Everything In Its Place
Megan Hazelman
Problem:
When the author knows his/her material very well, information might
be written or presented in a way that does not logically flow according to the
accepted order of research projects (i.e. Background, Purpose, Methods,
Results, Discussion, Conclusion).
Forces:
-- Research is more easily understood by a variety of people if it’s
explained in a predictable and accepted order.
-- Because the author knows the topic inside and out, they may skip from
section to section (i.e. talk about the Results in the Methods section)
without realizing it.
-- It might seem more logical to the author for him/her to go in a
unique order.
-- An author might feel that they are so knowledgeable that they can
stand up and talk about the research with no prepared order in mind.
Solution:
Present or write all information in a logical order that is
accepted in your discipline. Keep all information pertaining to a certain
section in that section only.
Consequences:
It might require several drafts, therefore taking a longer time to
produce.
Several other people should read the paper/presentation, and that is
difficult to coordinate.
It would be helpful, but time consuming, to give a practice
presentation to a varied audience before the actual presentation.
Rationale:
This works because it helps people from different backgrounds stay on the same page when coming into contact with a person’s research. Even if the audience does not understand the finer points of the discipline they have an idea of what happened during the project and in what order it happened. Having an accepted order for reporting findings helps the researcher stay focused and clear in their writings or presentations.
Known Uses:
Scholarly Journals in Sciences and Social Sciences, presenters in
the UNCA symposia, students in laboratory classes at UNCA.
Megan A. Hazelman
University of North Carolina - Asheville
email: mahazelm@bulldog.unca.edu
home: 828.252.6919