Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
to
.” This exercise will educate you about the state of the area you are interested in and will
direct you toward the things that are still unknown about it. Creating an annotated bibliog-
raphy of everything you read is a useful way to keep all of the information together and
easily accessible (refer to DiGangi [Chapter 17], this volume).
.
Brainstorming
Another way to think of ideas is brainstorming. This can be an effective tool for coming up
with projects, especially when conducted with peers or colleagues (at happy hour perhaps).
Write down everything you like about the skeleton and things you wish you knew about it.
Allow your brainstorming to branch out from the previous exercises you have completed: the
observation, research journal, and literature review steps. The crazier and more outrageous
you get in your brainstorming, the better. You never know when a crazy idea will spark
a viable one. Taking this three-tiered approach (observation, library research, and brain-
storming) to thinking about developing your research project will help you narrow down
a specific problem to focus on. See
Table 2.5
.
Simplicity is Key
Once you have gotten to this point, there are a few things you will need to do to further
refine your idea. Particularly for your first project, you want it to be manageable, feasible,
and simple. Choosing a project that you know at the outset will take five years for data collec-
tion alone for your Master's thesis is not a good idea because there is a low likelihood that
TABLE 2.5 How to Think of Ideas
Step
Exercise
1
Observation based on:
Reading articles
Things said in class
Things you notice about the skeleton
2
Focus your thinking:
Create a research journal
Make a list of most interesting things about the skeleton
Make a list of time periods/locations you find interesting
Read articles in the above areas
Narrow down your interest based on readings
3
Use brainstorming to supplement the above
4
Logistics:
Talk to your advisor
Consider traveling
Can you obtain permission/access to collection?
Can you obtain resources for travel/analysis?
5
Full literature review on your topic
