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Cours de Méthodologie de La Recherche PDF
Cours de Méthodologie de La Recherche PDF
Cours de Méthodologie de La Recherche PDF
M. Mody Sidibé
Professeur assimilé
1
Main objectives of this course
1. To make students familiar with academic writing.
2. To help students to choose a relevant topic and formulate it adequately.
3. To make students aware of the importance of using evidence and avoid
making plagiarism.
4. To understand the methodological norms for a presentation of the research
report according to the MLA style (cover page, bibliography, quotations,
footnotes and endnotes)
Cover page: According to the academic norms and the tradition of the
university. Too fancy cover pages are not very academic.
Preliminary outline: A good outline is in accordance with the title and the
problematic. As you read and become more involved in the subject of your
report, your viewpoint may change. In this case, your original outline may be
modified and subsequently your final title.
Bibliography: A list of articles and books that helps you to deal with your topic.
Try to get the most recent publications in your field. You should respect the
referencing style recommended by your supervisor and pay a particular details
such as capitalization, alphabetical order and punctuation marks.
2
What is academic writing?
On a broader sense, it includes exposés, dissertations, reports, doctoral
thesis. Academic research is defined, organized and regulated by norms students
have to be familiar with and abide by. There are different referencing styles.
You have to choose one in collaboration with your supervisor and follow the
rules and regulations.
Main purposes for academic writing
University departments require students to produce a written work in order to
demonstrate that:
- They have read, understood and evaluated some of the literature in their
field.
- They can synthesize ideas from various sources.
- They can select appropriate academic sources to support their point of
view or perspective.
- They can develop and express their ideas.
- They can provide evidence to support their ideas.
- They can dispute or support existing theories and demonstrate their
critical thinking ability.
Any reading you do should have a clear purpose. It should help to find relevant
information to your project.
Before reading
- Why are you reading these documents/ what is your purpose?
- How are you going to read them / what are your reading strategies?
- It is important to think critically as you approach your reading
- Avoid accepting passively any text that you are presented with
Critical thinking
- Recognize what is relevant and what is not relevant
- Identify the writer’s purpose
- Assess the writer’s argument
- Compare and evaluate issues
- Evaluate the credibility of the writer’s sources
3
Using evidence to support your ideas:
The two are intimately related and can have a decisive influence on the quality
of the work and sometimes on the future of the researcher. Such a decision has
to be taken after much thought and preliminary investigation. At this stage, the
topic is provisional and the wording is liable to change. Before choosing a topic,
identify a theme in a specific field (literature or civilization) and ask yourself the
following questions:
Bibliography
4
MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers (7th ed.). New York: The
Modern Language Association of America, 2009.
MLA Style Manual and Guide to Scholarly Publishing (3rd ed.). New York: The
Modern Language Association of America, 2008.
The Chicago Manual of Style: The Essential Guide for Writers, Editors, and
Publishers (16th ed.). Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 2010.
Williams, Joseph M. Style: The Basics of Clarity and Grace. New York:
Longman Publishers, 2003.
McCormack, Joan and John Slaght. Extended Writing and Research Skills.
Reading: Garnet Publishing, 2009.