"I almost wish I hadn't gone down that rabbit–hole – and yet – and yet – it's rather curious, you know, this sort of life!"
I often refer to research as "going down the rabbit hole." It's a never–ending process with paths off of paths, hallways leading to nowhere, rooms inside rooms. It can be frustrating, especially for graduate students on a deadline. I wouldn't presume to say, "Don't be frustrated!" That would be pointless. However, when you get frustrated, try to remember that the rabbit hole leads to Wonderland, which may at times bring confusion, but also brings revelation.
“In another moment down went Alice after it, never once considering how in the world she was to get out again.”
Otherwise known as: “Follow the white rabbit.” Okay, this is the Matrix–version of Lewis Carroll, but you get the idea. Do not hesitate to follow the white rabbit. Jump in the rabbit hole. Do not be afraid to “bump [your] head and bruise [your] soul.” What are some tricks for finding the right rabbit hole? First of all, when you have a source already, do not ignore the footnotes. Footnotes are goldmines of further information. Second, learn the fine art of citation mining. By mining through the information in bibliographies, we can trace the evolution of ideas backwards and forwards through time.
Here is a small tutorial on citation mining:
Jennifer Waugh. "What Is a Cited Reference Search?" Online video clip. YouTube. YouTube, 29 Jul. 2012. Web. 2 Sept. 2014
“Begin at the beginning,” the King said, very gravely, “and go on till you come to the end: then stop.”
A good beginning to advanced research is to find the “seminal texts” concerning your subject. What is a “seminal text”? These are the ones that have a central place on a given topic, whether because they changed the field or defined it. They might be somewhat dated in certain cases, but they are essential starting points in order to frame further research and ultimately arguments. One way to find these texts if you are uncertain is to cross-reference the sources you already have – what text(s) do they all cite?
“And what is the use of a book,” thought Alice, “without pictures or conversation?”
It is tempting, when pressed for time, to focus only on shorter sources. Resist the temptation. You need to search for everything. Articles and books and theses, oh, my! (Yes, I am mixing my references now!) You never know what might be useful, particularly if your topic is newer in the field. Theses and dissertations may be where the exciting research is located because those working on the topic are early in their careers.
“Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?”
“That depends a good deal on where you want to get to.”
Find your guides. Your advisor and thesis committee are good choices; they have the background and expertise to lead you in a productive direction. Also, don't forget the university library. Librarians are trained Wonderland guides and are incredibly useful. They even live in that magic place called the internet! On top of that, they have this curious thing called ILL: Interlibrary Loan. You request a source, and it shows up for you. Madness! But then “all the best people are.”
“Speak English!” said the Eaglet. “I don't know the meaning of half those long words, and I don't believe you do either!”
A general rule of information literacy and research in general is: trust, but verify. Yes, there is some security in “peer–reviewed sources,” but nothing can beat your own critical assessment of work. Do not simply accept the research you find as fact. Theories change, and people (even credentialed ones) can be wrong.
(And let us not forget that there are such things as “peer review rings”:
Barbash, Fred. "Scholarly journal retracts 60 articles, smashes 'peer review ring'." The Washington Post 10 Jul. 2014. Web. 2 Sept. 2014)
“Well, I never heard it before, but it sounds uncommon nonsense.”
For new graduate students especially, one of the most difficult transitions is to realize that 1) they are indeed full members of their discipline and 2) they are being asked to (and trusted to) contribute something new to the field. This boils down to: be the missing link. Your research should not only reveal what others have done but what others have NOT done. That is where you fit – in that beckoning intellectual space. It's all yours.
Interested in learning more about our English programs? Attend our August Information Session.
Thank you to Dr. Kisha G. Tracy, Assistant Professor, English Studies for sharing this post.
Kisha Tracy is an Assistant Professor of English Studies, specializing in early British and world literatures, and Co-coordinator of the Center for Teaching and Learning at Fitchburg State University. She received her Ph.D. in Medieval Studies from the University of Connecticut in 2010. She is currently working on two book projects: Why Do I Have to Take This Course? Theory and Practice of Student Investment in Learning and Sins of the Past: Remembering, Forgetting, and Confessing in Middle English Literature. The former considers how we can encourage our students to be more invested in their courses, and the latter explores how the traditional medieval relationship between memory and confession provides a valuable framework for understanding the employment of recollection in various Middle English literary texts.