set aside your personal opinions so that you do not influence the end product.
A good researcher:
- begins with an interesting question
- identifies personal opinions/bias that may influence how evidence is viewed
- selects related search terms to begin, using general sources such as Wikipedia or Google
- looks for evidence that supports and refutes personal bias/opinions - what is true?
- uses the information located in the general search to
- identify patterns, relationships and gaps in the evidence
- expand, refine and focus the search questions
- identify specific sources of reliable information to continue the research
- prepares a revised plan to continue with the more detailed, focused research
Remember: We all have opinions. You have probably chosen your topic because you have an interest or belief connected to it. When we conduct research, it is important that we are able to set aside our personal opinions so that our research reflects the actual situation, not our beliefs about the situation.
Skimming and Scanning
Skimming and scanning skills are useful when conducting research because you will not want to read entire books or websites.
Scanning- Read the Table of Contents, indexes, and site maps of books or websites to find the most useful or relevant information.
- Scan headings, graphics, first sentences of paragraphs, and chapter summaries to identify significant information.
- Look for general or main ideas.
- Read the introduction, first sentence in each paragraph, and conclusion.
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Click here to explore skimming and scanning further. |