Daily Research Log
Each day you do work on your research, you can make an entry in your research log.
Each entry might include the date, the time you spent on the activity, and brief notes concerning the three areas identified by Barbara Stripling (1995): what you learned, what questions you have, and where you need to go next.
Sometimes, if you do several tasks in one day, in might be helpful for you to list each task separately (e.g. time spent in class, time doing peer editing, time doing research).
Keeping a research log will be as an effective a tool as you make it. If you treat it as busy work that you must simply get done because the teacher requires it, it will have little benefit. But, in five minutes or less of serious reflection, you can produce a document that will help advance your research. Furthermore, a well written research log shared with your instructor will allow you to get better guidance on your research project.
