Last week when we were reading from The Craft of Research one thing that caught my eye was the part on developing a plan. The authors explain that by giving examples; one plan helps you prepare and conduct the research; the second helps you draft the report of it. One way to begin is with a question which will help guide their search for an answer. The authors then go on to discuss the idea of drawing up another plan one the acts as a rough blueprint for the first draft. One thing to remember is not to let the plan box you in, change it if you run into any problems or if you discover something that leads you in a new direction.
One way to begin a plan would be to start a rough outline of your research paper, meaning break it up in to different parts. Start with an introduction section, and then three body paragraphs, and give examples to the reason you chose those ideas. Once they are done, start on your conclusion to the paper. After you have finished the outline for the research paper draw up another plan, with this second plan go further into your research and find new ideas and new implications into the research paper.
Jonathan Pratt
The advice given from the authors of The Craft of Research are very helpful in beginning a research paper. Although the instructions the authors give are general, they can apply to any paper that you write. Beginning a paper I normally quickly make an outline of all of the topics I would like to include, making sure none of my ideas are lost. Next I form my outline into an introduction, body, and conclusion. I always begin my papers with multiple drafts, which refines my work and sometimes leads me to take new directions. It is always interesting to look at my beginning outlines, and compare them to the finished paper, if I create a successful paper the two are very different and the final product is much more evolved.
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ReplyDeleteWell, to be honest, I have never done any of this. I am the kind of writer who usually just wings it and hopes for the best. And while some of my work has come out to be great, others are less to be desired. This chapter got me to thinking that in order to write a good paper every time, I need to do some planning. I should probably focus on doing several drafts, or outlines to ensure that my writing is formal enough for whatever class it may be for. I agree with what you said in that doing bits, and pieces before your actual work would benefit you greatly. And the final product would be much more refined and closer to perfection if one does what I do, and just wing it.
ReplyDeleteThe most novel piece of advice given by the authors that is often overlooked in the process of research is the idea that a newly undercovered, previously unknown fact can send your paper in a different, and often more interesting direction than had been originally planned. In my experience, some of the most thought-provoking and cogent papers I've ever written bore little resemblence to the original outline. It is a piece of advice that can make focused writing far more enjoyable and educational.
ReplyDeleteI agree that the advice given is general. I believe that this is the best part about the advice. Not only can you make this advice applicable to research papers but the advice can also be used for any other general writing. I do use the outlining process when developing drafts of my writings. The drafts I create allow me to put down on paper how I want my ideas to be conveyed to my readers. I need to work on developing my second outline/ plan of my paper better. I believe that if I start to outline where in my paper I want to include certain research, I will be able to present a more organized precise paper.
ReplyDeleteThe information the authors presented in my opinion, is very applicable advice when writing a research paper. Before entering the class, I thought research papers were the same format as the five paragraph essays I wrote in high school. However, once I read about how to actually develop the essay, I found out that is was completely different. Also, the idea of posing a question before writing the essay provided me with a better idea of what type of data I should look for rather than gathering information not related to the topic at hand.
ReplyDeleteI personally believe that the input given in "Craft of Research" is the perfect formula for writing any piece of work, whether it is a research paper, lab report or rate of approval or disapproval. The very first chapter does indeed give the basics of writing a paper, but it goes much deeper than that. It's a step by step formula to achieve success. The book even gives helpful advice like asking a question to find the answer within the paper. Not only that but if the plan isn't working, the writer has the free will to make their own plan, keeping true to their identity.
ReplyDeleteIn this chapter, the author had many valid and strong point about how to write a research paper and through reading that chapter and analyzing each part it has definitely made me think that writing a research paper will be tough. The most interesting part to me was how the author talked about how even experienced research writers have trouble writing as well, even with all the experience they have. It makes me feel more confident to know that even experienced writers even have trouble sometimes, but they know what to expect unlike new writers. I plan to go into my first paper with an open mind and expect to hit tough spots but try to work around those things and do my best to write a successful paper, and hopefully learn what to do and not to do in my next paper.
ReplyDeleteAlthough the information given in "Craft of Research" is general, it is a major helpful stepping stone to use when writing any kind of paper. I have tried using outlines and not writing outlines for papers in the past, and have come to learn that by just writing an outline to organize thoughts it makes the paper writing so much easier and also generally results in a better paper over all. I personally felt that one of the most reassuring parts in this section was about how even experienced research writers have difficulty writing. This meant to me that it is important not to get discouraged, because although it may be hard it will be worth it in the end. This section will help me go into the first research paper with an open mind and a little more knowledge on how to prepare for beginning to write my paper.
ReplyDeleteJeffrey said:
ReplyDeleteThe decisive point that Jon Pratt elaborates about, on which the authors from The Craft of Research explained will greatly benefit the way one drafts a research paper. Just jumping from a topic to collecting data may seem like an easy task, and one not worth sweating over, but your readers want more than a mound of random facts. Beginning with a question will help guide your research for an answer to the problem brought up through the interrogating process. You want to intrigue not only yourself but your readers just as well. Also, starting a rough outline of your research paper is a beneficial way to spit down your main focus and points to include into your piece of writing. Having access to a rough outline as you begin to draw up your first draft will help you stay on the topic, hitting your main points, and not forgetting to answer your question that you drew up beforehand. Forgetting about what you want your reader to take away from your research paper will lead you into a problem, and if you go too far off topic, then you will have lost your audience. I have drafted outlines before and other times I did not think it was necessary to. I have witnessed how drafting an outline, kept me from just rambling on fact after fact, and instead hitting topics to help the reader better understand why /how this is the way it is. Some of you may think that drafting an outline is time consuming, but some sort of plan helps you write efficiently, and helps your readers read productively. To further my point, the book states: “an experienced carpenter just does not start sawing. They draw up a second plan, a rough blueprint for a first draft – maybe no more than a sketch of an outline.” So as you can see, draft plan after plan until you find one that works best for you.
