Left to their own devices, kids won’t probably do their own research if it does not involve a homework or school assignment. They’d much rather play or watch television, instead. But instilling the need to research for added knowledge can become a habit if you start them young, and it will definitely benefit them as they grow older and go to college and start working. There is a wealth of information out there waiting to be utilized; it would be a pity if kids ignore them because they associate research merely with schoolwork.

One thing you can do is get them to research on something they are really interested in, like a movie or book character or even a toy. Go beyond the usual ads which Hollywood or bookstore blurbs feed you. Have them research what the author or illustrator or scriptwriter or director had in mind while fleshing out these characters, and what inspired them to create them in the first place. The more kids learn about them, the more interested they will get; so much so that there might come a day when they look forward to every bit of trivia they can get about these toys, movie or book characters.

You can also set up a small library at home that is stocked with reference materials, such as encylopedia, thesaurus, atlases, maps, newspapers, magazines, and dictionaries. When kids have a physical place they can treat as a “reference station” in pretty much the same way they would at school, they can easily get into the habit of going there and consulting the books and other materials for answers even at home. Try to wean the kids off the habit of getting everything on the Internet, which aren’t easily verifiable. Encourage them to read printed matter more, and set an example by doing it yourself.

It’s also good to put up an inspiration cork board or message board with “questions of the day/week” they can be inspired to answer in their own way. It can be fun and interactive instead of stodgy and boring. Kids love this kind of filling-in-the-blanks activity especially if it involves pictures and other colorful visual aids. For instance, you can post the question “How is a rainbow made?” and give them a couple of days to answer it using pictures, diagrams, text, and other ways.

Then reward them for good work with treats or extra hours of play time. Good work must always be rewarded, and even if the answers aren’t exactly what you were expecting, you have to correct them properly and not castigate them. Doing the latter will only make your kids associate research with punishment or shame. Patiently explain where some improvements can be made and some answers corrected, and try to arrive at a better answer together.

In previous posts, we’ve identified cramming as one of the don’ts of effective research. Even seasoned students and professional researchers fall prey to the “C” word now and then. Sleep is such a sweet thing, and procrastination is like a drug when the stresses of research work seem overwhelming. So, how do you steer clear of cramming?

For starters, you can properly schedule tasks ahead of time, and make sure to add ample periods for resting and unwinding so you don’t have to “loan” time reserved for work.

If you are in school, stick to the course curriculum, or ask your adviser for a workable time frame for both of you. It would be best if you incorporate consultation times in the schedule, as well. This will keep your work constantly on the course of your targeted research output, with approval and guidance from your adviser.

Then, make sure to start on the most important topics of your research, first. This could include data that requires more effort to collect, collate, and analyze. Also, broad topics with many references can be summarized first for effective assimilation. You can work on these first so they can serve as notes for other sub-topics you need to work on.

Make maintenance studying a habit. Many people tend to think that giving their notes and references a cursory glance every now and then already counts as “reviewing”. Setting a schedule in the same way as quarterly examinations are set can give you the kind of edge many crammers tend to overlook: you will be more prepared for unexpected questions that can crop up in the course of your research because you would have internalized your notes. We ended up consulting los angeles web design firm about new technologies for research. One idea this internet consultancy came up with was to use techniques for jogging memory using anchors. This technique is an old mnemonics trick the greeks used, worth looking into.

Also, don’t fall for the romanticized notion of cramming! Even if your school pals have made it a habit to meet up at the corner coffee shop in the wee hours, sipping cup after cup of espresso and chain-smoking to keep them going, it is best to recognize this as NOT healthy. Work normal hours on your research instead, and you’ll soon learn to integrate it into your daily schedule as you would showering, preparing a meal, and other everyday chores.

Learn to ask questions early on. If you are part of a group doing research, don’t be shy about asking a pal to explain things that are not clear to you. And of course, there is your adviser who is there for that very purpose. Clarifying things early on in the research will save you a lot of time and trouble getting your work to hold water in the future. Arm yourself with questions that need asking, and make sure to take down notes properly to save as reference. Be humble enough to recognize that you will need help with your research somewhere down the road, and you’ll be spared from the horrible task of cramming for the answers yourself.

Conducting research entails tools and methods to keep the process efficient and coming up with the best results. In past posts, we discussed the best ways to achieve this. In today’s post, we will take a look at the things you must avoid doing if you expect to have good research processes.

Don’t forget to sleep. Sleep is not only refreshing, but it fuels your brain to function at its best. So if you think pulling all-nighters is a good idea to put in more hours of research, think again.

