Okay, so I have finally reached the beginning of the end of my research segment, which is great. I tend to research excessively at the start of a research assignment and take notes as I go. I then colour code and divide all of the information into sections, which then creates the basis for my paper's paragraphs/sub-topics.
I've spent everyday at the library for the past 3 weeks, reading a lot and making lots of notes. So far I have read 115 sources (articles, books, documentaries, etc.) and have summarized them into 62 pages of single spaced notes. Today I finished colour coding and segmenting these notes into a more concise and relevant 31 pages of notes. From here, I will again re-sort my notes within each category and hopefully start writing. I will take the weekend to think about it all and come back fresh Monday morning to sort out the theory segment of the paper which will hopefully help me sort out how I will outline my assignment and content. Once I have this finalized, I can finally submit a new outline for what I intend to do, and hopefully write the bulk of it within the next few weeks thereafter.
Thanks!
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Sounds like you are making good progress. Did we talk about Zotero, a Firefox plug-in that allows you to keep track of citations, note taking, tagging and also generate bibliography etc. The way you organized information is very systematic, but it is not easy for future re-use and retrieval.
ReplyDeleteYou may also want to try mapping out your topics in a diagram, either using pan and paper or using mapping software. I find this process extremely helpful in seeing connections of topics/subtopics, or spotting missing areas.
Look forward to seeing your new outline.