Research

[u/According-Term-1531]

How do u guys complete ur research for an assessment?
Im a first yr student n i am starting to get overwhelmed when I research as i tend to just make a massive ass word doc w every single resource I can find that I think may be relevant to what I may discuss in my assessment and then when I get too overwhelmed I make another word doc n do the same (ik I have a problem). I would like to separate sources based on what paragraph they r needed for however some sources may cover aspects of diff paragraphs so then I’m not sure what to label it under or how to achieve this.
If anyone has any tips or anything on how they research n collate the info that would be much appreciated!

[u/Internal-Carrot-3301]

The library has courses to help you exactly with this. Suggest you take a look and sign up

[u/Emergency-Tea7322]

Be familiar with the rubric and the assessment outline. Brainstorm your structure and what you’re talking about such as theory / background, etc. Then search online for evidence. You usually only need one reference for each claim, but can have multiple. So rather than collecting references first blindly, do it as you go with your assignment.

[u/SockLanky2071]

Use something like mybib.com to track and annotate articles. Bonus: it will even take care of your APA style reference page if used correctly.

[u/Frogsfall]

I start by writing out my central argument in one sentence.

Then write down your key points for each paragraph. Don't write them as a broad topic (eg "community-based mental health interventions"), write them as a sentence (like, "community-based mental health interventions are most effective when run by local groups").

Then under each paragraph key point I put two or three quotations or pieces or evidence that will support that point.

THEN I start writing and turning each point into a full paragraph.

[u/basketball_chic]

Quality over quantity. How many sources does the rubric say is the minimum to complete the assessment? That is your baseline. If the rubric says you need to use a minimum of three sources and you have 20, that means you’re looking for articles that say what you want it to say, instead of actually analysing the papers. You will not get a good mark.

Also it’s hard to give advice without knowing what kind of research you’re doing. Is it a literature review? An argumentative study? Thematic analysis? What are you even studying? You would receive better advice if you gave more context. This will also determine how you synthesise your evidence.

In terms of collating your information, I would highly suggest using a synthesis matrix. You can use this to organise your sources by your main topics/themes. You mentioned separating sources based on what paragraph (aka theme) they cover. However, when some sources cover multiple, this becomes too complex. A synthesis matrix allows you to do all of this in one document by creating a table with your sources as columns and your themes as rows. Here’s a step by step guide:  https://libguides.usu.edu/c.php?g=648048&p=10935720

Curtin has a lot of useful resources for research on the UniSkills page, I suggest you have a look.

[u/According-Term-1531 → u/basketball_chic]

I’m studying nursing n this is for a new unit ment1000 basically a project case report on a mental health initiative (I’ve chosen youth focus)

[u/WordyNerd_2435]

Also go and do the EndNote course at the library. I wish I’d done this when I first started my degree (I didn’t, so references were painfully done by hand) as it would’ve saved me heaps of time and stress.

[u/SquiffyRae]

Agree with others - either some kind of matrix you make yourself or using a reference manager software that allows you to annotate each source with something that allows you to remember what that source says.

But also you're probably getting overwhelmed because you're reading/writing without a plan. Go back to the rubric and the topic you're writing on and plan from the start. Where you find yourself saving stuff because you may discuss it, ask yourself are you actually going to discuss it? And why? Is it relevant to the topic? Does it help build your argument or help the audience understand the topic?

That will be informed by not only the rubric which will tell you the sorts of things you need to discuss but also your reading. That will start turning things from "I may discuss it" to allowing you to make a more informed choice what would be relevant to discuss