The Field's Research Guide

1. Pick a general topic. Is there a particular concept that has always interested you? Did you recently come across an article that intrigued you? Brainstorm a few ideas that you might want to explore - you don’t need to have a specific question in mind just yet. It’s best to pick a topic that interests you as it will make the research process enjoyable!

 

2. Read background information. When beginning the research process, use tertiary sources (sources that compile information from other sources) to collect background information on the subject you’re interested in. You may consider consulting with your school librarian for introductory sources related to your topic of interest. Alternatively, Google Scholar or Google Books are good places to begin finding online sources for formal research. For more specific articles or journals, check out the websites linked under “Utilize online resources” below.​

• Google Scholar -  https://scholar.google.co.uk/

• Google Books -  https://books.google.com/

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3. Construct a research question. Now that you have conducted preliminary research, you should have a solid understanding of relevant issues surrounding your research topic. Narrow down your topic to focus on a specific debate or phenomenon. Your research question should be debatable, with defensible arguments existing that support or oppose your argument.

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​4. Construct an argument. When constructing a good argument, it is vital to keep in mind that your argument must be contestable, meaning that a rational person could reasonably disagree with the point you make. To ensure your argument is contestable, consider opposing viewpoints and identify potential counterarguments that could be made against your claim. Highlighting the potential weaknesses in your argument and can also help you build up a stronger argument, as you consider ways to contest the counterarguments. Additionally, your argument must be validated by reasoning and evidence. You should gather the evidence to support your assertion can be by conducting research, which you can learn more about in Step 5 and Tips for Finding Sources. Essentially, remember a good argument is plausible, contestable, and supported by other information or logic.

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5. Read detailed sources to respond to your question and write your paper. Consider the tips below:

 

TIPS FOR FINDING SOURCES:

➢ Define key terms and narrow search results. After conducting your initial research, identify a few key terms that you would like to further explore. When searching online, use quotation marks around these terms or phrases to find more specific information. Let’s say you are planning to write about the British Museum’s refusal to return the Parthenon sculptures to Greece. In this instance, rather than searching up British Museum Parthenon sculptures, which yields over 2 million search results, you might search "British Museum Parthenon sculptures" (with the quotation marks), which yields around 4000 search results.

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➢ Utilize online resources. There are filtered search engines available to find academic articles and journals. For instance, the Website CORE provides open access to certain research papers. Or, the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) provides free access to academic journals and articles published around the world. JURN also provides access to academic articles and books.

• CORE: https://core.ac.uk/

• DOAJ: https://doaj.org/

• JURN: https://www.jurn.link/#gsc.tab=0

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➢ Find sources from specific websites. You can search for articles from a specific website if you enter site:[website link] after your key terms into your google search. For example, if you wanted to learn more about articles the New York Times has written about NFTS, you could search NFT site:nytimes.com.

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TIPS FOR ORGANIZING SOURCES:

➢ Identify important information. Start a Microsoft Word Document or Google Doc specifically for the sources you use for your research on this topic. Insert links of sources and copy quotations of passages from the source that are relevant to your topic. Make sure to use quotations so you know someone else wrote those words! This will provide a quick overview of key information from your sources.

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➢ Cite sources efficiently. Zotero is a desktop app and free Chrome extension. It can create citations directly from the website which is particularly helpful for large research projects with more than 10 sources. Here is a tutorial:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JG7Uq_JFDzE

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TIPS FOR WRITING:

➢ Structure your paper. Your paper should include:

1. An introduction, which should introduce your topic, present your research question,

   and set forth your argument.

2. A number of body paragraphs, which should support your argument with evidence,

   analysis, and reasoning.

3. A conclusion, which should revisit your research question and argument.

   Furthermore, your conclusion should briefly revisit how your paper supported your argument, and the significance of your argument in a modern context. Why does your argument matter?

 

Put each one of those points on a checklist, like the way you would for a task on a task list. You can also add sub-categories under the big ones to plan out the essay in an even more detailed manner. This approach will assist you in keeping track of sections you have written and those you have yet to write, and provide a clear big picture of your essay’s structure.

           ➢ For example, if you would like to write about how an artist’s reputation can impact the price of an artwork, you                    may want to present two case studies that demonstrate changes in public perception after learning a known artist                    created a particular piece. In that case, your structure may look like: Introduction, Case Study 1, Case Study 2, and                Conclusion.

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➢ Have another set of eyes read over your work. Sometimes it may be hard to spot confusing parts in our content from our own perspective. Find a teacher or trusted classmate to read over your piece and offer advice. While grammatical accuracy is important, you may want to ask for feedback on the flow of the essay and the clarity of your argument. You can also email us at support@thefieldjournal.org for help on improving your essay!

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