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Dr. Joyline Makani: Asking the Right Question

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“Almost all research endeavors, no matter how complicated, can be reduced to a single question.”

Dr. Joyline Makani

Dr Joyline Makani

Dr Joyline Makani

Claude Lévi-Strauss once declared that, “The scientist is not a person who gives the right answers, he’s one who asks the right questions.” Dr. Joyline Makani agrees unreservedly and elaborates on this idea in our next post in the series on the importance of research.

Successful research outcomes start with asking the right questions, because your questions must be answerable. To be able to effectively and successfully gather, follow, and interrogate the evidence you need to ask both factual and interpretive questions (ask: Who? What? When? Where? How?).

As Dr. Martine Durier-Copp noted, research is best accomplished by turning an issue into a question, with the intent of the research being to answer the question. Almost all research endeavors, no matter how complicated, can be reduced to a single question. The key is being clear on the question because it will make it easier for you to formulate a research strategy for finding the best information about this question. Basically, first ask what is the issue, what are you interested in or what are you curious about? You then take the thing you are interested in and turn it into a question.

Finding the answer will take you on a journey of discovery.  We engage within an interconnected global world where information gathers at an exponential rate. You can find the answers by searching a variety of information sources: books, magazines, journals, websites, electronic databases.

But first, think about what kinds of information you need.  Ask yourself:  do you need competitor information, financial markets data, news/press releases, definitions, corporate reports, statistics, academic/scholarly articles, or government documents? Once you know the kinds of information you need, you can make a list of all the possible sources in which you think you can find that information.

While research may seem time-consuming, never fear.  Librarians are your “short-cut” to success. To save valuable time I recommend asking a librarian. Expert librarians are very helpful at quickly identifying which kinds of sources can be used to find certain types of information.

A Place to Dialogue @ Killam Memorial Library

A Place to Dialogue @ Killam Memorial Library

Dr. Joyline Makani: Research Takes Courage

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Dr, Joyline Makani

Dr, Joyline Makani

“To be engaged, today’s citizen needs to be able to tease out fact from fiction. Notably, it is not just about obtaining information and being able to cite the sources of one’s ideas but being able to digest information, think critically, and participate in dialogue among others with different perspectives.”

Dr. Joyline Makani

The Merriam Webster on-line dictionary defines “research” as a studious inquiry or examination; especially:  investigation or experimentation aimed at the discovery and interpretation of facts, revision of accepted theories or laws in the light of new facts, or practical application of such new or revised theories or laws.  Given the solemnity of that definition, we rarely recognize that we engage in “important” research daily, whether we are buying shoes, planning a trip, or considering food choices. In the end, we are what we research.

Is research for everyone?  Or just academics?  For answers, CFAME Connection reached out to Dr. Joyline Makani, the Management Librarian (Dalhousie Libraries) and Adjunct professor (Faculty of Graduate Studies) at Dalhousie University.  Dr. Makani shares insight into why research is essential in a world that revolves around complexity and change.  Join us as we begin a theme dialogue on the importance of research.

Dr. Joyline Makani:

Research is for everyone and is very necessary in the world today. Thanks to advances in information technology, we are witnessing an increasingly complex online information landscape with blurred lines between information consumers and information creators or producers.

Simply stated, anyone with a computer and access to the Internet can put anything they want onto the Internet. To heighten the complexity, there is no one, in most cases, evaluating or approving Internet content before it is made public. Thus, this type of landscape presents everyone with the challenge to develop and harness basic research skills in-order to successfully maneuver, gather and understand information and not just wait for academics to verify the truth.

In other words, analyzing information, and not just collecting it, is paramount in today’s world dominated by “fake news and alternative facts”. Each one of us engages in research daily, whether we are buying shoes, planning a trip, or considering food choices. In the end, we are what we research. As academics have long argued, research helps to shape our society.

More important, building a solid research skill set is increasingly becoming necessary for civic life, i.e., the ability to gather data and information, examine multiple perspectives and re-evaluate prior beliefs is the foundation for responsible and community-minded citizens. To be engaged, today’s citizen needs to be able to tease out fact from fiction. Notably, it is not just about obtaining information and being able to cite the sources of one’s ideas but being able to digest information, think critically, and participate in dialogue among others with different perspectives.

Research takes courage because we challenge ourselves to look beyond the obvious. It is human nature to feel comfortable with what we know or what we believe in. It takes courage to question our beliefs/biases and pay more attention rather than ignore information that does not confirm our beliefs – this is what research entails – requires checking your biases, following and interrogating the evidence where ever it leads you.

Next post: Dr. Martine Durier-Copp on Research is Ongoing