Most students are faced with the daunting task of making a research project at least once in their lifetime. However the dilemma of getting their research project done in the correct manner is always daunting. Tasneem Patanwala lists five easy steps that will help you complete your research project like a pro
1 Deciding a research topic
The first step to starting your research project is a very painstaking task in itself and also the most important of all because your entire research project will be based on how good or bad your research topic is. Determining a good and informative research topic is very essential for creating a good research project. Start by making a list of topics that interest you as making the research project will then be something very pleasant and you will enjoy doing it. Make sure that the topic you select is relevant and is not a very broad topic. The topic should be narrow and very specific.
2 Assembling research tools
Accumulating your research materials is another important task you need to consider while making your research project. For this you will require primary as well as secondary sources of information. Primary sources are the original concepts you are writing about whereas secondary sources are comments regarding a primary source which you can search online about. You can search online for reference material which might help you locate open access journal articles, indexes of sources or other media. You can also take help from your local public library as it will help you find relevant sources which did not appear in your web based search. You can also take the aid of a librarian. However, it is very important to know whether your research sources are accurate or not. Make sure that the work has gone through a peer review process. Be careful about the websites you are gathering your information from. Rely on popular websites but make sure to cross check the resources. You can also trust on journals for your research information. Also try looking for footnotes or endnotes. You can also try finding valuable articles in relation to your respective topic.
3 Utilizing research material carefully
After gathering your research tools wisely it’s time to utilize them correctly. After you have skimmed through your entire research material you will realize that not everything is likely to help you out. You have to decide which sources will be useful to you and which ones are irrelevant so that you can discard them. It is also very important to take sensible notes as you go further with your work as it will keep you well organized and also help you remember important points. As you take notes make sure that you also indicate important citations. Mentioning citations is extremely important as failing to do so may also lead to accusations of plagiarism or academic dishonesty. Make sure you cite your sources appropriately and also build your bibliography. After doing the mentioned things organize and consolidate your notes and information adequately.
4 Constructing a layout
This step consists of constructing a layout for your research project. Constructing a layout is an important step to creating your research paper. A good layout will keep you concentrated and willing to work further on your research paper. It will also speed up your writing process. Your layout should be brief, to the point and not very lengthy. You can arrange the information on the basis of their importance later. Make sure to come up with a speculative thesis statement for your research project. Your thesis statement should be an argumentative and convincing statement and not something that is very basic. Also include an introduction to your research project. Provide a literature review for your research project. Make sure to provide some sort of evidence to prove your research project is correct. After this, move on to the body part of your research project. Make sure to organize, compel and structure your body paragraphs. Your body paragraphs must include all the relevant information related to your research project. After compelling your body paragraphs move on to the conclusion for your research project. A good conclusion is very important as your entire research’s authenticity is based on it.
5 Dealing with writer’s block
Give yourself a lot of time, ideally at least two weeks to work on your research project. If you are feeling exhausted by writing too much about your research project, shift your writing to some other topic that interests you as it will get your mind flowing. Also if you find a particular section difficult to write, move to another section that is easier or that interests you. Understand the concepts completely before penning them down. If you get stuck somewhere while writing your research project don’t get hung up on that particular word or sentence and instead move ahead and think about that perfect word or sentence later on. For now just focus on getting your ideas down on the paper. If you are struggling with a certain paragraph for a long time, take a short break from writing and come back to it after some time. Make sure you are in a good frame of mind and have clarity in your thinking while you are writing your research project. Your research project should be well organized.
Volume 5 Issue 8
