Academic Research

My experiences with academic research since I graduated from high school is far and few between. I have yet to write a college level research paper and find it a very daunting task. In chapter 1 our text defines formal research as, “a systematic process of acquiring knowledge. This process involves setting out to study a specific subject; gathering and recording information about that subject; interpreting, analyzing, evaluating, organizing, and synthesizing that information; documenting the sources used during the study; and reporting the research.” (Sole, 2010) I have not done this type of research but I find myself consistently researching info on the internet such as hunting tips and tactics all the way to researching for our planed honeymoon to Rio de Janeiro and what kinds of activities we will do, I would consider this pure or basic research.
What can be easy and interesting about academic research process is the actual research you conduct on the topic. I find a rather interesting part is finding out new facts about how the world works and I personally enjoy doing the research, reading, searching around online and in the library, taking notes, and so forth. On the other hand, the research process can often be quite difficult and can take me a long time. The part that I can say I have the most difficulty with is getting my subject down to a manageable size and keeping with the theme of the paper.
Academic research at the college-level is new to me. I will now have to improve my own knowledge and understanding of a subject and improve my ability to answer questions and solve problems using critical thinking and improve upon what I have already learned. In the past the research I have done was what I would consider basic research. I would get a topic in say science class go home look up some information about my topic and put my paper together on those few sources of information.
References
Sole, K. (2010). WHAT IS FORMAL RESEARCH? Retrieved from...