For this journal I am
going to discuss my usual research methods and how I generally obtain my
sources. I will also mention how much I enjoy conducting research.
I have always enjoyed
researching the answers to questions I have for pure fun. I do it daily, as I
have what I call my Wikipedia binges, where I randomly go from topic to topic
absorbing swathes of information in the process. Many times does the site serve
as my first stop on an actual research assignment, leading me to other
resources that my instructors find more acceptable. Wikipedia has always seemed
to be one of the few readily available sources that does not push some sort of
political agenda, delivering just the unbiased facts in a manner that is easy
to read. Granted it is not perfect, as I have found typos and grammatical
errors on occasion. Still the community does its best to fact check and show
its sources.
I also do read my fair
share of scholarly articles and academic journals. There are many places to
find them and the librarians are always willing to help too. Sometimes I pursue
other online avenues for finding information. These sources include blogs,
forums, and other less reputable sources. However, I only rely on information
that can be personally tested when considering anything from those sites.
Another source of information comes from this infosec mailing list I have
joined, which provides me with a long list of daily news reports that are relevant
to the information security industry.
Ultimately, I love to
learn and I am always on a quest to absorb more information. Usually the
hardest part of any research assignment is organizing and writing down what I
have learned. It is not so much that I do not have anything to write, it is
just I am kind of a lazy writer, not relishing in the physical activity itself.
Sometimes I think I should use software to write what I dictate for me. At
least then I would not have to suffer from writer’s cramps. Another roadblock I
hit when writing a paper is word counts, as I often strive to be brief,
concise, yet complete in what I have to say. I just like to say what I want to
say without beating around the bush too much.
Hi Rob,
ReplyDeleteIt is funny that you say you are a lazy writer. I am the opposite. I am a "lazy" researcher. Well, maybe not exactly lazy, but it feels like pulling teeth for me sometimes. The writing part is where I excel. I think that if you can organize your information into an outline broken down into clear sections on how you want your paper to flow, you will find the paper writes itself. One other suggestion I would make, is to cite your sources as you go so you don't have a lot of backtracking to do and your reference page is out of the way early. I make notes in my outline where each piece of information comes from as well.
Great advice, I will try to build the habit of citing early. I love to research, because I love to read and learn new things.
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