1. Reading, Note- Taking, and Writing for Research Lynn W Zimmerman, PhD

2. Reading for Research  Start now.  Generate a list of key words for searching  See what key words authors use  Authors/works that are cited frequently may be worth reading.

3. How to Read Research  Read with this question in mind: How can I use this?  Articles  First read the abstract – does it look like the article is relevant to your topic?  Look at introduction and conclusion  Books  Look at Table of Contents, introduction and conclusion  Read!

4. Note-Taking  Start a research notebook (can be digital)  Record ideas as they come up.  Summarize interesting things you read for future reference.  Read back over your notebook periodically.  Record all citation information

5. Skeletal Paper  Alternative to a notebook  Create an outline of the paper to fill in as you read  Record all citation information

6. Writing  Learning to write well, requires writing.  Read books and articles that are well-written.  Writing letters and keeping a diary are good writing practice.  Know what you want to say and say it.  Figure out how to safe it concisely and coherently.  Writing is hard work and takes a long time.  Write well, but don’t be perfectionist.

7. Writing for Research  Writing down your ideas is the best way to organize them.  Start with the contents of your research notebook.  Start with the contents. Write the Introduction and Abstract after you know what the paper says.  Make sure your paper has an idea tying it together.  After you have written a section, edit it before moving on.  Carefully craft the abstract.  Don’t be afraid to cut and delete.

8. Using Comments  Writing research should not be a solitary activity. Get feedback form other people.  Pay attention to the comments and use the suggestions that strengthen your paper.  Critique other people’s work. It will help your writing.  Learn to offer “constructive criticism.”  For an early draft, solicit comments on content and organization  For a final draft, ask for comments on presentation

9. Comments on Content Elaborations on the ideas presented Things to think about Factual errors Missing information Potential problems Positive comments

10. Organizational Comments  Ideas out of order, at al levels  Impedes flow  Redundancy  Irrelevant content  Missing arguments

11. Comments on Presentation  Writing conventions  Punctuation  Spelling  Missing words  Duplicate words  Formatting  Justification  Indentions  Numbering

12. Presentations  You should focus on one ‘idea’ or ‘theme’  Hit the highlights – you won’t have time to everything you know about the topic  15-20 minutes – focus on the idea  30-45 minutes – give some background  60 minutes – present the idea in context

13. PowerPoint  Take at least 1 minute/slide  Don’t have too many slides  Use bullets  About 6 words/bullet point  About 6 bullet points/slide  Use visuals on slides to support not distract from what you are saying

14. Public Speaking Skills  You can learn to be a good public speaker.  Organize your talk as you would a paper  Introduction  Body  Conclusion  Watch how other people give talks  Copy their good behaviors  Ignore their poor behaviors  Ask a friend to watch you and critique you  Practice, practice, practice.