Why is it so important to conduct a thorough examination ...



No matter what the specific task or subject area is, the goal of original research writing is to take an existing topic or controversy, review relevant published work on it, and offer one’s own new conclusions, findings, or interpretations.

Certainly it is important to cite and summarize valid resources in one’s own writing. Citing previous experts in the field serves multiple purposes. First, it allows the writer’s audience to get up to speed on the history and scope of the topic in general. Second, it bolsters the writer’s credibility—in general, by showing that he has consulted relevant literature before proceeding to write his own ideas, and specifically, by showing that his conclusions are at least partly linked to the findings of other informed experts. Third, it provides the audience with a list of works to consult themselves should they choose to do additional reading on the subject.

Since reference to previous research plays such an integral role in the development of new research, it is imperative that writers evaluate their sources carefully. In contemporary times, it is tempting to rely on the wealth of “information” available on the open web. However, web sites are easy to post and maintain and require no intellectual prerequisites. Periodicals, particularly academic journals, are generally the most respected sources of information because they are non-profit and peer reviewed. Other established periodicals, though not peer-reviewed, are also considered generally credible because their articles have gone through a rigorous editorial process. Nonfiction books are also generally considered worthy sources since they have survived the long road to publication.

Writers must also be sure that their research does not overpower their own original ideas. The key to this is to have an outline or full draft—including an original hypothesis or thesis—composed in advance of doing research. The writer can then adapt, revise, and re-work his thesis or existing argument to accommodate newly discovered information. In any case, the writer is able to maintain a clear vision of his own ideas as compared to what has been discovered in the research stage. Writers who make the mistake of doing all of their research in advance run the risk of knitting together a patchwork quilt of others’ ideas that may be informative but is completely devoid of new findings or original ideas.

Finally, research writers do well to maintain a division between their own opinions and those of published writers because it helps to avoid plagiarism. Researchers who have a good sense of their initial understanding of a topic will be better able to integrate others’ opinions and findings without assuming this material as their own. Such writers will also help to build their intellectual confidence in their fields of study and practice by augmenting their existing ideas—not replacing them—with the published findings of others. This is the true nature of published research: to add a brick to the wall of knowledge in a given field.

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