Early in the Research From The Craft of

Early in the Research From “The Craft of Research” by Wayne C. Booth Gregory G. Colomb Joseph M. Williams

What are you worried about? n n n How to look for a research topic? Where to find relevant information? How to organise the information? There is no reason to worry Even experienced researchers feel a bit anxious when they have to undertake a new research project.

Are there any similarity? n They too may not know precisely what they are looking for at the beginning.

When do they start writing? n n n Once the plans start execution. From the beginning of the project to its end. Do not wait until the end of the process.

Why to write? n To remember what they find. – Listing sources, assembling research summaries, keeping lab notes. n To understand to see more clearly the relationships among the ideas – arranging and rearranging the results in new ways, outlines, diagrams of how facts relate, summaries – to see connections and contrasts, complications and implications. n To gain perspective – to improve thinking – to see the ideas in a clearer light

Significance of a research problem n n n If you can find a problem that you alone want the solution, you have achieved something substantial. If you can pose a problem that the others recognize not just as your problem, but as their problem as well, a problem whose solution will change their thinking in ways they think significant then it is excellent. http: //www. racematters. org/devahpager. h tm

First steps to take in planning n Must settle on a topic specific enough to let you master a reasonable amount of information. – Not “the history of scientific writing, ” – but “essays in the proceedings of the royal society (1800 -1900) as a precursor to the scientific article” n n Out of the topic, develop questions that will guide your research and point you toward a problem that you intend to solve. Gather data relevant to answering your question – as collect, sort, and assemble your information, plan to do lots of writing to remember and understand, may not in the neat order

Finding topics and questions If you are free to pursue any research topic that interests you, that freedom may be frustrating - so many choices, so little time. Finding a topic is only the first step and does not mean that once you have a topic, you need only to search for information and report what you find.

Researcher must view their task differently n Aim not just answering a question, but at posing and solving a problem the others also should recognize as worth solving. – Do not feel dismayed if at first you cannot find something as above, but at least something you might find worth solving (genuinely)

Questions n n n Asking the right questions is key to successful research Start with ‘who, what, where, when’ (facts), but move on to ‘how’ and ‘why’ (analysis) Question your topic from as many angles as you can think of – questions give your research purpose and direction Listening to other people’s questions might help you formulate your own There are some questions that have no answers

From a question to its significance – three useful steps: a) Name your topic: I am working on/studying … b) Suggest a question: I am working on/studying. . . because I want to find out how/why. . . c) Motivate the question/find a rationale: I am working on/studying … because I want to find out how/why … in order to understand how/why … (Cf Booth et al, pp. 42 -5)

‘ The ultimate question is: So what? ’

Problem n n n Your questions should help you solve a research problem A problem is something you do not yet know or understand Ask yourself why are you asking certain questions A problem might be the origin of your research … … but you may not be able to formulate your problem fully at the outset

Structure n n Any thesis needs a clear focus and a mode of argument Your chapter outline ideally reflects both Possible foci: author/s, text/s, generic groupings, historical issues, theoretical issues, … Possible modes of argument: revalue a reputation, analyse an aspect of style, relate text/film to historical/literary/aesthetic context/s, describe/interpret a text/film, take sides in an ongoing critical argument, exemplify critical theories/approaches with reference to a particular text/film, …

Evidence n n n All answers must be based on evidence What is your evidence? Always ask yourself: what is it in the text and/or context that makes me think this is the right answer? Always explain: what is self-evident to you might not be self-evident to others Always avoid generalizations

Topical Examples n Here are some titles of MA theses from 200607: Timelessness in Homer’s Odyssey Forms of Vengeance in Ancient Greek and Shakespearean Theatre Mrs Dalloway: A Postmodern Pastiche The History Behind the American Gangster Film The Beast Within: A Study of Victorian Gothic From Albatross to Automaton: Depictions of Femininity in Baudelaire Titles raise expectations but they don’t say anything about the success of thesis

Research interest and topic n Interest – a general area of inquiry that we like to explore (e. g. , society and language, textual coherence and cognition, ethics and research) n topic – an interest specific enough to support research that one might plausibly report on a book or article that help others to advance their thinking and understanding. (e. g. , “Linguistic signals of social change in Elizabethan England”, “the role of unauthorized immigration in shaping the American right wing” “ the degree to which the current research is motivated by under-the-counter payments”)

Setting the topic from interests n n n Start with what interests you most deeply. List four or five areas that you would like to learn more about. Pick one with the best potential for yielding a topic that is specific and that might lead to good sources of data.

