A step into research
What is the actual meaning of research? Can you explain the term properly? These are two of the questions I asked my mentor. The word “Research” is one of the disturbing words which used to annoy me always since my childhood. Hearing the word “research” gave me different kinds of thoughts like diving deep into a world of knowledge decorated with snow mountains and hidden wonderland.
Back in those days, I used to wait eagerly to get the weekly magazine. Reading and getting to know the things happening in the world gave me a different kind of stimulation from anything else. The stimulation I experienced by learning more about different topics such as life, space, science and vehicles made me the explorer who enjoys the imaginary world in his head without moving a single step. I am still thankful for that limited mini version of Google I had during those days.
But I still remember the ambiguity I had with the word “Research”. Every time I come across that word in papers, articles, magazines and all kinds of study materials I felt doubtful. Maybe it's something that happens in a science lab filled with lab rats and a crazy scientist laughing like in movies. The chemicals in different colours painted that imagination more easily in my mind. Or it is something investigated by an archaeologist dressed in old jackets and hats who steps into caves looking for evidence of great civilizations. Or it can be someone going through the historical archives in a library to learn from the old. Who knows? Perhaps I'll get the opportunity to know the real meaning when I enter the university. It can be the door to unlock the world of research.
Today being an undergraduate has enabled me to go through that door, to knock and see what is research? How does it look like? and to satisfy me with the answers to the questions I had. Definitions are in Google and anyone can find them, but what I saw in the world of research is a bit different from my imagination. Yes, it had the snow mountains and the hidden wonderlands I mentioned before, but the experience was different than I imagined. This is a reflection of my experience by the little steps in the world of research.
The Snowball Effect
Yes, I came to the top of the mountain of school and now I am at the peak looking in many directions and still thinking on which way to go. It is freezing here that I can't wait here for a long period which means I have to select a direction quickly and go on that way. At first, I'm a little snowball, having a tiny drop of knowledge and without much experience. However, the freezing feeling was terrible that I felt stuck in life while others are moving so fast. It made me move quickly thinking that I will not miss the show hopefully.
That is where I decided to look into the aspect of sustainability in the construction industry. I started to gather knowledge on sustainability, sustainable development, sustainable construction and the current context of the construction industry. The more I learnt I became stronger and bigger than I was. While rolling down the direction I opted, I grew in knowledge which enabled me to see far more distances. Having a critical evaluation or a review of the knowledge produced by previous researchers is critical to be great at doing research. The more you learn makes you more open and thoughtful during the process of accumulating information. It is the information that we review and in my case, I reviewed the knowledge I gathered via a literature review.
The Rabbit Hole effect
However the more I learnt I started becoming too specific with the information I accumulated. Since the world of knowledge is a great land filled with so many adventures and mysteries I had to keep my steps carefully. I had to be certain about the information I need to consume and be cautious about the process.
However, to my surprise, I found rabbit holes in the great land of research, dragging me into rabbit holes continuously due to my enormous curiosity. Though it felt great at the beginning it was really hard to come out of it because of the extreme level of information available on the internet nowadays. This is a common scenario for any researcher because during their knowledge accumulation process chances are high that they get trapped into a rabbit hole but I do not prefer avoiding them because it can be the door to a hidden wonderland like Alice found.
My best suggestion is to direct yourself on the paths you are curious about, only then you will be able to come up with a unique and modern solution for a problem. When J.J.Thompson explored electrons it seemed like that it is not useful for people but now we experience advanced technologies in medicine and science with his initial exploration.
Though there are several methodologies and strategies currently practised for researching the world all those things started with curiosity. Get to know yourself and what you are interested in. Taking yourself on that way may lead to your quest allowing you to impact others lives.