Jessica Young said:
ReplyDeleteI feel that everyone has made a valid point in regards to developing a proper research plan. I, like Meghan and Stephen, often begin with outlines. It helps to organize my ideas to create a better paper. It also helps to eliminate those ideas and facts that are unnecessary. I do also agree with Kchappell, too. Some of the best research papers have been written without a specific plan. Ultimately, the decision lies with the writer whether to create a plan or just to "wing it". Just as described by the authors of The Craft of Research, as long as the paper has relevance to the audience and facts that prove your research, a plan essentially can be non- existent.
Jeffrey said,
ReplyDeleteThe decisive point that Jon Pratt elaborates about, on which the authors from The Craft of Research explained will greatly benefit the way one drafts a research paper. Just jumping from a topic to collecting data may seem like an easy task, and one not worth sweating over, but your readers want more than a mound of random facts. Beginning with a question will help guide your research for an answer to the problem brought up through the interrogating process. You want to intrigue not only yourself but your readers just as well. Also, starting a rough outline of your research paper is a beneficial way to spit down your main focus and points to include into your piece of writing. Having access to a rough outline as you begin to draw up your first draft will help you stay on the topic, hitting your main points, and not forgetting to answer your question that you drew up beforehand. Forgetting about what you want your reader to take away from your research paper will lead you into a problem, and if you go too far off topic, then you will have lost your audience. I have drafted outlines before and other times I did not think it was necessary to. I have witnessed how drafting an outline, kept me from just rambling on fact after fact, and instead hitting topics to help the reader better understand why /how this is the way it is. Some of you may think that drafting an outline is time consuming, but some sort of plan helps you write efficiently, and helps your readers read productively. To further my point, the book states: “an experienced carpenter just does not start sawing. They draw up a second plan, a rough blueprint for a first draft – maybe no more than a sketch of an outline.” So as you can see, draft plan after plan until you find one that works best for you.
I feel that this may not be the best method for preparing a research plan. In my opinion this particular method seems to focus more on using a five paragraph essay format which I feel really limits the writer on what they can cover. I feel that the best preparatory method to writing a research paper would be to write out important points first but not necessarily in a specific order so as to limit yourself in what you write.
ReplyDeleteFor me personally I like to do as little preparatory work as possible. Rather I feel that by immediately engaging in writing I am able to convey all of the ideas that I have as they come to me and try to build on the ones that I already have without trying to figure out new ideas later.
Jeffrey says,
ReplyDeleteThe decisive point that Jon Pratt elaborates about, on which the authors from The Craft of Research explained will greatly benefit the way one drafts a research paper. Just jumping from a topic to collecting data may seem like an easy task, and one not worth sweating over, but your readers want more than a mound of random facts. Beginning with a question will help guide your research for an answer to the problem brought up through the interrogating process. You want to intrigue not only yourself but your readers just as well. Also, starting a rough outline of your research paper is a beneficial way to spit down your main focus and points to include into your piece of writing. Having access to a rough outline as you begin to draw up your first draft will help you stay on the topic, hitting your main points, and not forgetting to answer your question that you drew up beforehand. Forgetting about what you want your reader to take away from your research paper will lead you into a problem, and if you go too far off topic, then you will have lost your audience. I have drafted outlines before and other times I did not think it was necessary to. I have witnessed how drafting an outline, kept me from just rambling on fact after fact, and instead hitting topics to help the reader better understand why /how this is the way it is. Some of you may think that drafting an outline is time consuming, but some sort of plan helps you write efficiently, and helps your readers read productively. To further my point, the book states: “an experienced carpenter just does not start sawing. They draw up a second plan, a rough blueprint for a first draft – maybe no more than a sketch of an outline.” So as you can see, draft plan after plan until you find one that works best for you.
Overall, I agree with the advice given by the authors. I believe that they had many valid points in this chapter. For every paper you write you should start out with some sort of plan. Personally, for our research papers, I start out with an outline of the paper, which includes each section of the paper and then a few sentences for each section.. By doing this, it helps me generate ideas and get the flow of my paper really started. After I create a general outline for my paper, that’s when I begin my rough rough draft and start putting all of my ideas together. -Kristi Quinn-
ReplyDeleteI have always been the type of writer to just write and not really have a plan. It makes sense to have a plan for your paper and to have a research question. However, when it came to research, I have always picked a topic that I wanted to learn more about and that was so narrow that I would have to change my paper. One of the biggest pieces of advice is to not let the plan box you in. I have done this in the past, and then I panic because I don’t know how to fix it. It’s important to keep an open mind about your paper and to let yourself get stuck.
ReplyDeleteRachel said:
ReplyDeleteI agree with what was said in the blog entry. Using an outline before you start writing your rough draft helps you get your paper organized before you start writing it as well as helps you get a sense of where you want your point to be with your paper. When you use an outline to first start your paper you can really take time to think what topics you want to add and what you want to take out of the paper. I agree that you should use an outline before you write all of your papers as well as even after you right your first rough draft you can rewrite your outline to make your paper even better.
I agree with the authors and Jonathan that having a plan before writing a paper is a very important step in the writing process. Having some kind of outline provides structure and balance for your paper. It makes writing easier in the sense that it helps the writer stay on topic and not wonder off into invalid information to the writers topic. It also helps the writer to make more concrete points with the information they planned to use. I also believe a first draft is important before writing a final paper. A rough draft allows the writer to see how their paper flows and allows them to fix any spelling or grammatical errors they may have made.
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