Research is
a double- many-edged sword. When I sit down to research, I can run up
against a stone wall for what I’m trying to look for. I can approach it with
dread knowing that this isn’t going to be pleasant. I might not be interested
in what I’m going to research. I might fear the answers to my research. I might
fear the time lost (even wasted) in research. I frequently fear the time lost
(due to excessive interest) in research.
But through
all that, there’s one constant: research needs to be done. It’s not always
pleasant, but it must be done, and it should be done the right way. I want to
do my best to understand the material I’m looking at, whether it’s forensic
ballistics, scarf-weaving, cooking, or dark matter physics. I need a level of
proficiency, and so I go at it.
One thing I
never do is give up. When it comes to research, I find an answer. It may not
always be the answer I wanted or expected, but I find an answer.
Of late I’m
noticing among students that there’s an attitude of not trying. Of being unable
to figure out a way to research. I’m trying to understand this, but it’s
difficult. Technology has made research easier than ever, so it’s mind-bending
to think that students can’t conceive of a starting point for research.
I remember
the card catalog and primitive electronic databases with half a dozen keywords.
It was hard then. But now with the sheer number of databases, cross-listed
keywords, and Google’s vast search empire, it seems ridiculous that students
can’t find a starting point to their research.
Am
I being unreasonable? Is it really that hard to do research?