Writing Lessons & Advice: Essay Help-Researching
Another tough step in essay writing is researching. Do you know where to look, how to look, what you’re looking for? Do you find yourself with a broad idea or in an overwhelming sea of source material to dive into? Does it all seem like a tedious process? Here are my Lessons & Advice to the rescue!
To some extent, research is an exercise in critical thinking with regard to your thesis/main idea. By definition, it's a diligent and systematic investigation into a subject in order to discover or revise facts, theories, applications, etc. Research is the stage where you analyze available information for the best content that supports your thesis/idea. You’ll incorporate that content into your essay through a number of strategies, like interpretation, inference, explanation, reflection, synthesizing, and of course, quotes and citations. If you have to follow some kind of note-card or note-taking step with your research, it's just a way to help you keep track of your potential essay material. (I hated it too, but saw the value in it later on. I touch on note-taking in another lesson.)
As essays are typically academic projects, they need similar source material: academic sources, or sometimes also peer-reviewed or scholarly material. These kinds of sources are generally nonfiction/informational books, journal articles, published reports, or government documents. They are key to research because they’re professionally research-based themselves. Reputable figures and organizations produce them and that kind of credibility goes a long way in solidifying the point you try to make with their work in yours. The word of the academic scholar or professional often carries more weight than the Average Joe’s. (Academic sources and other research material will be discussed in a future lesson!)
Obviously, the library is one place to find academic sources. You’ll want to look in sections pertinent to your research topic. Perhaps refer to the Dewey Decimal system organization or ask library staff or an instructor to help you find a starting point if you can. Online databases like JSTOR, EBSCO, and Google Scholar are specialized search tools that produce results connected to academic sources.
Again, your main focus will be finding material centered on your research topic, but here are some additional guiding thoughts to help you choose and refine your potential source material:
To further explain these ideas in action, I'll use the thesis statement created in the Introductions lesson: Current technology improves all aspects of life through its features of instant connection and communication, unique tools, and adaptability.
Your thesis statement and supporting arguments. Your research selections will be based on the direction of your paper. For this essay, the research will look for things like:
credible content favoring current technology
how technology fosters instant connection and communication
the unique tools of current technology
the adaptability of technology
.A specific focus within the field, if possible. As in, if your research is science-related, what field of science? If it’s history or geography-related, what time period? What area? If it’s religion-related, what belief system?
Obviously, research for this essay will focus on technology, its uses, and benefits. Narrowing the focus a little more, like down to cell phones and computers, will futher slim the pool of material to go through. The 600s section in the Dewey Decimal System is explicitly dedicated to technology; however, the 000s also has some computer-related topics with potentially useful sources as well.
Any prominent people, organizations, events, or ideas connected to the topic, if possible. Perhaps you know of or find an expert author who’s written about your topic. Or it’s the focus of a particular organization you know/discover. You might be led to some unique material.
Looking at the "tech titans"--like Steve Jobs, Mark Zuckerburg, Elon Musk, or the Microsoft Company-- could give us some good information to use in this essay.
Up-to-date/accurate information. It is important that your sources provide the most current/recent information possible, especially if your topic is an ever-changing field, like science or technology. Some cross-referencing and additional digging will ensure the piece of information you want has a current basis.
While the 1980's versions of the Microsoft Windows program laid the foundations for the current systems, research and discussion about the 2021 Windows 11 program should be more practical to this essay.
Hopefully this gives you some ideas on starting your research. Be sure to use one of the proofreaders I recommended earlier to check for plagiarism and to write your sources correctly. Don’t forget other edits and revisions either!
If there's a topic you want me to cover in the future, you're welcome to reach out to me on the web chat feature or socials!
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