Conducting a Research on Autism and Immunizations: Paper Tips
Autism and immunizations are important medical issues around which there is a lot of debate. There is no consensus for one thing about whether immunizations should be mandatory or if autism is caused purely by genes. If you are assigned to composing a study on these issues, doing an effective research, as well as thesis proofreading will be the most important stage of the work.
How You Should Conduct a Research on Autism and Immunizations
The first stage when writing a paper is choosing an interesting topic for it. Your topic may be for example “Helping a person with autism in the workplace” or “Mortality rate among children and immunizations”. The idea here is that a topic should be narrow enough so that you can quickly sort through the information you will manage to gather and avoid writing in general terms. After you have chosen the topic, start gathering information. Here are the tips that will help you:
- Use 5 different sources.
Two or three sources will not be enough as you should not only deliver your message in your paper, but also support it with arguments.
- Look for empirical research.
Articles and books written by experts in the field should be in the focus of your attention. Such works have been vouched by other experts and are most trustworthy.
- Visit the library.
It may seem old fashioned but visiting a library (your college one or a specialized medical library) is highly recommended as libraries contain hundreds of studies on medical issues. The librarian will help you select relevant sources. Librarians are trained and supposed to help students.
- Look online.
There are a lot of materials on autism and immunizations on the Internet, but unfortunately, not all of them are trustworthy and can be referred to in your study. In fact, many articles are even unsigned or written just to draw the attention of potential buyers of vaccines or other medicines. Give preference to websites owned by scientific organizations, educational institutions, and the government. These resources bear responsibility for what they publish at least.
- Use academic databases.
These use special search engines that search through many peer-reviewed materials. There are databases that cover specific medical subjects too. Their membership may be paid, but you as a student should have free access to them.
Two Recommendations on Doing Research
Be creative when gathering information. Frequently change your search queries when searching online to rake up as many useful resources as possible. If you come across an interesting publication, look through its bibliography list. Such lists usually contain many helpful references.
Having gathered information, annotate your research. Highlight key facts and phrases so you easily get back to them when writing. Add your commentaries and notes to explain yourself where you might use them in your study.