Return to Defining the Search
Plan to Understanding
- Complex topics have no single right answer
and no single source of answers. Brainstorm
the categories of information you will need in order to understand all sides of your topic
thoroughly.
"Real learning happens when a learner is confronted with a contradiction, a new
idea that cannot be incorporated into an old model."
- Keep a list of terms or search phrases that work.
Brainstorm in writing many key words and concepts on a single page or card. Keep adding to (or deleting from) this list as you discover related concepts, larger and smaller terms, synonyms, subject headings, and descriptors.
- Plan your research strategy.
An overview article or an encyclopedia entry can help you
understand the extent of your topic.
- Choose a search engine based on what you need and
the best search engine for the job.
- Choose specialized resources to develop
variety and depth in your understanding.
- There are many notetaking strategies:
- In your research journal or on separate binder pages
- In a visual organizer (timeline, web, matrix, venn diagram)
- In a linear style (lists, outlines, columns)
- On note cards
- By using highlighting and margin notation on text
- By typing, cutting and pasting into a word processing document
- The middle of research feels "messy" and you will probably become frustrated
or feel overwhelmed. We want to help you tolerate
ambiguity so that you can develop a more complex
understanding of your topic. Resist the impulse to just "grab for facts." Allow
yourself time to move back and think about the big picture.
- Questions to ask yourself about
your notes:
- How does this idea fit in with what I have already read? (Make connections between
sources as soon as you see them. Sort your notes in piles on the floor.)
- How does it fit in to what I know?
- What doesn't make sense? (Look for logic errors, as well as checking your own
understanding.)
- Which side does this evidence support? (Classify and label it. Color code it.)
- What are the characteristics of this source? (How recent? What biases? Is this
propaganda? What's the point of view?)
- What do I still need to find out?
- Did I record the bibliographic information?