Overview of Part I
We know how challenged you can feel when you start a substantial research project, whether
it's a PhD dissertation, a BA or master's thesis, or just a long class paper. But you can handle any
project if you break it into its parts, then work on them one step at a time. This part shows you
how to do that.
We first discuss the aims of research and what readers will expect of any research report.
Then we focus on how to find a research question whose answer is worth your time and your
readers' attention; how to find and use information from sources to back up your answer; then
how to plan, draft, and revise your report so your readers will think your answer is based on
sound reasoning and reliable evidence.
Several themes run through this part.
You can't plunge into a project blindly; you must plan it, then keep the whole process in mind
as you take each step. So think big, but break the process down into small goals that you can
meet one at a time.
Your best research will begin with a question that you want to answer. But you must then
imagine readers asking a question of their own: So what if you don't answer it? Why should I
care?
From the outset, you should try to write every day, not just to take notes on your sources but
to clarify what you think of them. You should also write down your own developing ideas to
get them out of the cozy warmth of your head into the cold light of day, where you can see if
they still make sense. You probably won't use much of this writing in your final draft, but it is
essential preparation for it.
No matter how carefully you do your research, readers will judge it by how well you report it,
so you must know what they will look for in a clearly written report that earns their respect.
If you're an advanced researcher, skim chapters 1–4. You will see there much that's familiar,
but if you're also teaching, it may help you explain what you know to your students more
effectively. (Many experienced researchers report that chapters 5–12 have helped them not
only explain to others how to do research and report it, but also to draft and revise their own
reports more quickly and effectively.)
If you're just starting your career in research, you'll find every chapter of part 1 useful. Skim
it all for an overview of the process; then as you work through your project, reread chapters
relevant to your immediate task.
You may feel that the steps described here are too many to remember, but you can manage
them if you take them one at a time, and as you do more research, they'll become habits of
mind. Don't think, however, that you must follow these steps in exactly the order we present
them. Researchers regularly think ahead to future steps as they work through earlier ones and
revisit earlier steps as they deal with a later one. (That explains why we so often refer you
ahead to anticipate a later stage in the process and back to revisit an earlier one.) And even the
most systematic researcher has unexpected insights that send her off in a new direction. Work
from a plan, but be ready to depart from it, even to discard it for a new one.
If you're a very new researcher, you may also think that some matters we discuss are
beyond your immediate needs. We know that a ten-page class paper differs from a PhD
NON-ACTIVATED VERSION
www.avs4you.com