The Research Cycle by Jamie McKenzie was first developed in 1995 to meet the needs of students working on essential questions for school research. The model places emphasis on questioning and rejects many of the model that focus on topical research. His model requires students to make decisions, create answers, and show independent judgement. Another feature of this model is its focus on actively revising and rethinking the research questions throughout the process.
McKenzie (2000) stresses the importance of students as information producers rather than simply information gatherers. Students move repeatedly through the following steps in the research cycle:
The first step in the Cycle is to clarify and “map out” the dimensions of the essential question being explored. The student begins by brainstorming to form a cluster diagram of all related questions. These subsidiary questions will then guide subsequent research efforts.
The Library can assist a student here by determining which research has already been done (or not!) on your topic.
After the student has mapped out the research to be conducted, the next step is to think strategically about the best ways to find pertinent and reliable information that will help them to construct answers to these subsidiary questions.
Wise students ask for help with this stage, turning to the Library.
TIPS ON PICKING A RESEARCH PROJECT
The UFS Library and Information Services has books, journal articles (electronic and hard copy) and various databases to find information. Go to our Electronic Resources page to access them on or off campus.
Contact your librarian to help you find relevant sources on your topic.
UFS staff, researchers and students have access to library materials at universities through Interlibrary Loans. Click here to request an Interlibrary loan.
Writing an essay or research paper can be hard work! Visit the Centre for Teaching and Learning or the Postgraduate School for tips on writing.
Be very aware of plagiarism.
When you are writing, you will need to cite your sources and manage your literature. Various tools are available, eg MS Word, Mendeley and EndNote (via the Web of Science database)
The next important phase of your project is to publish your findings, either as a assignment, thesis, dissertation or an article.
The Library give training on bibliometrics (please ask your librarian for more information on the training).
Bibliometric training will help you answer the following questions:
The number of citations, downloads, views, or media mentions a piece of research receives is a good indicator of the impact that research is having on the world. Understanding how to articulate your impact is an important skill when applying for promotion, or research funding.
Your librarian can recommend tools and indicators for assessing different types of research impact, including:
Article Impact (e.g. Citation Counts, Journal Impact Factors)
Author Impact (e.g. h-Index)
Institutional Impact (e.g. Citation Benchmarking & Comparison)
It is mandatory for masters and doctoral students to upload their thesis or dissertation to KovsieScholar (the UFS' open access institutional repository). Click here for more information on uploading your thesis or dissertation.
