WRIG_C07.qxd
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Sharpening your research skills
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The following chapters give further information and tips: n
avoiding plagiarism: Ch 17
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library and web-search skills: Ch 5
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collecting information that will allow you to cite the source: Ch 18
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Check relevance. Now consider the information you have gathered, your thoughts and how these might apply to your question. You may need to re-analyse the question. You will then need to marshal the evidence you have collected – for example: for or against a proposition; supporting or opposing an argument or theory. You may find it useful to prepare a table or grid to organise the information (Figure 6.6) – this will also help you balance your thoughts. Be ruthless in rejecting irrelevant or inconsequential material.
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Think through your argument, and how you can support it. Having considered relevant information and positions, you should arrive at a personal viewpoint, and then construct your discussion or conclusion around this. When writing about your topic, you must take care to avoid value judgements or other kinds of expression of opinion that are not supported by evidence or sources. This is one reason why frequent citation and referencing is demanded in academic work.
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Get cracking on your answer. Once you have decided on what you want to say, writing it up should be much easier.
Value judgements These are statements that reflect the views and values of the speaker or writer rather than the objective reality of what is being assessed or considered. For example, if someone is sympathetic to a cause they may refer to its supporters as members of a ‘pressure group’; if they disagree with the cause, then its members become ‘activists’; similarly, ‘conservationists’ versus ‘tree-huggers’; ‘freedom fighters’ versus ‘insurgents’. Value judgements often imply some sense of the pejorative (negative). For example: ‘Teenagers are unreliable, unpredictable and unable to accept responsibility for their actions’ does not represent a view based on evidence.
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Researching your topic
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