Week 15 Reflection
Name
Institution
Week 15 Reflection
This class taught me valuable lessons regarding the process of writing a research project. Before taking the course, I used to feel intimidated by writing research projects, especially the long ones. I used to fumble around with ideas and my projects would usually appear disorganized. However, this class taught me the right step-by-step process of how to approach research projects.
I learned that before embarking on writing a research paper, one has to clearly understand the assignment. This entails understanding the required length, whether one is free to choose a topic of their own, or whether the topic has been assigned. The next step is selection of the topic to be studied. I learned that, when selecting a topic, one should go for a topic that is interesting, one that they fully understand, or a topic that they can easily research on.
The next step is usually carrying out the initial planning, investigation, and outlining. The writer should write down the nature of the audience that they intend to target in their research project, the ideas or information that they already possess, the sources that they intend to consult, and the background reading that they are supposed to do. A rough outline should then be drawn to act as a guide for the research process. The outline acts as the skeleton that informs the writer on their next course of action.
The fifth step when writing a research project is accumulation of the materials that will be used in the research writing process. These materials or sources can either be primary sources or secondary sources. One of the best practices that I learned from this course regarding the accumulation of research materials is the practice of using cards or Microsoft Excel files to organize the research materials. This process should begin with the organization of the bibliography followed by the organization of notes. The next step would be arranging the notes under the main headings of the tentative outline.
The final step of writing a research project is the actual writing of the paper. This step is guided by the outline that was made in a previous step. The writer should ensure that they write fluently, capturing the flow of ideas. When the whole paper has been done, the writer should proofread the paper to ensure that there are no grammatical errors or mistakes. At this step, the paper should also be checked to ensure that all the needed information has been researched. The introduction and conclusion parts should be reworked if need be.