Researcher's Notes: Your Journal

 

I was thinking whether or not to write on this topic, some might consider it too basic, instead that's what gave me motivation. We tend to ignore doing what we think is too basic.

Today's blog is about another version of blogging - writing your own research notes into your journal.

It's never too late to begin one whether you're a student who just entered college or if you're already at the year when you are about to begin your thesis writing.

I suggest getting a nice notebook, one you're comfortable with. I use an MS Word file linked to my MS Online account since I have chicken scratches masquerading as handwriting.

This becomes your journal or research notes. Name it, like, The Journal of Ronald Castillo or Castillo's Research Notes.

NOTE: Never share this special notebook to anyone. The thoughts you write there can and will become your future researches.

Jot down your observations, reflections every time you encounter a piece of news that's interesting to you. Mark the date and even time when you make an entry,

Just jot them down. No need to fret about composing your sentences. They can be phrases or short sentences or even a scribble of interconnected words (these can become conceptual maps!).

As you go on you will notice that your phrases become sentences.

Your terms become full ideas.

You begin to jot down puzzles and questions.

You begin to jot down possible answers.

You might even be able to find possible ways to prove your possible answer.

All these become building blocks of your future researches, for researches are works of proving ideas.

All these become building blocks for your publications, for publications are works of organizing and sharing your ideas.

Sometimes, you can even copy an entry in your journal and then refer to it in your thesis. I've seen published articles of social scientists who went on immersions, jotted their notes, and referred to these notes in their manuscript.

So, go and get your notebook and start making entries.

Check out our MTG card quote for today. See the quote at the bottom of the card.

Image copyrighted to Wizards of the Coast https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=571369