A student may be overwhelmed by the amount of writing needed to do for a thesis or academic research paper, and may not want to add extra writing to this responsibility. So we may be asked the question:
Why should I keep a research journal?
There are lots of different terms to describe the same thing, depending on the faculty that the student is enrolled in. It may be a research journal or research log or research diary or Ph.D research diary or research notebook or scientific journal or lab notebook. The point is to keep some record of the different steps taken to find the data and other materials that have been used for the project. We may answer the student’s question by saying:
It saves time.
Even if students think they are taking extra time to note down things about their research, if they ever need to go back and find sources or keywords, a research journal will have all that information readily available. Also, if the student forgets how an element of data or information was meant to be used in the thesis or research paper, a research journal should remind us of the original context. As months go by, we sometimes might forget an important and useful article we have read, and a research journal will help us locate it again quickly. The student may reply:
How will keeping a research journal make my thesis or research paper better?
We may reply:
It will help you to avoid plagiarism.
Research journals should include the source of information used in a paper. It is less likely that data will be cited without the proper source if a research journal has been consulted by the student. The research journal will indicate what sections of any publication are intended to be quoted in the student’s work. The student may still not be convinced, and may wonder:
How should a research journal be formatted?
We may answer:
That depends on how you prefer to work.
If the student is always online and is comfortable with handling Word documents, then the research journal can be a Word document with notes added each day when the student does more research. If the student wants something ever higher tech, then there are many research journal apps that can be downloaded for free. If in doubt, just Google the words research journal app and choose whatever suits the project best. Some students do not like to be in front of a computer all the time, and actually like to use an old-style bound volume and write on paper. Whatever suits the student’s personal preference is the best. Of course, it is possible to lose a bound paper notebook, and that could set back any research project. For that reason, a Word document carefully copied onto a Cloud service such as Dropbox may be the safest approach to keeping a research journal. The student can be sure that it will not suddenly disappear, or if there is a problem locating it for any reason, it should be possible to find it quickly. The student’s next concern may be:
What should I put in a research journal?
- Research journals contain such information as what library database or online search engine was used to find data. If the student is aware of the procedure used to find data, then for any reason if the search has to be repeated, this becomes much easier.
- Keywords used in searching are also worth noting down, whether they were helpful or not. If they are not productive, then it is useful to know that, to avoid spending time using them again.
- Note sources that will be used in the research project, with relevant information. If possible, save the source itself as well. If the student has the sources, there will be no need to go back and try to hunt for them again. That should save some time as well.
- Most citation management programs allow researchers to make personal notes or observations. These can service as reminders to the student about what to do with a given source.
It may seem obvious, but once the notes are made, it helps to reread them. When students read the notes they have taken, they become more aware of what they were thinking during a specific part of their research and they are less likely to forget about important details. It is not necessary to read the notes all the time, but maybe once a week can help as a quick reminder.
(All images courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)