Professors assume that the students will do the assignments like a professional or academic scholars. Every student knows the job is not so easy when it involves lots of research work. Whenever the students are asked to find research material, they become engaged in hunting books in the library and searching for materials on the internet. Most of the research work of the university comes from Wikipedia. Sometimes, finding the correct research material becomes a hectic task, particularly in situations when there are too many tasks to complete or when the examination is nearby. If you find yourself in a situation like this, follow the simple practices for efficient research.
Follow the four practices to make research better
The four practices that can make the students better at research work are:
- Identify the research topic- Sometimes the teacher assigns you the research topic and sometimes you pick a topic for yourself. Whatever the situation, in the beginning, you need to have a basic idea of the topic. Once you have identified the research topic preliminary, you need to narrow down the topic. If you narrow your focus, it will be easier for you to find relevant research material.
- Access the academic sources- Look at valid research sources and test the materials as you start the research process. The internet is useful for research but it is difficult to test the authenticity of its information. Record your research and where you found it. Try to find information in academic journals, trade journals, legal documents, government reports, interviews, T.V. and radio broadcasts, etc. Find a topic in the library books too. Many databases contain information, therefore type the research topic and see the articles that come up. Be specific while searching for the research topics.
- Test the sources- When you research topics on the internet, pay attention to the sources. Ensure that the sources show the author of the topic and with whom the author is affiliated with. Make sure that when an author is offering facts whether the facts are substantiated with research and citations. If an author uses general statements with no proper backup or if the arguments are one-sided without proper acknowledgments, it is not a good research source. Also, know of fake sources that copy from other sources or alter the data to prove their authenticity.
- Create Notes–Note down the relevant points that would include the books, page numbers, and specific lines on a page. You also have to note the observations and survey data. You must be prepared to note the important information while doing your research. Though pen and hand is a good option, a notebook can be great. Note down the observation, which you think can be useful. When you start the research again, take out the notebook and put more information into it.
The skills to do proper research stays with you forever. If you learn how to hunt for information regarding a topic, you will never find trouble in researching ever. When you practice the four simple steps as suggested above, you will end up providing relevant information and crisp content.