Research Reflection
Coming into this class I was expecting to be doing normal research like I have in my other classes. But when it came time to start doing some academic research I was surprise on how in-dept you can get when actually putting in work to look up a topic. It was a little hard when we first started the research for the Literature Review part of the paper. But once I got the hang of doing the research for one topic it got easier to look up more information. For example, when I started I would look up really broad topics and I was not getting the information I was looking for. Then I was taught how to go more in-dept when looking for a specific topic. After learning that I was able to get better results from being able to be more specific when looking up a topic.
My process for evaluating and selecting sources for my assignment was simple at first, but then I was starting to realize that I was not getting good results. The articles that I started looking at were good but they were not really what I was looking for. So, when I started looking more into a specific topic I was able to find what I was looking for. When it came to evaluating and selecting the articles I wanted to use, I read them to make sure they had exactly what I was looking for, and made sure they had information I needed to support my research. At the end of doing the final paper, I added at least one new article to my paper after doing all my research. I added the new article to my research paper because I felt that the quote I pulled helped support what I was trying to say.
While doing research some challenges I faced were not being able to find articles on my topic, not being able to find the correct topic or way to look up what I was looking for, and trying to find the correct information to incorporate into my paper. Some ways that I over come some of this challenges were by taking my time and actually trying to think more in-depth to what exactly I was looking for. And for finding the correct information, I had to read the article more than once, so that way I had a full understanding of what the article was saying, so that I could incorporate it where it was necessary.
I believe that my confidence level for for research has increased because at first I would just look up something and some how tried to make what I found work. For example, on previous papers I would get frustrated because I was unable to find what I was looking for, but now I know how to take my time and look more into a specific topic I am trying to research.
After doing research this semester, I would say that to think like a researcher means having an open mind on different information you may find, being able to have patience, and being able to think critically.