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11 Rules to follow to improve your research and writing efficiency and quality
Rule 1: Read instruction clearly.
Ensure you read the instruction properly, including additional readings required/suggested and all other information provided. For example, if the task recommends but does not mandate you to read or use a specific material, you still need to read them and use at least some part of it in your work. We do agree that sometimes, the task expects you to read a book that is 200 pages, which is literally not possible; we know . Come on, guys! At least go through the table of content and skim to the part that will probably be useful for the task you are assigned and use it.
Rule 2: Do you understand your task 100%.
You need to understand every single word in the task. Do not move on to do the task without understanding everything in the instructions. Remember, every word in the instruction is essential, and there is a reason why it is included in the task. Have a mindset that you will be penalised for not understanding the task 100%.
Rule 3: Ask questions
I am not sure why, but many of us have an issue when it comes to asking questions. Let me tell you first, asking questions is not considered that you are not competent. Instead, it gives a sense of seriousness, determination and diligence. Therefore, ask questions to clear your doubts. Now let me give you some types of questions that you can and should ask if you are not sure about a task:
Rule 4: Don’t just assume.
Don’t make any assumptions about the task. I am pretty sure many of us make assumptions when working on some task. For example, we assume that the reference type is always Harvard. Or in SPSS analysis, the responses rating scale 1 always means to strongly disagree, and 5 always means to strongly agree.
Rule 5: Always use new and reliable resources
Why do you need to use resources that are 20 years old? Are they still relevant? Think about it, guys; they are too old (in our term – old school information). Please try and use resources that are not older than 5 years. Yes, but there are not many resources available in some cases within the last 5 years; then, of course, you can go up to 10 years. But if you feel you cannot find information within 10 years, then follow rule 3. Ask questions such as, can I use resources older than 10 years because I could not find any?
Of course, remember this advice is general. Sometimes the instruction provided in the task clearly states the number of years that we should use when searching for a resource. In that case, using the precedence, the instruction provided in the task will overpower our general rules.
Rule 6: Use proper referencing
I am sure there are several online tools to assist you with generating a reference list. But double-check them before including them in the report, whether they follow the actual format of the reference type you are using. From my experience, I noticed that many of the online or offline tools do not provide accurate formatting of the specific reference type. For example, website referencing sometimes does not pick the article’s author correctly. Therefore, check it diligently and edit it with the correct information.
Rule 7: Use references where needed
I know we all have this question when do we need referencing? The answer is simple: any sentence with a fact stated by someone else and not from your own primary research or a reflection on what you did must have a reference. Also, when people are so used to a definition and can write it offhand, they sometimes don’t put a reference; well, you did not create that definition, someone else did, so you still need a reference.
Rule 8: Use Diverse sources and paraphrase
Don’t just write the entire writeup based on a single journal just because the journal is identical to your task. Of course, I agree that it is a good starting point but do your research too. And when writing, no copy and paste, paraphrase, learning to paraphrase is a skill you must master. For example, if you are using a single material and you would like to paraphrase some part of it, then:
Similarly, you can follow the step above if you are writing from more than one material, read them, understand them, then rewrite by joining the thoughts from both materials without looking, crosscheck that you did not miss anything out.
Rule 9: Don’t rush your work
Quality and accuracy are essential. I know sometimes there is a demand to produce work with tight deadlines. But guys, don’t compromise on the quality of the work. If you feel there will be a compromise because of the deadline, please inform the one who assigned the task to you about this. So, you can negotiate the terms on which parts or aspects you can compromise for a specific task. Remember, this compromise factor will differ from task to task. So always communicate and discuss.
Rule 10: Always format your reports
Sadly, I know not all the tasks recommend a specific report format. In this case, use this default formatting approach.
Of course, don’t forget to put page numbers.
Rules 11: Communicate on time if you cannot meet the deadline
If you cannot meet the deadline given for the task. Please communicate on time, sometimes the work could be delegated to others as well to ensure that the the task is completed. Don’t assume or think that the deadline given is a joke; they are hard deadlines sometimes; so it’s a matter of life and death.
That’s all, guys. Thanks for reading. Please specify the rules you think you should focus on improving to enhance your work performance in the comment below.
Excellent rules. Thank you
Wow so precise and with good stuff thank you
Touché! Every single rule stated here makes a lot of sense for any research work, I will work on asking questions on any task I am assigned to. Thank You.
The tools given herein are very useful for all forms of research. This is a a great checklist for all my researches. Thank you.
Every information published here is vital and helpful, I will apply this to my work for better results. Thank you...
Excellent! I need to focus on Rule 3, Rule 4, Rule 9 and Rule 11 specifically to improve my research and writing efficiency. Thank you.
The write-up was very informative. The part that mentioned using recent references when writing and asking questions about whether to use older ones was very helpful. Thank you.
This is a brilliant blog and every instruction given is apt. Additionally, they are duly noted. I will focus more on communicating when I notice that I cannot meet the deadline
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