Some guidance: Ask!! n n n Look at the matters of interest in your field of study. Looking in a recent text book. Talking to another student. Consulting your teacher/supervisor. Or from another course. Even from a general bibliographical resource in the library

Warning Ensure that the topic you have selected is rich in literature. If you pick your topic first and after considerable searching discover that the sources are thin, you will have to start over

Narrowing down a broad topic n A topic is probably too broad if you can state it in fewer than four or five words. e. g. , Free will and historical inevitability in Tolstoy’s War and Peace The conflict of free will and historical inevitability in Tolstoy’s description of three battles in War and Peace The history of commercial aviation The contribution of the military to the development of DC-3 in the early years of commercial aviation Narrow down topics using nouns derived from verbs

Advantage of a specific topic n Easy to recognise gaps, inconsistencies and puzzles that you can question, which help turning your topic into research question

What Makes a Question/Topic Researchable? n n n Not too big or too small Question focuses on something that has been discussed It’s interesting and it matters It’s in some way answerable There is a method to answering the question It raises more questions From, Ballenger, The Curious Researcher, 4 th Edition

Remember n n Keep asking, so what? Articulate what you are doing – I’m trying to learn about ______ n Make it a question – I’m trying to learn about _____ because I want to know _____ n Now, motivate your question – I’m trying to learn about __ in order to know _____ so that I might help my reader understand ____ Booth, Colomb, Williams p. 51

Caution n You narrow your topic too severely when you cannot easily find sources The history of commercial aviation Military support for development of the DC-3 in the early years of commercial aviation The decision to lengthen the wing tips on the DC-3 prototype as a result of the military desire to use the DC-3 as a cargo carrier

Four perspectives to organise questions n n What are the parts of your topic and what larger whole is it a part of? What is its history and what larger history is it a part of? What kinds of categories can you find in it and to what larger categories of things does it belong? What good is it? What can you use it for?

Further questions on topic n Identify questions that begin with Who, What, When or Where. – They only about matters of fact n n n Emphasise on questions that begin with How and Why Concentrate questions that need more than one- or two word answer. Decide which questions stop you for a moment, challenge you, spark some special interest.

Research problem: Practice 1. Topic: I am studying. 2. Question: because I want to find out what/why/how. 3. Significance: in order to help my reader understand. Source: Booth, W. C. , Colomb, G. G. , & Williams, J. M. (1995). The craft of research. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, p. 56

Research problem: Practice I am studying the role of nurses in hospitals because I want to find out why students who study nursing at this college move to other cities rather than pursue jobs here in order to help my reader understand the advantages of developing strong relationships between hospitals and college nursing programs. Practice only; do not use this informal formatting in your paper or proposal.

Research problem: Practice I am studying leadership styles because I want to find out how leadership actions of project managers who display introvert characteristics differ from those who display extrovert characteristics in order to help my reader understand the importance of diverse ways of interacting among leaders and employees in the workplace. Practice only; do not use this informal formatting in your paper or proposal.

From a question to its significance n You need to decide how significant your research might be not just to yourself but to others – a simple guideline Step 1 (Naming your topic) • attempt to describe your work in a sentence like I am studying the repair process for cooling systems I am working on the motivation of President Bushe’s early speeches

From a question to its significance - a simple guideline Step 2 (suggesting and defining the topic and the reason) • describe your work more exactly by adding to that sentence an indirect question that specifies something about your topic that you do not know or fully understand. I am studying X because I want to find out who/ what/ when/ where/ whether/ why/ how _____ fill in the blank with a subject and a verb:

From a question to its significance - a simple guideline Step 3 (motivating the question) • add an element that explains why you are asking your question what you intend to get out of its answer 1. I am studying repair process for cooling systems, 2. Because, I want to find out how experts repairers analyse failures 3. In order to understand how to design a computerised system that could diagnose and prevent failures

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