Steps To Develop Your Research Skills

Instructions

• 1

  Define Your Research Question
  
  “What do I want to know”? This is the first question you ask yourself. Do not forget to write out the answer that follows in its direct sense. This will be the guideline to your research, as every information you acquire should lead to the answer to your question. If the research you are conducting is drifting away from the top guideline, it means the points you are making are drifting off and you have to refocus.
• 2

  Choose the appropriate information sources
  
  This is where you devise a plan to gather the necessary information leading to the question above. One would have to gather information from different sites or links and compare and contrast products that are given, and use the one that matches your question. But before going into the details of gathering information, it is important to note which site to begin with and end with.
  
  Start from Wikipedia, this is because the site has all the basic information, links and references to any topic. All one has to do is to read the areas that concerns you and gather as much information. Then move on to broader means like search engines.
  
  It is important to gather each information from different sites and place them differently on different paper, they should be identified with a label so as to not get confused.
• 3

  Understand your acquired information
  
  This is the gathering and merging phase. This is where you read the data collected and ponder on every information and ask yourself if they link with your research question above. One has to gather information from every angle of that question, this is being objective, looking at every side of the box and analyzing each point. Look for connections in the direction of the questions from different angles.
  
  Check to see that whether your research question has been answered. Does the information prove sufficient i.e. does it tells you what you want to know, does it answer your question? If not? One has to start again and gather information strictly to the question.
• 4

  Collate your findings and analyze
  
  With the information gathered, write down and begin to put down points your relevant information allow your creativity to merge in. What did you understand? How can you explain what you gathered into your point of view? Does it link to what you are asking and is there more to what that is written here? Ask yourself questions, is it enough? Does the information you gathered raise more questions within the scope of topic? If yes, start again, if no, start a fresh topic relating to the question but on a more in depth notion.
• 5

  Wear the readers shoes
  
  You are conducting this research for awareness over a topic, to an individual, a group of people or the society at large. One thing you’ve got to put at the back of the mind is to ask yourself what do I want to let this person or people know. Do I want to make them understand my view, have a change of view?.
  
  Look at your research and see yourself as a stranger observing the work, how does the research conducted made you feel? Did you think the writer got the point? After asking all available questions and you still feel you need to give more input, then add up.
  
  However, it is important to note that an overcrowded work would look like a booklet or pamphlet of confused information and that is not what you are aiming for. You are to process and proof read and look at it from another point of view, if you are not satisfied, start again. You must have over looked a point. A guideline is to use the area one is confused about and start up from there, it will lead you to other insights.
• 6

  CONCLUSION
  
  It is important to note that conducting a research is one that needs time, concentration and dedication. One can easily lose track of connecting the dots leading to the information they need if they don’t strictly follow up their finding. Also another point is depending on the level of research, some can be done if in 30 minutes, an hour, weeks or months, depending on your level of timing or deadline it is important to take your time and gather as much data necessary to ensure that you get your desired results. With patience, diligence and hard work and the skill to know where to tap for information one can certainly produce good results.
• 7

  CONCLUSION
  
  It is important to note that conducting a research is one that needs time, concentration and dedication. One can easily lose track of connecting the dots leading to the information they need if they don’t strictly follow up their finding. Also another point is depending on the level of research, some can be done if in 30 minutes, an hour, weeks or months, depending on your level of timing or deadline it is important to take your time and gather as much data necessary to ensure that you get your desired results. With patience, diligence and hard work and the skill to know where to tap for information one can certainly produce good results.