#Research journal

[salvadorbonaparte]

How to set up a research journal

This is just one way you can set up a research journal but it's helping me tremendously so maybe it also works for you. My set-up is partially inspired by this video by Answer in Progress and I suggest you check out their curiosity journal.

Preparation

First you need a notebook. The trick is to find a notebook that you're not afraid to "ruin". We all want a really neat, aesthetic research journal, but the reality looks more like hasty scribbles, but that's okay, that's where the research breakthroughs happen.

I personally bought a cheap lined notebook from Søstrene Grene that I thought looked cute and put a sticker on it. That way I feel good about using it but I also don't mind when my handwriting gets messy because it was only like 3€.

You should also stock up on pens you like writing with. Different colour highlighters and post-its are also a good idea but not a must. Keep it cheap but comfortable.

Title Page

Here you should put down all the really important information: year, title, deadlines, word count, supervisors. Maybe add an inspirational quote to spice it up but keep it simple and relevant.

Key

This should either be your next or your last page. I personally use the last pages of my journal so I can add thing and find it easier. Your key is there to list abbreviations and symbols.

For example, I have different symbols for statistics, dates, new terminology, questions, breakthroughs, important notes and abbreviations for the most important terms in my field. It's shorter to write T9N than Translation.

The trick here is to have enough abbreviations and symbols to save time and effort but not so many that you constantly have to look back and forth between your page and key. They should be memorable and not easy to confuse.

Topic Mind map

If you hate mind maps you can skip this of course or use a different method but what helped me is to visualise all the topics that connect to my research project in a mind map. I then colour-coded the main groups of topics with my highlighters. It helps me to keep an overview on how many topics I need to do research on.

Proposal

If you're writing a thesis/dissertation it can be helpful to have a page set aside for your proposal and take some bullet point notes on methodology, chapter structure, research context, aims and objectives and think of some titles. You can also do this for your lit review and a list of works to include.

Hypothesis and Question Pages

I set aside four pages for this but you can adjust this to your needs. The first page is my hypothesis. It doesn't have to be fully formed yet, it can just be bullet points with five question marks. You can always revise and update it but it is important to keep an eye on what you're actually trying to find out.

The next idea is basically just stolen from Answer in Progress: a section for big questions, medium questions and little questions. These aren't necessarily hypotheses you aim to answer but questions you have about your topic that might be good to look into (maybe they lead somewhere, maybe they don't).

Research Notes

Now comes the big, fun part. Research notes are allowed to be a little messy but you should have some sort of system so you can actually find what you're looking for afterwards. I'm currently just looking at books and articles so that's what my system is based on. You can totally adjust this to include other forms of research.

What I do is that I put down and underline the author and title of my source. Underneath that I use my highlighters and mark the topic of the paper based on how I colour-coded them in my mind map. You might have to do this after you've finished reading. For example, if a text talks about censorship and dubbing in Germany, three of my topics, I will draw three lines in light blue, dark blue and red, the colours I chose for those topics. This way you can easily browse your notes and see which pages are talking about which topics.

When it comes to the actual research notes, I include the page number on the left and then take bullet point notes on whatever is relevant. These are often abbreviated and paraphrased but if something is especially important I will write down a full quote.

As mentioned earlier, I have a key of symbols I use so I can simply put down a '!' in order to differentiate a research breakthrough from a normal note. You can insert your own thoughts much more easily when you know you'll be able to tell them apart later on. At the end of each article, book or even chapter I write down my main takeaway.

Other Notes

This is your research journal and you can do with it what you want. I also added lists of films that might be relevant for my research, a list of databases and publishers to check for papers and tips on research strategy.

If you're working with interviews or surveys you could write down your questions. If you're nervous about your research you could include a list of reasons why your research project is important or why you're doing it. You can include a to-do list or a calendar to track meetings with supervisors. Anything that helps you with your research.

[thephdpensieve]

Favorite kind of week: Zoom calls, books and checklists

Update for week 18th Nov - 24th Nov

Started my visa application for my upcoming Europe trip (the Workshop is for a week and the location is lovely!). Made a checklist and applied for permission from the university, printed all the forms and collecting other documents. I love the task, but it drains me a bit!

I'm working on a collaborative project with quite an international team and we had our first discussion meeting this week. Excited!

Met with my mentor from the Supernova Foundation (a mentoring network for women in Physics). She's ao insightful and conversing with her always gives me a big picture and a lot of clarity. So grateful for her ♥️

Read a book after a loooong time. It's The Running Grave by Robert Galbraith. I've been waiting for the book's release but couldn't get my hands on a copy sooner. Absolutely enjoyed the read and felt so alive (I missed reading!)

