Effective Research: Gathering Credible Sources

RESEARCHING THE TOPIC YOU HAVE CHOSEN RESEARCHING THE TOPIC YOU HAVE CHOSEN You are now prepared to start investigating the subject because you have a research question, a title, and a hypothesis. You've probably already done some preliminary reading by this stage. However, the actual process of acquiring sources will now get underway.. Maintaining copies and records of all the information you gather is crucial. To store copies of the electronic sources you get, you should make a folder on your computer. You should also make a folder for all physical materials and photocopies of them. To avoid having to go back later, get all the bibliographical information while you are conducting your study. Nothing is more annoying than having to spend hours looking up the bibliographical details of sources you already own. The specific details you need to provide in your bibliography for each type of source are outlined in Tutorial Letter 102/3/2021. ‘working bibliography’ as you do your research – do not postpone this until you start writing the text. Create a note-taking strategy that works for you. It needs to be rational and methodical. Keep a research diary or literature review where you can summarize the key points of each source that you intend to include in your research report (with citations so you can refer back to them later). Try to express your understanding of the content and put the information into your own words. Consider your research question at all times. Based on your comprehension and interpretation of the important concepts and ideas presented in the text and how they connect to your research question and hypothesis, compose your notes.. This will help to ensure that you find a use for your notes within the structure of your research report. To prevent plagiarism later, it is beneficial to paraphrase the content in your own terms while you take notes. Make a note of it if you do use straight quotes from the source. To the last detail, quotes must be true. To avoid accusations of plagiarism, you must explicitly state that you are quoting when writing the research paper. Additionally, you must mention the precise page or paragraph number in the pertinent source where you located the quote.. Keep all of your original notes and previous drafts of your assignment, please. These can come in handy if you accidentally delete something on your PC. Maintain backups as well. RESEARCHING THE TOPIC YOU HAVE CHOSEN It's crucial to understand what sources to look for and how to identify credible, pertinent information right away. Types of sources We make a distinction between main and secondary sources (more on that immediately below). You must consult a wide range of sources. You must review all pertinent secondary materials (books, journal articles, and online resources) as well as the primary sources (the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996, legislation, and case law) that are appropriate. Even stranger sources like videos, interviews, etc. are acceptable. Avoid relying excessively on sources from the Internet. You are expected to consult the preliminary sources listed for (the majority of) the topics in this module. These sources must be used, but you cannot limit your research to them. You must locate, read, and incorporate new sources into your research paper.