Don’t do things at the last minute. As mentioned in past posts, research has to have a fine-tuned system involving time, process, and methods. You have to invest in time to think ahead and have enough periods to revise, review, and see if everything comes together. Putting things off at the last minute will not result in a coherent (much less confident) research data.

Don’t come up with non-specific and general questions. Research requires thoroughness and precise data. If you are conducting surveys and interviews, you can’t go around asking people general and vague questions and hope that something of value comes up. Take some time writing down the questions which can really support your research, and make them as specific and focused as possible.

Don’t keep your records disorganized and non-filed. You will be coming up with a lot of files in the course of your research. Organize a system which can show you what you have worked on in a chronological manner. Don’t just dump notes, printed matter, photos, books, survey papers, and other pertinent data in one envelope or file box. Take some time organizing them so you can refer to them easily, and see any glaring discrepancies you can remedy right away. And if you’re saving things electronically, always back up your data so you don’t lose anything.

Don’t deviate from the format you have to present your research in. Whether it is at university or at work, your research has to stay within the parameters which your supervisor or adviser has given you. Stick to the format, word length, methodology, presentation, etc. These not only make it easier for panelists and authorities to review your research, but can also serve as guide to you on how to go about presenting your work.

Don’t forget to acknowledge the help you got along the way. In any printed or exhibited research, you can expect to find the “thank yous” at the start of the page or at the beginning of a presentation. This is because acknowledging the help you have gotten in the course of research is very important. This is especially true if your research was funded by a certain group, and if other people had to go out of their way to help you. Just make a list of everyone who has supported and aided you in any way, and don’t worry if it becomes a long list.

An awesome article from Health-e-Solutions is called Health-e-Tip Brain Food How to Eat Smart. It tells you how to eat smart in order to prepare for an examination or a rigorous research session, especially if you’re planning to pull an all-nighter. Feeding your brain is only logical, as we feed our bodies in order for all parts to function properly. If the brain is expected to work properly, care must be taken to consume the right kind of food to stimulate it and keep it healthy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In this regard, it is not a good idea to just tank up on coffee or other stimulants while doing intensive brain-work like researching. It will be like the mental version of crash dieting, and it will not do you any good to do so. The secret is in fueling up, but with the right kinds of food, and in the proper amounts, too.

First of all, what kind of food should be avoided? Too many sugar-laden treats, for one (and that includes coffee drinks!). Memory impairment is often associated with high levels of blood sugar coupled with an intensive task that requires brain work. So if you are planning to hit the books and doing some serious reading and thinking, it’s best if you skip dessert for the time being.

How do you get the kind of glucose which the brain needs to function, then? Your best bet would be to eat fresh fruit. This keeps a steady supply of glucose to the brain and keeps your weight down at the same time. Keeping your weight down, believe it or not, has a huge effect on how alert or sluggish you will feel while trying to accomplish cognitive tasks.

Remember what everyone says about fish being brain food? It’s true, especially of deep-sea fish rich in Omega-3 fatty acids, such as tuna. Along with nuts and seeds, these types of fish have been proven to contribute to a healthy adult brain, and even warding off depression and other mental illnesses.

 

In an article called Dissertation Research Plan Complete Guide, the author mentions several helpful tips on how a student can manage his time and come up with effective research methods.

The first advice is all about proper time management. The author encourages the student to evaluate the amount of time needed for completing each task in the research. To do this, it is important to consult a calendar and come up with a chart mapping all the days and weeks needed for research, writing the paper, and preparing for other tasks.

It is important to be practical about allotting time for each task, as it should be directly proportional to its difficulty. This way, you can focus and concentrate on each task and not get distracted by others at a certain period. Once you have assigned the tasks on certain dates, be sure to leave some time for reviews and revisions.

It is also a good idea to come up with expectations for the day and the week, and to cross out attainable goals as soon as you have accomplished them. This way, you can gauge which tasks need more time, and you can adjust your calendar to accommodate them.

The second advice focuses on research methods.

 

The first is called the quantitative investigation method because it focuses on the collation of data and other sources which can help you write your paper. Some samples of this method include questionnaires, compilation of facts and figures pertaining to the topic, coming up with theories, models, and hypotheses, and assessing results.

The second is called the qualitative investigation method because it helps you come up with a tighter, more streamlined research. You can whittle away the stuff you don’t need and expound on those which can help strengthen your paper. Some activities which fall under this method are focus group discussions, participative observation, and interviews of resource persons.