If research is the process by whicha researcher seeks new information, makes sense of that infor-mation, and then reports that information to someone else, thenUHVHDUFKRXJKWWREHJLQZLWKDTXHVWLRQQRWDQDQVZHU
This is a reminded that research should come from curiosity and problems-solving, not from trying to prove what we already believe. It changes how i think about starting any project.
UHVHDUFK SDSHU EHFDPH D WRRO IRU WHDFKLQJVWXGHQWVKRZWRXVHWKHOLEUDU\ÀQGWKHULJKWZRUGVDQGVNLOOIXOO\search through the words of others. Such a task eliminates theZULWHU·VYRLFHIURPWKHFRQYHUVDWLRQ³DVWKH\DUHQRWUHTXLUHGWRparticipate in the discussion of the subject at hand, but simply toreport what others have said about it.
This connects to my experience in school. Most papers focused on sources and citation rules, not personal engagement. I like how Witte points out that this method silence the students own thinking.
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I like how Witte defines research as an active process that leads to action. It’s not just about gathering facts-its about making sense of them and using them for a purpose.
One ofthe primary problems with the research paper is that it teachesstudents that to do research is to look things up—to use the libraryor the Internet.
This shows how research is often seen as just finding information instead of creating knowledge. It makes me think about how many of my past research papers were just about collecting quotes and not about forming my own ideas.