Academic Research, A Starting Point:
Water

The White Rabbit put on his spectacles. 'Where shall I begin, please your Majesty?' he asked.
'Begin at the beginning,' the King said gravely, 'and go on till you come to the end: then stop.'
~Lewis Carroll, 'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'

Every research project has to start somewhere.

Where do you start?

You may be working alone, or in a group.

  • If you are working as part of a group, the first step is to get together with all group members, and discuss your project.
  • You may have been given parameters, such as intended audience, page-length constraint, or you may need to make a presentation. You will need to discuss the details among yourselves, divide up the tasks fairly, and agree on a method of communication.


    • Get Organized...

    • ...whatever that means to you. You need to have a system that will allow you to find your information when you need it. This can be especially important if you are given to the last-minute method of producing a research project. You don't want to waste your time wading through unorganized information. You may be amazed at how much stuff you have amassed by the end of the project.

     

    Next

    The Research Outlines:

    We chose to use "water" as an example topic. Each subtopic will explore research from two different approaches:

    Plan A

    – When you have time to do comprehensive research and explore more resources.

    Plan B

    – When you don't have much time, and need to find the quickest, best way to research your project.

    Water Science (Science)