Feature

The Fourth "R"

by Peter Zvalo

Teachers often emphasize the importance of the "three Rs"—reading, 'riting, and 'rithmetic. For people who earn a living through writing, as well as for those whose writing is a pastime, a solid grasp of the first two R's is indispensable. There is, however, a fourth "R" critical for writers—research.

For many of us, exposure to research came at an early age. Our first "project" in elementary school was basically an exercise in research methods. We learned about books, encyclopedias, the library's card catalogue, and the Dewey Decimal System. In later years, we were warned about the dangers of plagiarism. Other than these few hours of instruction, most people have received only a minimum of training in research methods.

In many university courses, term papers constitute a substantial portion of one's grade. Despite the heavy emphasis on research, many students lack the skills necessary to conduct effective research.

When I attended university, research was among the tasks I least liked. There were just too many forces working against me, I felt, to permit me to achieve the level of work that I knew I was capable of producing. Of course, it didn't help that I was a chronic procrastinator. This mistake meant that I was often left with whatever scraps of information were not already signed out from the university library. I learned the hard way that, no matter how good my writing, insufficient research translated into poorer grades.

My experience is that three main factors hinder the research component of writing projects:

• insufficient planning,
• preconceived ideas, and
• inability to investigate all possible information sources.

Insufficient Planning

Planning your research will reduce the stress that accompanies unwelcome surprises—such as when you find that none of your local libraries has the book you desperately need.

For most writing projects, planning the research component is simple. A writer who hires outside help to conduct research should discuss with the researcher the details of the subject matter, the writer's expectation of the finished product, and the writer's schedule for completing the project. As a writer, if you are conducting the research yourself, you should jot down the subjects that need to be researched, and develop a schedule of research milestones. By organizing the tasks of the research project into defined components, and by assigning target completion dates for each component, you will better determine how much time you need and avoid the last-minute rush to gather critical pieces of information.

Preconceived Ideas

Impartiality is the key to an objective discussion. The problem is that complete impartiality is almost impossible to achieve, especially when a topic generates emotional responses. Too often, writers have preconceived beliefs about a particular subject before they start to write; they use research only as a means of validating their opinions. They usually have a message to convey to their audience, and they don't want that message to be confused by facts. These writers are selective in their choice of information sources; they are likely to look only at sources that support their own beliefs.

To combat the problems associated with preconceived beliefs, writers should be flexible enough to take their written work into whatever direction the research supports. If the facts contradict the writer's previously held beliefs, the writer should view this situation as an opportunity to learn. In any event, it is up to the reader to formulate an opinion of what is right or wrong.

Recognizing the level of effort required to do proper research, many writers hire professional researchers. The professionals are more likely to be impartial to the issues surrounding the subject and to possess the skills to investigate sources of information unknown to the writer. The benefits of this arrangement are obvious. By conducting a careful inquiry into a chosen subject, the researcher presents the author with all the facts—even if they contradict the author's preconceived ideas. If the facts are strong enough—and the author is able to keep an open mind—the outcome of the research may dramatically alter the direction of the project.

Few writers—and even fewer students—can afford to hire outside help to do their research (and for students to do so would probably land them into trouble with the dean). Between minimal formal training and years of trial-and-error, most writers acquire enough research skills to get by. Nevertheless, for many writers, research continues to be a burdensome task.

Inability to Investigate Thoroughly

Research is an "investigation" of the facts. In this sense, the job of the researcher might be viewed as similar to that of a detective or private investigator. The information is out there, but it has to be uncovered. Uncovering information involves weeding through the masses of related information to focus on a specific topic. The sooner the topic can be isolated, the easier the search will be.

A principle of good financial management— diversification—can be applied to research. While diversification necessarily requires more time and effort, a good researcher will make liberal use of a variety of sources, both secondary (books and magazine articles written by reputable authorities, information stored in public archives, and information posted on the Internet) and primary (personal interviews with experts in the field). Presenting facts from different sources will add credibility to your work, and provide greater insight into the subject under study.

There are many different ways of sorting through information. Before computerized searches were commonplace, search tools were rather limited: the starting point of most secondary research involved a library's card catalogue and a work such as the Canadian Periodical Index. Another good source was, and continues to be, people. Interviewing subject-matter experts brings originality to the written work and might introduce a new idea that changes the direction of your project. Interviewing is best left as the last tool used during a project, after you have done your homework and read what the experts have already written.

Today, electronic searching eliminates most of the time-consuming (and often frustrating) hunts for information. Among the best starting points are Internet search engines such as Yahoo, Lycos, and AltaVista. With the plethora of information now available on the Internet—and more being added each day—these search engines have become indispensable tools. While no search engine is perfect, each one attempts to inject at least a semblance of order into the anarchy of cyberspace. The good news for researchers is that search engines do automatically in seconds what would take a human being hours, or even days, to complete. Periodically, the search engine dispatches programs (called Web crawlers) to every site that can be identified on the Web. The Web crawlers download and examine the Web pages and extract various bits of information, such as frequently used words and phrases, that can be used to describe the pages. Because each search engine uses different criteria for indexing Web sites, each search engine will yield slightly different search results; be sure to make use of several of the more popular ones.

A further time-saving tool is the Boolean search. Most Internet search engines, as well as on-line card catalogues, allow Boolean searches. By specifying words and word combinations that are either required or prohibited from appearing in the search results, you can more accurately pinpoint matches that correspond to a specific area of interest. For example, adding a "+" sign between the words "police" and "sting" instructs the search engine to find only those sites in which both words appear. Similarly, a hyphen between the words "python" and "monty" excludes sites dealing with monty python, in theory at least. In the near future, look for new search engines that provide on-screen visual tools, such as check-boxes, and other, friendlier searching methods, to help users find information. (AltaVista already provides a new search interface called LiveTopics, an innovative flow-chart-based search method. It's easier and more fun to use than trudging through the Boolean path.)

When the bulk of your research originates from the Internet, it is especially important to substantiate your facts with reputable books. Because posting information on the Internet allows the originator to remain anonymous, verifying the accuracy and authenticity of the information is problematic. Consequently, it is best to use the Internet as a starting point in a research project. (Many sites provide useful bibliographic references as well as links to other, related sites.) The credibility of your work will stand on the strength and reputation of the information sources used.

Limitations

With the vast information sources now available, it is important to know which sources to use with confidence and which to use with caution. The novelty of the Internet, while exciting, also brings certain problems that have yet to be resolved. For example, no single convention has yet been established for citing sources originating on the Web. Attempts have been made to standardize for Web references, among them the Web Extension to American Psychological Association Style (WEAPAS). At present, however, the best rule is to pick a standard that makes sense for your purposes and to use it consistently in footnotes and bibliographies. (The WEAPAS site has several links to other sites that describe standards for citing references to Web documents.)

Another problem is that, even if you do a first-rate job of citing your Web sources, there is no guarantee that the site referred to will still be there in a month or two. That's why it is best to avoid what appear to be "fly-by-night" sites—if possible, use sources belonging to established organizations (such as university, government, or corporate home pages). Referencing the Web sites of well-known institutions will reduce the likelihood that the information is plagiarized, which will, in turn, make your report more credible.

By using a combination of printed, on-line, and primary sources, a properly planned research project can yield impressive results. With solid information on which to draw, the writer is free to concentrate on the task of consolidating the data and crafting the words to produce the finished product.