The Need for Research

In this article we will talk about a few Academic Research Pointers! Just like any other task in life Legal Academic Research Writing can be a handful thing to accomplish, as such research techniques and skills are particularly useful for students gathering data and statistics for academic writing, articles, opinion pieces, creative writing, journaling etcetera. Besides it being the academic requirements of a subject course or module, it is a natural characteristic in us humans to want to solve problems. The need for knowledge and the curiosity to develop new skills, products and technology allows us to evolve and adapt into new stages in which we acquire expertise of vast industries and matters arising from different walks of life.

Effective Research Pointers

I. Identify your Research Topic

Selecting a research topic draws down to your field of work or study especially for academic writers, creatives, bloggers and journalists the spectrum broad.

Nonetheless, most if not all writers have the liberty of selecting their research topics to some extent. When choosing a topic, choose a topic that you are confident with and have interest in as this will encourage you to do the necessary research required and to put in effort when analyzing and compiling your research findings. If you have no idea as to what topic to select, narrow your options down to matters of concerns in your field of study, current affairs surrounding or affecting your field of study, community or focus groups.

Avoid selecting a topic that is too broad or extensive as this often leads to writers deviating from the central issue of the article or research writing at hand.

II. Organization

Once you have identified your topic. Note down the issues surrounding the topic that you wish to address.

Determine at an early stage what format your research writing is going to take and identify the target audience you are writing for. It is important to stay organized with the structure of your research document and constantly updating the format in which it should flow as it keeps you from going off course.

There are two ways to organizes your research materials. Some people prefer to make use of hard copy materials from the beginning to the end of their research just until submission which includes sticky notes, bookmarks, colored notes to categorize and classify their information and different filing holders. Meanwhile, others prefer to make use of soft copy materials such as bookmarked documents, indexes, and an annotated bibliography which you’ll find all on one device, be it a desktop computer, laptop or iPad.

III. Making Use Of Reliable Sources

The source of your information is very important in research writing, if not carefully examined can prove to be disastrous for a writer. When compiling your information make sure that it is up to date, accurate and reliable information. Not every information relating to a particular subject matter is reliable. Anyone can write anything and post it on the internet, so it is imperative that you examine your information and the source from where it is derived.

In fact, not all sources are acceptable for most research writing, for instance with academic writing there are courses like Law modules that do not accept Wikipedia as a source of reference or information.

Library Sources

In such instances, you should identify reliable websites such as your university library which can provide you with more links for every course of study for example unam e-resources provides links to the university’s journal publications as well as access to google scholar, eBooks and the university articles through its website.

For academic writers’ reliable sources can be found in course outlines and study guides for each module narrowing down the search for information. Library sources should be your first point of departure when collecting data before diving into contemporary sources and websites.

IV. Thesis Statement

After you have done preparing for your research writing you can now dive into the work. Draft your thesis statement by simply constructing a sentence that summarizes the argument, analysis or discussion you are building in your research writing.

When you are constructing your thesis statement keep in mind the questions you are trying to answer namely; the core issue of your research, your research methodology, the results you anticipate out of your research and how you are going to achieve all these. The thesis statement delivers the main focus points of your research before the reader even dives into deeper content.

V. Research Outline

The first step to constructing your research outline is to categorize your information and organize your headings and subtitles in the hierarchy you intend to answer them in. Some academic writings have a prescribed format that must be followed for an effective research paper.

Therefore, students should consult their supervisors on the prescribed format to be followed and align their outline in the order of the format prescribed.