Going Deep

I really could not write this blog post until now. The questions posed by the Curious Researcher as to what type of a researcher I am is a thought that had never really occurred to me before, and it was a thought that I wanted to examine throughout the week before I really answered it.

Not only have I been researching heavily for this upcoming research essay, but I have also been doing extensive research for my UF 100 class. I am taking the Invention and Discovery class, where we choose an invention and research the history of the world through the eyes of this invention. We are asked to look at the history behind this invention, major people involved, technological advances made, along with a whole host of other questions and put in into a presentation that we will submit at the end of the semester.

As I researched for this class and my UF 100 class, I would say that I feel I am much more of a deep diver. When it comes to researching a topic I spend a lot of time evaluating sources and searching for the best ones. I don't like to spend a lot of time reading introductory research; I would rather go the meat and potatoes. I am not afraid of sources that use jargon that I do not understand. The articles just take longer to read and are frequently assaulted by my pen as I scribble in the definitions to words I don't understand. If my sources don't seem extremely credible when I won't use them. I don't really care what side the research supports, I just want it to be the best research.

I loved the section that included the research tips, like the Google search tips and the explanation of the organizational system of the library. I volunteered frequently in my town's public library, so I understood the Boolean system well, but the organizational system of my town's public library differs radically from the Albertsons Library. I also really appreciated the flowchart for evaluating online sources. It is super easy to follow and gave me a more comprehensive list of criteria to look out for. It even brought up a couple of points I had never thought of before, such as looking for author credentials.

I am really looking forward to further applying this new-found knowledge to my research routine. I know that these skills are going to help me in all aspects of my college career.