So far, my research process is going pretty well. I have been able to find numerous sources about the health risks of smoking during pregnancy, and I’m learning a lot of useful information. Up until this point, I have developed a research topic, found two different sources and summarized them, and also located information about 2 important figures that have made landmark contributions in the study of health risks of smoking.
Most of my research has been done from the comforts of my own home. I try to avoid the long hike to the library, fighting campus traffic, and also parking 10 miles away (well not quite that far). I do access the library’s website though, so I feel some justification in boycotting the library building. When using the library search engine I tend to have a hard time searching for scholarly research articles and finding exactly what I’m looking for. I know the research is there, but I must not be putting in the right combinations of key words. In that case, I do a Google or yahoo search which provides hundreds of related sites. I do recommend this way to other students, but with caution. If a website is reputable, they will almost always have references listed at the end of the article. I just take these citations and cut and past the journal name into the library search engine to retrieve the original document, then I print it out for my own use. I have found this method to work very well in finding research journal articles because it saves me a lot of time, and I get less frustrated because I feel like I’m actually making progress, and not just sitting in front of my computer for hours getting no results.
Overall, the research process is going smoothly, however I have one worry. I’m afraid that I might get bored with my topic, not because it isn’t interesting but because I feel like there is only so much I can learn and there isn’t a lot of room for new discovery or approaching the topic from a different angle.
2 comments:
I know what you mean about getting bored with your topic. I am having the same feeling about the Wright brothers. Although I feel both my and your topics are interesting there becomes a point when you feel you have learned all you need to know about the particular subject. I sometimes feel I am somewhat repeating myself in blogs. I'm sure we'll all get through these papers, it's for sure not the funnest thing I have been doing.
Dani,
I’m glad to see things are going well with your project. I admit I have pretty much banned the library from my daily routine as well. Not exactly on purpose but you know how it is. I have used your method of Googling and looking up recourses as well and it is a great way to make sure sources are solid. It is especially important for the more scientific research areas to make sure people are not just making claims without proof of their findings. I am glad you brought that up.
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