Organize Your Thoughts and Draft Structures
In a new article, Social Sciences Correspondent Melissa Parnagian shares tips on navigating research assignments effectively. The article does not delve into the importance or benefits of outlines, but instead focuses on their practical application.
Parnagian begins by emphasising the role of outlines in research assignments. She suggests crafting a concise, clear outline at the outset to save time and reduce stress. However, she advises against including description, analysis, and expanded context in this initial outline.
The article then moves on to discuss three different topics. The first, "Frankensteining my Thesis: Writing Without an Outline", offers insights into writing a thesis without an outline, a approach that Parnagian warns may lead to a disjointed final product.
The second topic, "Behind on Independent Work? Tips for the Final Push", provides strategies for managing time and completing independent work on time, particularly in the context of a Senior Thesis or a Junior Paper (JP).
The third and final topic, "Thanking Your Mentors: Tips on Writing Your Research Paper Acknowledgements", offers advice on acknowledging the contributions of mentors in a research paper, specifically in the context of a Junior Paper (JP).
Parnagian suggests limiting the outline to a single sheet of paper or a small piece of paper. She advises that an outline should include just enough evidence so that you don't have to search through articles during the writing process. However, she also acknowledges that research may require reorganising the outline or even redoing it entirely.
Lastly, Parnagian suggests explaining the correlation between the statistics/quotes and the thesis later on, rather than including it in the outline itself.
With these practical tips, Parnagian aims to help researchers streamline their research process, making it more manageable and less stressful. Her last publication was in 2014.
