When
I first learn of a research writing assignment that I have to do, I get nervous
because I have no idea on what I’m going to be writing about, but then once I
decide on a topic, I feel somewhat better. But once I start doing the research
on that chosen topic, I sometimes start to feel nervous again, especially if I
am having hard time finding the information I really need to complete the task
I have at hand. I find a lot of the wrong information. I find nothing specific
to what I am writing about and then I start to worry because I am scared about the
lack of time I have left to complete this research project. This is considered
as the principle of uncertainty which states that “in the early stages of the
search process, information commonly increases uncertainty.” And with increased
uncertainty for intermediaries and system designers in the exploration stages
of the information search process indicates a zone of intervention. A zone of
intervention is the “area in which an information user can do with advice and
assistance what he or she cannot do alone or can do only with great difficulty.”
As I continue on with my research, I start to piece things together and
eventually find what I am looking for. I start to feel better again. Then Once
I write my paper, I feel so much better knowing that I had accomplished something
I was so nervous about from the beginning. They say when a person/researcher is
“in the dip”, it means that they are commonly experiencing uncertainty, confusion
and anxiety until a personal perspective has been formed. Having written many
papers over my biology/chemistry career, I have been “in the dip” with almost every
research paper/project I had to complete. However, I tried hard not to keep
stressing about it. I managed my time wisely and kept working hard until I had
found what I was looking for and completed the task.
This
article was has kind of calmed me down and gave me a better understanding of
what I go through almost every time I’m in the process of writing a research
paper. I go through the same six steps that were mentioned in the article by Kuhlthau.
I start out unsure of what I am going to talk about, to choosing a topic, then to
being nervous when I feel like I know nothing about my topic, to calming down
when I find the information that I need to feeling a lot better once I have
completed my research paper. I just never thought about the fact that I’m not
the only one that goes through these steps. I just thought it was me. If I
could do anything differently next time I have a research paper to write, I
would just try to not stress about it so much in the beginning and realize that
other students go through what I go through as well.
