Megan Heller
Prior to reading this chapter whenever I chose a research topic it was based on "I feel like I can get a larger word count with this topic." This would prove to not be the case almost every time and I would be struggling to meet the word count anyway. This reading really put into perspective the importance of the process of choosing a research question. I never thought to put in any preliminary work in choosing a solid topic to talk about. By choosing controversial or open ended questions, it allows you to expand your paper by hitting points on your side and using counter arguments to aid your thesis. Making a point to ask yourself questions prior to writing also allows you to decide if you enjoy this topic and helps to get ideas flowing and at the same time helping to focus the question by narrowing your research.
Prior to reading this chapter whenever I chose a research topic it was based on "I feel like I can get a larger word count with this topic." This would prove to not be the case almost every time and I would be struggling to meet the word count anyway. This reading really put into perspective the importance of the process of choosing a research question. I never thought to put in any preliminary work in choosing a solid topic to talk about. By choosing controversial or open ended questions, it allows you to expand your paper by hitting points on your side and using counter arguments to aid your thesis. Making a point to ask yourself questions prior to writing also allows you to decide if you enjoy this topic and helps to get ideas flowing and at the same time helping to focus the question by narrowing your research.
Megan,
ReplyDeleteI, too, have found myself choosing a topic based on whether or not I could see myself reaching the word count with it. I don't think that this article completely disproves this as an effective method of choosing a topic, rather highlighting the importance of putting more forethought into the topics themselves to determine if there is enough interest and information to really expand on at least a single overarching idea (thus helping you meet the word count)
I also find myself picking topics that will lead me to a larger paper, based on how much information is available to me - preliminary work helps avoid this issue. Research is a key ingredient to good writing, and you seem to understand that concept entirely.
ReplyDeleteMegan,
ReplyDeleteI laughed at your comments about the word count, that's exactly what I go through with writing! I also agreed with you about the reading shining light on to the importance of the topic choosing process that I didn't even know existed beforehand.