Sweet, sweet research

I had a mini-epiphany yesterday. In addition to having a generally very productive day, I was lucky enough to garner a few gems of wisdom which I think will prove invaluable over the next 4 years...and longer.

Research training: helping me to read clearly
Image by micsalac

We undertake research training with the indomitable Tamar Keren-Portnoy who, in conjunction with Eytan Zweig, kindly put on an extra hour of training to look a little closer at how to tackle academic papers.

I've read academic articles before, at undergraduate level and since coming to York, but I was beginning to wonder if I was being as efficient and productive as I could - and besides, the papers are getting exceedingly difficult! But with Tamar and Eytan on hand, I feel reassured, and here's what I learnt, if you were wondering:

• Don't imagine that you're going to understand absolutely everything you read. If you already knew everything, you wouldn't need teaching (and you probably wouldn't be human...) Try to pull out the bits that you can understand and find someone to discuss the other bits with.
• Look up unknown terms as you go along (in textbooks, dictionaries or online) - it's not like reading a foreign language, so pushing through will only cause more confusion in the long run.
• Use Google Scholar to find citations of the work you're reading - other scholars may have summarised or criticised the work previously (though be aware that they may have focused on a different aspect of it)
• After reading, try to summarise what you've read. If there are gaps in your summary, this should flag up the bits you need to go back to.

The raw material...from which a refined thesis will hopefully come!
Image from wikipedi

Between us, Eytan and I summarised (word of the moment) the transition from under- to postgraduate like this: at undergraduate level, you're given discrete blocks of knowledge like neat, refined cubes of white sugar with obvious edges. At postgraduate level, you're not just given the raw cane, you're given a whole field of raw canes which stretches as far as the eye can see. At least now, thanks to yesterday's session, I've sharpened my machete and I can get on with making my way through the field.

Finally, on a slightly different note, the importance of the arts and humanities get a boost in an inspiring piece by the Vice Chancellor of Cambridge University, Sir Lescek Borysiewicz, (a medic himself), in which the Cambridge Bilingual Information Network (BIN-C) gets a worthy mention. I can but hope that the powers-that-be, and more importantly, arts students of the future, take notice.