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Use this guide to learn about the research process and plan your research project.

Welcome to the Research Planning Guide

Step 14: Evaluate the Process / Evaluate Yourself

Once you've turned in your paper or project, you're finished—right?  Yes! But it's also a good idea to think back on your experiences in writing this paper.  Remember: the PROCESS is just as important as the PRODUCT.  

The PRODUCT, your paper, represents what you have learned about your topic, and how you have integrated that knowledge with your own ideas and values.  Your professor will evaluate your product when he or she reads your paper and gives you a grade.

The PROCESS refers to the steps you took to get to this point—the planning, research, reading, and writing that you did. You can evaluate the process by asking yourself these questions: 

  • What was the most difficult step for me?  What made it so hard?
  • What step took the longest amount of time?  Were the results worth the time it took?
  • Which databases were the easiest to use?  Which ones yielded the best results? 
  • What will I do differently the next time I have a paper to write?

You have completed the Research Planning Guide!

Let us know what you think!