--------

[ourresearchjournal]

I am writing my blog today

Yey, but anyway I'm exhausted and everything is a mess.

I also contacted one of the researcher whose seminar I miss and yeah, wish me luck. For me to actually get his ppt would be mind-blowing. But as usual, my imagination has taken me to a pretty high standard of "what if he asked me to be his personal research assistant".

I need professional help.

[tenth-sentence]

Each description, which we call a Literature link, is based on a paper that has been published in a readily accessible research journal since 2005.

"Environmental Chemistry: A Global Perspective", 4e - Gary W. VanLoon & Stephen J. Duffy

[orironic]

How do representations of sadness in media intersect with different cultural ideas of femininity?

[yeoldenews]

A selection of strange and cryptic personal ads from The New York Herald, 1860s to 1890s. 14/?

[2headlightshine]

research #5 -- soundwalk poem

in this place

There once were –

Weeds

Growing out of sacred ground

Stretching toward the Sun

Reaching

Climbing

Uninhibited

Ready to burst

Now 

In this place

There is –

Turf

And pavement

And bricks as high as the Moon

Casting shadows over the weeds

Trampled

And side-eyed

But flourishing

Blossoming

Bursting

In a field without pesticides

Then

In this place

There will be –

Weeds

Nestled between the cracks

Bursted up from the rubble

In any conditions

Ready to grow.

[drbtinglecannon]

In Knives Out Blanc wanted to do the murder mystery investigation with Marta so bad, but she was certain she was guilty so she spent a good amount of the movie avoiding/hiding stuff from him

Meanwhile in Glass Onion Helen was fucking carrying the investigation, even while accidentally getting drunk, and even went to investigation lengths Blanc was hesitant to do

[pnfc]

assorted bits from historical australia au that was inspired by an old textpost. and also by 1800s naturalist lit on platypuses and other fauna

something like: charlene cajoled roger into letting heinz have a light sentence and he ultimately takes up naturalist studies. but ultimately he doesnt get credited for any of his work, and ends up unanimously blacklisted from the research community for being too much of a freak. like theyve all already figured out the secrets of the platypus but he's hung up on one particular specimen and refuses to kill him or any others to send back home for further dissection, what's up with that?

[stuckinapril]

I think my life would be fixed if I fell asleep at a beautiful 8 pm and woke up at a beautiful 4 am bc it means I’m asleep when most people are awake and I’m awake when most people are asleep and honestly? Couldn’t ask for more

[reality-detective]

A medical textbook from 1989 explains that coronavirus is, in fact, the common cold. 🤔

[tiredandoptimistic]

For those of you who've been going insane about McGucket getting Frilliam for Ford because his frills remind him of his sideburns, here's your reminder that he has done it multiple times!

Fiddleford's got one tactic and he is running with it till he gets results.

On a less silly note, I love how this shows the growing distance between the two of them. This is the point in the story where Ford's lack of appreciation for Fidd is beginning to spell disaster for them both (he's already built the memory gun and the fair where he acquired the squash is also where he met the man who would one day lead the Society of the Blind Eye), and here McGucket is reaching out an olive branch that Ford thoughtlessly discards! Bill isn't even directly manipulating him like he did with Frilliam, this is just Ford thinking that the only reason to keep a gift from his best friend is "politeness" and eventually throwing it out anyways. His only thought when it comes to Fiddleford saying that the squash reminded him of Ford is a self conscious jab about his nose. To Ford, it's all about himself!

[lottiestudying]

03.05.2024—officially graduating with first class honours!! finally got my grade back on Tuesday and been on cloud 9 ever since. all my hard work paid off

[belovedapollo]

inspired by the quote

I want to write a novel about Silence," he said; “the things people don’t say.

from The Voyage Out by Virginia Woolf

I did a little research about silence and what it can mean

reblog is ok, don’t repost/use

[pianokantzart]

E. Gadd has an unfortunate habit of treating near-death experiences like cool skateboard tricks, like... I'm glad you thought my method of not getting torn to shreds by a malicious, powerful ghost was entertaining professor, but next time could you at least not eat popcorn while it happens?

[realjdobypr]

Editor and SEO Researcher Dr. Jerry Doby Releases Book for Digital Journalists and Newsrooms

Excited to have released my first book...would love to know your thoughts! SEO Essentials: A Journalist's Handbook is as up to date as it gets!

For his first published book ever, editor and published SEO researcher Dr. Jerry Doby just released SEO Essentials for Online Magazines: A Journalist’s Handbook on MagCloud. This book is based on his published research paper SEO-optimized Writing: Removing the Mystery, featured in the Cognitionis Scientific Journal (2023) and sponsored by Logos University International (UNILOGOS).SEO Essentials…