 |
Some people skip the "outline" part of the research writing process. They like to dive right into writing, and enjoy the idea of discovering verbal territories for their points as they go. I'm not one of these people -- I like to have a clear idea of how I'm going to get from one point to the next. Sometimes this is as informal as a scribbly diagram with arrows and tags for the sections to be developed, and in which order I think they should go. Alright, I confess, I also sometimes use colored markers.
But I digress. "Experts" will assure you a solid map for a discussion needs to include a central "statement" that expresses the essay's unifying concept (often called a "thesis"), and brief descriptions of the basic sections, the order in which they will be developed, with a clear understanding of how each section develops your thesis. Translation: write an outline. If you've written papers before, you probably have your own system that's a bit of a cross between the verbal diagram technique and the formal outline. However you handle the "mapping" section of the writing process, though - you'll need to review your research to figure out "what goes where." We used to call this part of the writing process the "notecard shuffle" - a funny bit where you sit in the middle of the room and sort through a stack of index cards, looking for the bits of information you've gathered that you want to include in your discussion. If you're working with index cards, this can be a long, cumbersome process -- vulnerable, I might add, to dogs that wander into the room and breezes from doors. If you're using a program like Citation, on the other hand, and you've been careful to enter all your highlighted passages as notecards (with keywords!), you'll be able to use the program to review all your research. You can find all the notes you've written on a topic you want to cover in the second section of your paper in a snap. You can write out notecards for sources and research notes dealing with specific aspects of your research project (using the keywords you've entered), and use your word processor to print a hard copy. That way you can sit in your favourite quiet spot, read over all your notes, and get your outline in good order - with indications of which excerpts to include and which sources best support your discussion.
|