Planning and researching assignments

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Planning and researching assignments
Belinda Bold, Learning Support Services Meg
Weller, Reference Librarian 2009
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Understand the task

• Make sure you fully understand the question?
• What is the format (essay, report, responding to
  questions, presentation?)
• What sort of research is expected?
• What system of referencing should you follow?
• How long (word count) should the assignment be?
• When is it due in?

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Get your ideas down

• Do a mind map on the topic use questions to
  expand the ideas and knowledge you already have
• Read your notes and class readings for direction
• Do some preliminary research to expand your
  ideas. At this stage you might need to add new
  areas and take some away

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Organise your ideas

• From your mind map, write some notes under
  general headings
• Group points under the general headings
• Where there are gaps in information (or more
  detail, examples needed) write down some
  questions that you can research

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Draft a summary

• Draft a summary of what your assignment is going
  to be about.
• This will act as a summary of your mind map and
  will give you a direction for your arguments,
  examples and therefore research.
• Your summary might tell you what information is
  missing.

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More information please

• Ask the questions
• What is this assignment about?
• What are the main things that will be included?
• What direction is it going in?
• Is there more than one side to the argument?
• How is each point important to the topic
• Why is that point relevant to the topic?
• Where did I get that information from?

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Research

• First stage of research, use the headings you
  have make sure you keep this information
  together and write the reference details on your
  notes
• The information you research is to support what
  you want to say check the question, your
  headings and summary
• Dont use research unless it answers questions
  you ask
• The research is not to tell us what someone else
  already wrote, it is to back up or refute what
  your assignment is saying.

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Direct quotes

• If the quote fits, use it.
• You must not change any of it
• The quote is there to back up what your
  assignment is saying, or
• To contrast what your assignment is saying
  (compare and contrast)

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Indirect quotes

• If the quote doesnt fit, change the wording to
  fit what you are saying
• You must not change the specific meaning of the
  quote or the authors intent
• You must still reference the quote
• You can combine two or more quotes in an indirect
  quote, but be clear and reference both
• You can quote someone who has been quoted in the
  text you have ready (secondary citations)

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Make it flow

• Once you have information under all headings,
  check the flow
• Do all paragraphs link to the assignment topic?
• Do all paragraphs lead to the conclusion?
• Check the order of the information
• Link each paragraph to the next
• Have you backed it all up????

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Re read the question!!!!!!!

• Re read the question
• Re read the conclusion
• Do all of your points link clearly to the
  question?
• Does the conclusion summarise the direction and
  key points in your assignment?