Writing a Research Paper
Research
Critically read and evaluate the sources
Now that you have some materials in front of you, either at the library
or at home, it's time to critically analyze them. You need to know what
is happening in the text before you take formal notes since part of analyzing
means sifting the good resources from the bad (an evaluation
quiz ends this page). And what's the point of taking notes on sources
you won't be using?
You might recall that we introduced the idea of critical thinking
and reading in our early discussion of the two types
of research papers; well, here is one of the best places to practice
the skill. The gist of being critical is not "to criticize," but to question,
to not take anything you read at face value. Structure, purpose, audience,
and author are four important dimensions of the text to pay close attention
to:
Structure
If you're starting with a book, look at the table of contents. See
the shape of what's to come and identify places that your thesis or
question might be most directly addressed. Notice the subsections. Is
there anything very obviously missing?
Skim the Preface or Introduction to establish context for the discussion
and determine the author's intent. The author's thesis statement just
may pop up here; be on the lookout for it. Or, it may be implied; if
so, why?
Glance at any appendices, diagrams, tables, or figures and see what
kinds of things make it into the Endnotes section if there is one. Look
at the topics listed in the Index at the back. Which of the entries
has the most page numbers listed next to it? This will give you an indication
of the subjects that contribute to the real scope of the book.
For a journal article, read the "abstract" for a summary. If it seems
to address your question or thesis, then read the Background or Introduction
section which will normally have some kind of "literature review" or
summary of what others have said. This context is useful for seeing
how and why the issue has evolved over time. Conclusions or Discussions
are a great place to turn to next before getting bogged down in minute
detail. Did the author answer the research question or support the thesis?
If you can clearly see where the article was intending to go and where
it ended up, then you can go back and read the body for details. Starting
with the intro and conclusion is a good strategy for analyzing essays
as well, online or otherwise.
Purpose
Examine the title and first few paragraphs. What is the author trying
to do? What is his or her bias? Any assumptions to be challenged? Look
at the publisher or institutional/organizational affiliation of the
author. Does the person have a vested interest in swaying you one way
or another? A book on management style will be markedly different if
it comes from some corporate management committee compared to union
representatives. It would even be different presented by a professor
of economics rather than a professor specializing in human relations
and organizational psychology. Authors should be upfront about the angles
they take in their discussions. Is yours?
Audience
Who does the intended audience appear to be? How narrow or broad is
it? To answer this, look at stylistic choices such as diction and tone.
For instance, are there a lot of technical words? If so, look them up.
And finally, what stake does the target audience have in the issue?
In other words, why would the audience be reading the text? Who would
you be imagining yourself talking to in your paper?
Author
Who is the author? Is it someone your professor has mentioned or whom
you've come across in your course readings? Has the person been mentioned
in other texts or bibliographies of other texts? Presence in the scholarly
community is one of the ways to establish authority. Another is education
and/or expertise. Is the person a teacher or researcher from a reputable
academic institution? Does the person have considerable knowledge of
what he or she is talking about? Is the author respected and well-received?
You wouldn't let just anyone off the street walk into your home, so
make your sources establish rapport and trust with you before you just
let them walk on into your research paper.
Evaluation Quiz
After reading and analyzing your works, you should answer yes to each
of the following three questions:
-
Does the date of the source match the level
of currency you need for your paper?
A source from the late 1970s wouldn't be appropriate for an
examination of current multi-media issues or the latest microsurgery
techniques, but it would still be appropriate for a study of Homer.
Currency is more important in subject areas that are frequently researched
(where theories are frequently rejected and updated); therefore, the
physical and social sciences need more current sources than subjects
like literature.
-
Is the author a credible source?
In other words, has authority and expertise been established? There
aren't ulterior motives colouring the text?
-
Is the source relevant to your thesis or
question, i.e., useful? If the source argues thoughtfully
and logically, helps you look at something differently, and gives
you possible answers for your question or evidence for your thesis,
then it's a keeper!
Links
Here are some useful sites to check out if you want to learn more about
critical reading and evaluation of sources:
Evaluating Sources of Information
from Purdue University's OWL
Critical
Reading: What is it and why do I need to do it? from Cleveland State
University
Evaluating
Sources from Empire State College, plus an
exercise!
How
to Critically Analyze Information Sources from Cornell University
Library
Critical Reading
toward Critical Writing from the University of Toronto's Advice
on Academic Writing site
How to get the
most out of reading, also from the University of Toronto
Evaluating
Information from Queen's University Library
Web Evaluation
As we mentioned in the last section on types
of resources, evaluating web information is a bit more sticky because
of the nature of the medium. The biggest struggle you will probably
have is answering question #2 above with cyber-resources. Below are
some web sites that specifically deal with evaluating web sites:
Evaluating
Internet Sites, an article from the American Library Association
Checklist
for an Informational Web Page from Wolfgram Memorial Library at
Widener University
Content
is King: Evaluating Web Sites as Information Sources, by Karen Diller
at Washington State University Vancouver
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