From the course: Writing a Research Paper

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Clustering

Clustering

From the course: Writing a Research Paper

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Clustering

- You have most of your general research completed and may have an idea of what key areas you want to include in your research paper. How do you convert these ideas in a logical plan? Brainstorming is certainly one way to achieve this but not the only way. Another way is to cluster, spider web, or map the ideas. All different names for the same process. The advantage of this organizational method is that it allows you, the writer, to see how the ideas connect, and you can put the sub-points on your main ideas as you progress. This method can be helpful for visual learners, those who like to see what's happening. A couple of disadvantages are that sometimes, for a long research paper, the bubbles get overwhelming, and you are forced to immediately decide where each bubble should be placed. Let's use the Homeschooling vs. public schooling example. The big bubble in the middle would be the main topic, Home and Public Schooling. One offshoot would be Flexibility. The three smaller bubbles…

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