TRAIN Scholar James Head's Blog

 Although I feel I have a basic understanding of a literature review, I am struggling to find a topic and general outline. Some of the videos I've watched suggest to start by finding a research article with an interesting topic, then look through that topic for key words or ideas that the research is built upon. The attached video talks about the "research cycle", which is : pick a topic read research on that topic. tweak the topic of your paper as needed. In step 2, if there is not enough material for research, you may need to tweak your topic. Also, during research, you may find a more interesting topic than the original. One other thing mentioned was, if you are stuck, ask for help. Resources such as Librarians may be able to offer guidance and provide a nudge if you are stuck picking a topic. I scheduled a virtual appointment with a PC librarian earlier this week, and he was extremely helpful, showing me different places to find ideas, and going over proper citation.

       The microbiome group will not be meeting as frequently this semester, creating gaps in my weekly reporting ability. One of my advisors suggested I supplement by doing a literature review as well. So, what is a literature review, why do we do them, and how?       In the attached video series it was described as this: Imagine going to a high school reunion and meeting up with a person you haven't seen in years. They might ask, "What have you been up to?" at which point you would provide the highlights of past years. "I moved to Arizona in 2010.  A few years later I invented post-it notes, and became rich overnight. Three minutes later I got married. We have been traveling the world, and just flew in from Belize to be here with you all today." Note that, while this brings the listener up to speed, this does not move forward with an idea of the future. A literature review uses multiple, credible sources, to explain the current status on a specific topic. It

 The microbiome group still hasn't started yet, so I thought I would share something useful I am learning in another class, ENH255: Contemporary US Literature and Film. Currently we are covering the Close Reading Interpretation Tool, "CRIT", which helps to better understand what we are reading. For the microbiome group I will be reading many articles, and may find this tool useful. Here are the steps involved: 1) Paraphrase: Look for the overall meaning and purpose of the passage. 2) Observe: Look a things such as language style and form (Are they using scientific terms? Are the lines structured like a poem?) What new things does this tell you about the author and what they are trying to convey? (This is a good time to take notes on the passage) 3) Contextualize: What are the outside influences on the passage? When or where does it take place? What technology was available at the time? What are the widely accepted beliefs of that time or place? 4) Analyze: Review steps 2

It looks like I will be joining the microbiome supergroup again. I got in touch with some of our leaders from last semester. Apparently there will be some changes in leadership, which will allow for new insights. The group hasn't started up yet, so I am looking over articles for ideas to write about. Some concerning the microbiomes affect on infants looks good. There was another article on antibiotic use and colon cancer correlations that may be interesting.  I also found an article on microbiome differences compared to race. Mostly I am looking forward to hearing the interpretations of articles from my classmates. I can read all these studies myself, but only see them from my own perspective.