Reading, Note- Taking, and Writing for Research Lynn W Zimmerman, PhD

Reading for Research  Start now.  Generate a list of key words for searching  See what key words authors use  Authors/works that are cited frequently may be worth reading.

How to Read Research  Read with this question in mind: How can I use this?  Articles  First read the abstract – does it look like the article is relevant to your topic?  Look at introduction and conclusion  Books  Look at Table of Contents, introduction and conclusion  Read!

Note-Taking  Start a research notebook (can be digital)  Record ideas as they come up.  Summarize interesting things you read for future reference.  Read back over your notebook periodically.  Record all citation information

Skeletal Paper  Alternative to a notebook  Create an outline of the paper to fill in as you read  Record all citation information

Writing  Learning to write well, requires writing.  Read books and articles that are well-written.  Writing letters and keeping a diary are good writing practice.  Know what you want to say and say it.  Figure out how to safe it concisely and coherently.  Writing is hard work and takes a long time.  Write well, but don’t be perfectionist.

Writing for Research  Writing down your ideas is the best way to organize them.  Start with the contents of your research notebook.  Start with the contents. Write the Introduction and Abstract after you know what the paper says.  Make sure your paper has an idea tying it together.  After you have written a section, edit it before moving on.  Carefully craft the abstract.  Don’t be afraid to cut and delete.

Using Comments  Writing research should not be a solitary activity. Get feedback form other people.  Pay attention to the comments and use the suggestions that strengthen your paper.  Critique other people’s work. It will help your writing.  Learn to offer “constructive criticism.”  For an early draft, solicit comments on content and organization  For a final draft, ask for comments on presentation

Comments on Content Elaborations on the ideas presented Things to think about Factual errors Missing information Potential problems Positive comments

Organizational Comments  Ideas out of order, at al levels  Impedes flow  Redundancy  Irrelevant content  Missing arguments

Comments on Presentation  Writing conventions  Punctuation  Spelling  Missing words  Duplicate words  Formatting  Justification  Indentions  Numbering

Presentations  You should focus on one ‘idea’ or ‘theme’  Hit the highlights – you won’t have time to everything you know about the topic  minutes – focus on the idea  minutes – give some background  60 minutes – present the idea in context

PowerPoint  Take at least 1 minute/slide  Don’t have too many slides  Use bullets  About 6 words/bullet point  About 6 bullet points/slide  Use visuals on slides to support not distract from what you are saying

Public Speaking Skills  You can learn to be a good public speaker.  Organize your talk as you would a paper  Introduction  Body  Conclusion  Watch how other people give talks  Copy their good behaviors  Ignore their poor behaviors  Ask a friend to watch you and critique you  Practice, practice, practice.