Remember, for your original research to be referenced in your paper, it needs to be documented.
This will mean something a little different for everybody, but you will want to make sure there is a record that shows the progress of your work over time. This means every time you work on your original research, one step must be to do some combination of the following:
- Take a video
- Take a picture
- Take a screenshot
- Make a journal or logbook entry (include the date)
- Enter data into a spreadsheet (include the date)
If you do lots of work, but you have no evidence showing the progress of that work, for purposes of your paper, it’s like you did nothing at all.
This is my number 2 Senior Thesis time-saving suggestion: document your original research. Every time. (Number 1 is to use sticky notes or type quotes, with page numbers, while you read. Don’t lose those quotes!)
Do you have questions about conducting or documenting original research that supports your thesis? Email Ms. Farris anytime!
