Research Challenges and Benefits When reading claims in a newspaper or magazine that seem to be unsubstantiated I often get irritated. I strongly believe that writers are and should be responsible for what they are putting in writing. They should make sure, that information given to readers are true and reliable. I have such a strong and negative reaction, because some people may read and simply “take it” as a truth, and in my opinion it is just not fair to them.
I do understand that we don’t have to always agree with the writer, and we are usually choosing what to read, but we definitely shouldn’t be exposed to not verify information. Writing claims, the author should make an effort and check their sources regarding the credibility. The best approach to do research is, first of all understanding the purpose of writing. When I decide what I want to write about, for whom, and what my audience should gain after reading my paper, I can begin the research. I ask myself If I know anything about the subject and where I can find more information about this matter.
Next, I have to determinate what sources can be useful and how creditable they are. I try to think “out of box” in order to find other ways or perspectives of looking at the topic. I may even make some personal interviews to get the feeling, what other people may think about it. This approach usually leads to finding out additional sources of information. Researching is basically reading, listening, gathering information, taking notes, and then evaluating them. It is a very important step in a process of writing. My biggest challenge in doing research is to stay objective and open-minded.
It is important not to miss information that could be substantial for the paper, and just because I have my own point of view, I may “miss it” in my researches. Research requires preparing and many times rethinking. After going through our notes usually we may completely change our concept of how we want to write the paper. Doing research is important to use diversification of sources. The more information, from many different angles the better. It helps if we can backup our writing with reliable references, that’s why is crucial to do your research right.
Also it is so much easier if we read and know enough about the subject, that we feel comfortable writing about it. We can approach research in couple different ways, and I personally like making clusters. It helps to focus on the main topic and visually allows, in one place, to add surrounding ideas. Probably, like most students I start my researches with online resources, usually by using key words. This provides me with a lot of information quickly and efficient. It helps to estimate, according to the main idea and relevant topics, which direction my research should go next.
