RESEARCH SKILLS
Making the connection between reading and writing
Research is searching carefully, with a method, so that you can answer a question. It is wider than finding out a fact and more focused than reading widely around a subject.
People who get the most out of their research:
Make time for it
Enjoy it and play with it
Look everywhere for ideas
Constantly ask questions
(from the British Library website - www.bl.uk)
Explore the British Library website for more good ideas about creative research and thinking skills.
Avoid the 'Cut and Paste' Method
The fancy word for this is 'plagiarism'. The short word for it is lazy. Either way, it is not going to do you any good. Instead, you need to find a way of summarising the main ideas your own words as you read, and to keep track of whose ideas you are using so that you can give them the credit for thinking of it first.
Resources
There are many websites that help you develop research skills. Here are some links that may be useful …
Guide to Writing a Research Paper
Summarising Strategies Strengthen Learning
Children With Inquiring Minds Need Report Writing Strategies