by Jacob Woods

Created on: September 18, 2011

Gathering research material is similar to brainstorming. It can be a tornado inside one’s head as well as more concretely on one's working office space. And rightly so; the process of gathering research information needs to be a bit disorganized. It follows the age old rule, things will always get worse before they get better.

Research material will come from a variety of places. Disregarding what you are researching, keep in mind that you will be grabbing information from many sources. Library books, documentaries, movies, interviews, scholarly university data bases, Google Scholar, Wikipedia, you name it. If you are rather nerdy, don’t be surprised if you pop a “nerd boner”. This is not intended to be sexual. Basically, research can be very stimulating and exciting for an intellectual.

The process of collecting material will be easier with an open and chuckled mind. The key is to grab a bunch of notecards and keep them alphabetized. Be sure to keep an APA format or the more commonly used MLA format guidline sheet next to you. This will help you cite your sources. Even if your research doesn’t demand citation, it is good to get in the practice of always citing your sources with one of the two formats.

When scanning material you will find that not all material consumed will be put into your final product. You want to be selective in what you chose to highlight as relevant material. Every time you come across a bit of information you think you could use, write it down and cite where you found it. When you come back to it in your compilation of note cards, you can recall where you found it. Remember, even if you write it down, it doesn’t mean you have to use it. But you will always have the reference. Be sure to alphabetize by the title of the source. If it is a book called Psychological Methods for Evolutionary Psychologists, organize it under P.

Do this with all the information you consume. Be careful again. Don’t try to consume all the information on your subject. If you have a documentary you find interesting, don’t watch the whole thing. Instead, jump to specific portions of the documentary that are relevant to your topic. This applies to large books as well. Don’t read the whole book; read portions relevant to your research. Write down the pieces you find interesting and add it to your not cards.

For interviews and primary sources, be sure to organize them by names. Not all information in an interview will be used either. Be sure to take a broad range of notes and marks for interviews. Use what you need and add it alphabetically to the name of the person you interviewed. This will help keep important information in a convenient spot.

These tips for gathering research and keeping it organized are what many college students and academics are trained to use. Though approaches may vary depending on the person’s style to conducting thorough research and organizing lots of data into an end product. These tips can help if used.

Learn more about this author, Jacob Woods.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.