“Education is the most powerful weapon that you can use to change the world,”  said the late Nelson Mandela. Education is powerful, and it continues to change the world. It brought ease to doing everything, including getting educated. Today, there are more ways to get an education than before.

With education came technology, and with technology, the world became accessible. Now you can sit in your lounge in a remote location and get an education from the world’s top universities. Online education has made it simpler to achieve academic goals that were otherwise difficult to imagine. Like all good things, online education has its thorns. Research work is very tough for remote students. But not to worry, we have got you covered. This article will provide online research tips for you.

Tips and Techniques for Online Students:

1. Plan your Research Before Starting

Planning is very important; make sure that you have an airtight plan before you begin. Instead of jumping in head first, blindfolded, it is better to know what your research is all about.

Understand Your Research Question

To find an answer, you first need a question. The more accurate the question is, the easier it will be to find the correct answer.

Make an Outline of Your Research Objectives

As mentioned before, an objective is the key to your project. You should know why you are doing the research; what is your aim? What are you getting out of it? It will guide you in the right direction.

Create a Timeline

Every project has a start and an end. Organize your work plan from the time you collect the data to the time when you compile it as your final paper.

2. Online Libraries and Databases

There are many online resources easily available. They are very important for online education, as you can find many books, articles, and other useful materials on these platforms.

Access Your Institution’s Online Library

Nowadays, universities usually give their students permission to use their digital libraries. Ask your institution and find out if they provide such a facility. You can also ask them to share peer-reviewed articles and papers.

Use Academic Databases

Google Scholar, PubMed, and JStor, are the most popular and used platforms. They are pure treasures filled with academic wealth and publications.

Take Advantage of Open-Access Journals

Don’t forget to look for free-access journals and research papers. Websites like the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) are a good place to start and look for high-quality research work.

3. Master the Art of Online Searching

Many of us confuse research with a simple Google search. To search the internet more effectively, you should develop your search skills so you can get the right answers faster. To get specific information from the ocean of data, you need to know how to search and where to search.

Use Advanced Search Operators

Google and other search engines include sophisticated search operators to help you narrow down your search results. For instance, putting quotation marks around a term (like “online education”) will make that particular phrase searchable. A negative sign (for example, “online education, K–12”) can cause some phrases to be removed from your search results.

Evaluate the Credibility of Sources

Not everything found online can be trusted. It is important to make sure that the resources you are using are reliable and trustworthy. Look for the work of popular writers and publications that have been peer-reviewed. Instead of the typical ’.com’ websites for your search, try domains like.edu,.gov, or.org, which are considered reliable sources for research.

Use Subject-Specific Search Engines

There are many search options specific to certain fields; examples of these are PubMed for medical research and ERIC for education research. You will get more to-the-point results using this targeted approach.

4. Use Technology and Online Tools

You can find an overwhelming number of tools that can help to study online. Some are more popular than others. These include organizing tools, Note-taking, and citation tools, etc. You can improve and accelerate your research.

Citation Managers

Tools like Zotero, Mendeley, and EndNote can help you manage your references and create citations easily. You can organize and save resources, write bibliographies, and ensure your work follows the citation standards.

Note-Taking Apps

Note-taking and note-organizing apps like Google Keep, OneNote, and Evernote are great. They let you organize your notes into notebooks, tag them for quick access, and sync them across many devices.

Plagiarism Checkers

Plagiarism is a big no-no in academia, but it is becoming more common unintentionally. To make sure that your work follows quality standards, evaluating it for plagiarism is very important. Luckily, now there are many detectors available online, and some of them are free. Turnitin, Grammarly, and Copyscape are some popular tools that are used to find out if your content is plagiarism-free or not.

5. Be Organized and Manage your Time

Without a strict classroom schedule, it is very easy to go haywire and lose track of time. To avoid this, learn to manage your time and stay organized.

Create a Research Log

Maintain a research log to document the milestones you achieve. This will include the information, its sources, the data you have collected, and what you have done so far. Staying organized with your study journal will help you reach your goal in time.

Set Aside Dedicated Research Time

Consistency is the key to success, especially while researching. Allocate time regularly for research and follow that timetable religiously, otherwise, work will be piled on and you won’t get any productive results.

Break Down Your Research Into Manageable Tasks

It is wise to always break down big tasks into smaller units to make them more manageable and attainable. If you try to do everything at once, chances are things will get messed up.

6. Join Online Communities and Forums

To learn new things, you need to meet more people, grow your network, and participate in healthy discussions. You can share your work and get feedback to improve.

Academic and Social Media Groups

You can get help from academic communities and forums online, like  Reddit, Quora, and LinkedIn. You can have an intellectual discussion about your subject, ask questions, and get insights about it.

Participate in Online Workshops and Webinars

Many institutes offer webinars and online seminars regularly about how to do research properly.  You can participate in such activities to get online research tips.

The Final Verdict

“Research is formalized curiosity. It is poking and prying with a purpose.” Zora Neale Hurston

Online education is a new and unique way of learning. The challenges you face are exceptional as well. You can easily overcome these hurdles with the right attitude, skills, and strategy. The standard of your work can further improve through intellectual collaborations on forums and online communities.

Research is collecting data and contributing positively by analyzing and compiling it for academia. Hopefully, these tips and techniques for online students will benefit your online education journey. Happy Studying!