“literature review” not necessary but write reflection of the course
The process for me doing academic research has changed dramatically. In the beginning of the semester, I used to look up topics on google scholar then read the articles and write about what I read. I never thought that independent variables and dependent variables would apply to any other class except for science. I never thought I would be using excel for any other class, other than a computer course I took years ago. I certainly did not realise I would be making graphs, sending out surveys and presenting my research findings. When I did research I always used academic sources. Now I look for peer reviewed articles, credibility and how up to date the data is. If the source I am looking for does not fit that criteria then I will not use it for my research. I did not change my sources for my last assignment because they came from solid non-biased scholarly sources. I had many challenges this semester involving my research. I overcame the challenges I had by communicating with my professor and asking as many questions as I needed to understand what was required of me. My perception of conducting research completely changed. I realized research is very complex and a lot goes into making sure you have a good foundation of research. In the beginning of the course I believed the class would be easy and didn’t take it super seriously. My confidence level raised slightly because I now know how to do research on my own. Not only do I know how to do research but I also think like a researcher. Which means I know I need qualitative data, quantitative data, explanations for my findings and to explain the purpose of the research. Thinking like a researcher also means explaining why your research is important. The research I have done this semester taught me a lot.