Chapter 1 | Getting Started

Chapter 1 is the first segment of “Joining the Conversation”, which focuses on how to begin your research writing project. The author goes through appropriate tips and techniques for how to effectively write a research paper.  To start, it is crucial to choose a topic that you will enjoy learning about, be invested in, and ideally even have some personal experience with.  Although personal experience is not necessary, it can help give insights into your topic that can be useful in defining a viewpoint.  Some tools suggested to help generate ideas for your topic and ultimately identify a subject ideally suited for you are brainstorming, freewriting, looping, and clustering.  Once a topic is decided upon, it is then suggested to create a project timeline to help keep you on track and meet your deadline.  Another key tip is to have a methodical way to track the information you are gathering, or at least keep all the information in one place, such as a notebook, notecards, or computer file.  As you begin the research process, it is important to keep an eye out for what your position on the topic will be, in addition to who your reader is.  The tone in which you present your research is important to define as well, as it is critical to connecting with your audience.

For me, the most important take away for our project is to choose a topic that you have a natural interest in.  This will really help fuel your research and keep the process fun!  I loved the guy who chose the re-insurgence of metal music as his focus, so got to go to concerts for research.