Do Google searches count as research?
When do I research something? Most times it is when I cannot remember a name of a song, or when I need to find a synonym for a overused word on my essay. Research is essential since we as individuals cannot know or remember everything. That’s why it’s useful to look back on how we DO research!
How Do I Research Something?
Looking back on how I research, I did not know where to start. For me, research normally starts by Googling something, or maybe using Wikipedia to get background information. After that, I look for credible sources, such as news articles or publications. Then when I find a new key phrase, I pop that into Google again, and so on. It is pretty simple but the repitiion often leads me to more detailed and useful examples and explanations.
Further, I was shown helpful material to understand how we do research in my writing class. It is called the B.E.A.M research vocabulary. The letters each stand for Background, Exhibits, Arguments, and Method.
Background: what the person considers as a fact
Exhibits: something that offers explanation or analysis
Arguments: claims the person makes
Method: what a person derives as its structure of its work
Using these four, I thought I would look at my first blog post and see what in my process applied to those categories.
B: I go to a liberal arts school, therefore my claims on the importance of a liberal arts education is highly dependent on my background.
E: This is where my Googling tactic helped! I searched for pictures and examples of activism, which then I could show exhibits to enhance my argument.
A: In my argument came at the end, I use sources which display inequality, and my school’s values. These represent my two topics, inequality and liberal arts, which converse between each other and combine to present my idea.
M: My writing came in the form of a blog! (duh) But I am no blogger, and still a novice. So I started my process of writing by looking at famous bloggers or sports websites. I copied their methods so my blog looked like a blog.
So What?!
So what insights have I made to my research style? First, I imitate. I look for similar writings and sources, and borough some of their techniques and styles. These may not be obvious since they don’t come in the form of citations or links. Second, my Google tactic may be fairly effective! The exhibits I presented worked well since I was able to search various links through my extended searching.
Research is an essential part of our lives, so why don’t you take the time to look back at how you do your research too?