I have to admit that I feel a little puzzled when I realized that I need to actually write down something to show people the process of my research to some topics I picked.
Personally, I think any “research process” should contain enormous projects and terms like sources seeking, claims declaring and perspectives interpreting, etc. So, breathe, breathe, breathe and here comes the research process I arrange for myself at first.
- I will confirm a specific topic of my research first but at the same time, I also want to make sure that this topic is not too limited or too narrow to develop some further thinking and studying. That is to say that I will keep the study direction and my personal attitude to this research topic open because I believe that my thoughts may change during the further seeking of the sources to enrich my research.
2. After I target a range of my topic, I will start use google to have a better understanding to the topic I choose. This step may seem unnecessary, but I think it is essential for me to have a accurate and comprehensive recognition to my topic.
3. Then I will start collecting the files, sources, and reference I need to substantiate my research from websites and libraries. Many similar researching from those specialists will definitely offer me a more broader stage of my topic and support my perspectives in various ways. I will also may start my own survey(like some interviews or questionnaires ) to the topic I have interest in because the survey experience enable the researching process more objective.
4. After I have abundant information about my researching project, I will finally begin to settle down my own mind. At this step, I will determine the studying aspects and pronounce my own claims. The sources I collected before will help to make my claims more credible.
5. During the whole research process, I will not only make simple statements about my researching step, but also I will make conversations to my readers and voice my opinions to the topic loudly. I will raise my own questions about this topic and show people the place I stand as a researcher of this topic.
Above all is the process I may consider when I do the research. And after I read an article called BEAM: A Rhetorical Vocabulary for teaching Research-Based Writing, which gave me a better understanding to the way I should use to do the research.
In the article Joseph Bizup made clear announcement that research-based writing can be really difficult and confused for students because they may have hard time utilizing the sources and making claims accurately and effectively. So Bizup came up with the “BEAM” way to help students understand, distinguish and utilize the sources correctly and effectively to accomplish their own research-based writing assignments, which I think is legen-wait for it-dary!! LEGENDARY!!
And here are my understandings to the “BEAM”
- Background: It is usually the facts in common life and people consider it as common knowledge.
- Exhibits: Interpretation to the examples or terms.
- Arguments: The conversation the writer usually made with his reader to agree with, disputes an idea and sometimes even develop his own further thoughts and opinions to the topic he chose.
- Methods: The way the writer chose to write his research process and some specific ways he utilize to finish the research.
I think this BEAM theory offered me comprehensive platform to arrange my researching work. its all-sided guidance can be really helpful when I feel confused about how to do the research effectively and accurately. These four factors about the researching process enabled me to understand that I cannot only explain the sources I found the reference or Internet, but also I need to add my own understanding to it. And my opinions to the topic are also really essential because this can be the way that I make conversations with my readers to let them know my perspectives to the topic I chose.
Now I think I have a new perspective to this term “RESEARCHING”: that it is never a fragmented board which is formed from everywhere sources. However, it is formed by the authoritative facts, detailed explanation, powerful arguments, and a cautious way to organize these factors together.
Enough for today’s blog. And here comes my best blessing to all my readers and everyone:
And btw, not only every night;
let’s make it every single day!!!