M E 202: Professional Planning

Starting your research project

Planning and organization

Planning a few things now can help save a lot of time later. As you're getting started, it can be helpful to stop and take a brief inventory like the following:

• What type of information is most likely to fit your purpose or project? (Articles, websites, patents, standards, etc.—it's okay if you don't know)
• How much information do you need? (Does your assignment require you to use a minimum number of sources? Do you need to be comprehensive?)
• Do you know enough about your topic to be able to tell what's useful and what's not? (If not, reference books can get you up to speed!)
• Where are you going to store the documents you are using as references? (Have a plan!)
• How are you going to store and manage the citations for your paper? (Try a citation manager!)

If you're not clear on your specific requirements, talk with your instructor about expectations for your project or assignment. If you need help getting organized or making sure you get the most relevant materials, get in touch with your librarian. ISU's librarians are here to help make sure you're finding the best resources for your project in an efficient, effective, and affordable manner, and that using the resources you find doesn't become overwhelming.

Making sense of the scientific article

If you haven't tried to read a scientific article before (and even if you have), it definitely requires a different approach than other types of articles you may have encountered before. The writing style is very formal and may be filled with acronyms and jargon, or even just unfamiliar terms. The structure is also very rigid and formal. Follow the links below to find some basic tips for making sense of scientific articles.

Don't be discouraged if this is challenging and time-consuming at first. Reading and understanding scientific papers and other technical publications is a skill that gets easier and faster with practice.