ParaNet BBS/research

ParaNet BBS/research

File Name:	research.txt
Author:	Unknown
Date:	Unknown
Posting BBS:	Unknown
BBS Main Page:	ParaNet Main Page
Key Words:	ParaNet, UFO, Ufology

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ParaNet File Number: 00202


DATE OF UPLOAD:  June 15, 1989
ORIGIN OF UPLOAD:  ParaNet Omega, Australian Bureau
CONTRIBUTED BY:   Bob Fletcher
========================================================

The Practicalities of Research                         by Allan Parson

This article is intended as a guide to those who would wish to research in 
more detail the UFO phenomenon but who have little idea on how best to 
approach the actual research.   It is also hoped it will go some way in 
standardising UFO research.

With research projects, where one will take a very large number of notes 
from quite a wide variety of sources, the efficiency of one's method is 
very important indeed.   One needs a system which involves a disciplined 
approach to note-taking and which is extremely flexible.   A card system 
satisfies both these requirements and is, for this reason, used by most 
people doing research.

1.   THE INFORMATION SOURCE:  Note the following   (set one)

     a.  The author's name or the name of the organisation that issued              
         the book.   Take this from the title page.

     b.  The full title.   Take this from the title page and underline     
         it.

     c.  The name of the editor (if there is one).   Take this from the 
         title page. 

     d.  The edition, if other than the first edition.   Take this from the 
         reverse of the title page. 

     e.  The name of the publisher.   This will be found on the title page.

     f.  The number of volumes, if more than one.

     g.  The date of the edition.   Found on the reverse of the title page.

     Articles in journals and newspapers.   Note the following.

     a.  The author's name.

     b.  The full title of the article.   Place this in inverted commas.

     c.  The title of the journal or newspaper.  Underline this.

     d.  The date of the issue you are consulting.

     e.  The pages which the article occupied in this issue.

     Organisations, persons.   Note the following.

     a.  The full name of the person, together with his qualifications.

     b.  His status in the organisation.

     c.  The full name of the organisation.

     d.  Its address.

     e.  The date on which the information was supplied.

You should take the information down in this order, since it is the order 
in which the information should be presented in the bibliography.   A 
research project, to be credible, must be able to be checked out in full by 
other researchers, to this end a bibliography is essential.   Put only one 
source on each card; otherwise the system loses its flexibility.   Write 
down this information before you begin taking notes.   If you remember to 
do this, you should never find yourself in the situation where you cannot 
trace a source from which you have quoted.

2.   THE NOTE   (set two)

     a.  At the top of the card, put the topic which your note deals with.   
         This will help you to organise your notes later under specific 
         headings.

     b.  In the centre of the card, put the material you are making a note 
         of.   Put only one topic on each card.

     c.  On the bottom left-hand corner, briefly indicate the source by a 
         name or a title.   This is sufficient, since the remaining 
         information can be obtained from the other set of cards (set one).

     d.  If the note is from a book or article, in the bottom right-hand 
         corner put the page number.

     There are there basic kinds of notes:

     a.  A quotation.   You may wish to quote what a writer says - because 
         for example, he has summed up the subject well.   If you do so, 
         make sure it is a verbatim quotation, also make sure you put 
         quotation marks around the material.

     b.  A summary.   This is the most common kind of note and is used when 
         you want to remember information without quoting the precise words.

     c.  An idea.   Use these cards for ideas which occur to you when 
         reading books.   Again, make sure that it is clear it is your own 
         material and not someone else's.

     The method described above has certain advantages, most of which 
     result from its flexibility. 

     a.  Source cards can be arranged alphabetically for easy reference.   
         It will also be much easier to compile the final bibliography if 
         the information is already in the order in which you present it.

     b.  The cards on which you have made your notes, etc.,  can be 
         arranged using the topic headings, in the order which best suits 
         your purposes.

     c.  It is easy at a later stage to reject unwanted notes.

     A valuable side effect from using this system is that you also learn 
     to locate sources of information.   These sources fall into two basic 
     groups:

     a.  Published material.   This includes, books, periodical articles, 
         other publications such as pamphlets and items in newspapers.

     b.  Unpublished material.   This includes internal reports and 
         information supplied by letter or telephone.   It also includes 
         television and radio programmes, records and personal experiences.

This then is a practical approach to research.   It must be remembered that 
this is only a tool.   It does not necessarily mean that the end result 
will be valid only the original sources and their reliability will ensure a 
valid result.   However, it is one thing to read a lot of books and 
magazines, over a period of time, and then trying to write something 
coherent and valid.   It is another to approach the problem in a realistic 
and accepted manner.