lecture recording on 14 March 2025 at 09.40.25 AM

Understanding the Research Process

  • Engaging with journal articles requires effective organization.

  • Discuss the importance of having a plan, ideally created with a teacher.

  • Encourage students to seek support if they struggle with planning.

Crafting a Thesis Statement

  • A thesis statement acts as the foundation of your research, similar to a hypothesis in science.

  • It should be set early but can evolve as you gather more information.

  • Express the importance of choosing a topic that genuinely interests you to ease the research burden.

Generating Focus Questions and Keywords

  • Use AI to help generate focused questions and keywords related to your thesis statement.

  • Example: Input a thesis statement into AI for assistance in deriving research questions and keywords.

  • There are tools and AI applications available that can facilitate this process, saving time and effort.

Examples of Topic Ideas

  • Consider topics that address broader social issues, such as the impact of technology on society or representation in literature.

  • Explore examples like:

    • The democratizing effect of Wikipedia versus its reinforcement of social privileges.

    • The psychological strategies used by tech companies to enhance device addiction.

    • The cultural implications in the works of science fiction authors like Liu.

Note-Taking Strategies

  • Recommend a two-step reading approach:

    1. First Reading: Identify key ideas and assess the usefulness of the text without detailed note-taking.

    2. Second Reading: Take structured notes under clearly defined headings based on findings from the first reading.

  • Emphasize synthesizing information in your own words to avoid plagiarism.

Utilizing AI in Research

  • Use AI tools like Copilot or other reliable applications to summarize articles and assist in research organization.

  • Always cross-check AI-generated notes with the original articles and ensure proper referencing.

  • Emphasize the importance of quoting directly from sources instead of merely paraphrasing AI output.

Citing and Referencing

  • Recommend recording full references as you work to ease the referencing burden later.

  • Be conscious of including both works cited and those referenced in your final paper.

  • Clarify the difference between the references included in your notes and those that will make the final cut.

Organizing Digital Resources

  • Suggest utilizing OneNote or other digital tools to organize research findings systematically.

  • Create topic-based tabs for effective resource management.

  • Highlight the ease of access and recovery with digital organization, especially with potential computer issues.

Accessing Research Sources

  • Encourage students to obtain a membership at the National Library for broader access to databases and articles.

  • Offer support for accessing articles that may be behind paywalls, through school resources.

  • Remind students that academic databases work differently than general search engines; they require precise keywords, not full sentences or questions.

Research Strategies

  • Start broad with Wikipedia or similar sources to identify useful references for your topic.

  • Pay attention to the credibility and authority of sources.

  • Understand the importance of currency in research — use recent sources for accurate information on technology or rapidly changing fields.