Here at Ooligan Press, we are uniquely powered by the diligent work of graduate students. The students do it all: editorial, book design, marketing, project management, audiobook production, you name it. We’re transparent about this, but there is an element of the program that doesn’t get as much discussion on our blog: the academic research for the master’s degree.
The master’s program requires students to complete an essay based on their own original research. Recent topics students have covered range from exploring consent in modern romance novels to the opportunity for technical editors to aid digital accessibility. Approaching such a project can be a daunting task, but it doesn’t have to feel like an earthquake. If you are a current student, a prospective student, or even a reader from another discipline, keep reading. Here you’ll find four tips on completing a research paper from the perspective of a student who has ridden the shock waves for you.
- Stay Fresh
When you’ve chosen your area of research, find out what has been said already and what is being talked about now. Doing background reading to discover what has already been researched can help narrow your own question as well as help you learn how your topic fits in the existing conversation. Take advantage of the large quantity of resources made available by the PSU library database. For information on the current discussions in the industry, look to industry news sources like Publishers Weekly, The Bookseller, and Publishing Perspectives. You can access these through the Library Resource Guide, specifically made for the publishing department. (Some of these links will only be accessible to current students.) The more you know about your topic, the easier it will be to find an area to focus on and the “why it matters.”
- Stay Flexible
Research is a finicky thing. At times it can be like trying to capture a firefly in a bottle. Recognize that your research question or method may need to be altered as you complete the process. It is important to stay open to these changes and not let them derail you. In fact, being open may lead to a more relevant question or functional method. If you are feeling an itch at the back of your mind about the method or question, don’t be afraid to slow down and explore what this feeling might be telling you.
- Stay Focused
As important as it is to stay flexible, it is just as important to stay focused. Don’t lose sight of your goal of what you want this research to accomplish. As our professor, Dr. Kathi Inman Berens, likes to say, “What are you hiring your research paper to do for you?”
Once you are at the writing phase, stick to your question! It can be easy to want to look into other corners of your topic, but if you refer back to the question often as a guide, you’ll end up with a more coherent paper.
- Stay Organized
Arguably one of the most important tips I have for you is to stay organized. Following this tip may just save you from the biggest headache you’ve ever had.
With research, you’ll end up with so many elements to keep track of. The first is your own thoughts. Keep a running document with decisions and brainstorms you’ve made along the way. As you discover sources, use a file organization software like Zotero to collect them. Within Zotero, you can create files for subtopics within your research.Take ULIB 511: Library Research and Scholarly Communication Fundamentals to maximize your Zotero skills. Finally, when you save documents to your own computer, create your own system of file naming conventions to keep track of the most recent version of your research. The file name should help describe content as well as the version or date. Your future self will thank you, I guarantee.
Research into book publishing is not a common practice. The production of such questions and analysis allows the industry to probe into areas that need growth, require change, or would benefit from recognition. Don’t let the research paper create an earthquake in your life. Instead, with these tips, rock the world with your findings.