What are the basics for researching on a topic ?
What are the key note to observe when researching in a said topic
I can speak from a fair amount of academic research experience. First, and absolutely most importantly, you need to consider your prospective sources. They must be credible, lest you lose your own credibility on whatever you are writing. For Internet sources, Wikipedia is a great starting point (and I emphasize "starting point"). It will give you a broad overview on most topics, giving you more specific areas about your topic to further research. Better yet, a well-written and researched Wikipedia article will come with a built-in reference list, often filled with reliable sources which you can use. If this is academic research, never use Wikipedia directly except in the most general sense (and never ever cite it as a source). For other Internet sources, look for domains other than .com. Commercial sites tend to be unreliable, as any person can register this type of site. There are exceptions, of course, but you need to check into the publisher for credibility. .edu sites, in my experience, are the most reliable sites, since much of their information is peer-reviewed before publication. .gov sites also tend to be reliable, and are often best for finding various statistics. Depending on what you're researching, academic journals can be useful, since they're chock-full of peer-reviewed articles. Getting your hands on these may be difficult, but many colleges and universities have free student access to databases of journals and articles.
Second, use effective note-taking while researching. A good paper is not built upon copious amounts of notes, but rather precisely-targeted and well-organized notes. Create an outline of what you want to write and restrict your reading and note taking to information directly pertaining to things in this outline. This will save time, writing, and improve your finished product.
Lastly, don't forget to give credit where credit is due. More likely than not, the majority of what you're writing will be based on the work of others. You need to cite all sources and compile a reference list to be fully compliant with this. It is certainly an intellectual crime, and in some cases actually illegal, to claim another's work as your own.
Purdue's OWL site is probably the best place to look for more tips, but these are the essential steps for good research.
thanks!
this is more than an answer,
it is a hub !
Yeah, I'm probably going to flesh it out and make a hub. Thanks for the idea!
The basics are knowing what it is about the subject you wish to have answered , is it of interest,what is the appeal, how it works and what effects it has to do with anything. Is it a positive or negative issue , what bearing does it have on life.
Once you have covered the what, why, where, when and how, locate articles ,books, access and store your resources, evaluate credibility. Your research will take you to the next step where you can them delve even further into the subject taking it to the next level. Hopefully I have given a simplified version.
Thanks a lot brother!
This really helpful to me.
by NiaG 10 years ago
How many find it difficult to do your research without the use of a library?Do you rely only on the facts found from Google or do you go to the library to research your hubs?
by agusfanani 11 years ago
Is Wikipedia reliable and accurate as a source of information ?
by Denise Handlon 6 years ago
How much time do you spend researching your hubs?
by Scott P Williams 9 years ago
I got some comments offline about several hubs but especially the "Fake News" hub. I definitely don't site my sources the way I should because most of my topics are so well established and known that the sources are usually wide and deep . Anyhow, long story short. Here is an example of...
by Natasha Pelati 7 years ago
When looking for information on a hub topic it is good to make sure that the information is accurate and that you have done your homework because there is nothing worse than reading an article that has false information. This takes the reader away from your site as they feel that it is fictitious...
by Hui (蕙) 12 years ago
Do you all believe Wikipedia?
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