Reflecting

Thinking about thinking is called METACOGNITION. You can learn from reflecting on your experience doing research.

Of course, you don't have to wait until the end of your research to evaluate your progress. It's something you should be doing all along the way, each time you decide to move on to the next step or return to an earlier one.

Try to get into the habit of reflecting after each research session:

• What progress did I make today?

• What do I need to do next?

• What questions do I have or challenges am I facing? Do I need any help?

• What questions have I answered or challenges have I overcome?

• Do I need to make any changes to my research process or research question?

When you finish your research and share your findings with an audience, pause for reflection. You might even write in a journal to remember how you feel for next time.

Ask yourself these questions at the end of a paper or project:

• What is the most important thing I learned during this project?

• What am I most proud of?

• What do I wish I could go back and do differently?

• Did I read the assignment carefully and address every requirement?

• How did I manage my time? Are there steps I should devote more or less time to in the future?

• What great research resources did I find? How will I remember to use them again in the future?

• How did I organize my notes and sources? Was I able to find, use, and cite information as needed?

• How did I handle challenges or frustrations? Did I find help when I needed it?

• If I could give advice to a future student, what would I tell them?

• What do I want to learn about next?

Because research is a cycle, get ready to take what you have learned and start the process all over again.