Research is the Bottomline: The Recap of My Academic Writing a.k.a Skripsi (Reading Gets Personal #2)

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I know that I didn't manage to actually make this blog running since my last post in June 16. In my defense... its because that time I was still struggling with my undergraduate research or Skripsi, in which by the guidance of Allah SWT I managed to undergo my "ultimate undergraduate thesis examination" in August 29 and being officially passed my days of lecture in Psychology Undip at September 9, 2016 (after completing my revision in such a very packed period of times, but it was actually the times when I think I really have purpose *lol). I will never get through all of that "phase" if not from Allah SWT and my parents blessings, seriously. After my faculty's library are done arranging their own stuffs after I provided the requirements, my Skripsi will be on the bookshelf of my facculty's library - maybe it can provide some insights to the earlier faculty students. Especially, I am quite proud that my undergraduate research title are quite new in my faculty, about the Honesty-Humility personality and the impression management behavior. It's like a HUGE thing to me to think of finishing my Skripsi as completing my own book that MIGHT be useful to other people and be actually READ by other people. 

To think of it, I think basically writing any book are also involve a lot of research, you can't just write mindlessly, pouring words and make people read your writings about pointless things. I think I've learned about quite a number of things about writing in my experience of completing my Skripsi. I come accross Honesty-Humility personality after "online rummaging" the topics of personality, browsing through journals and articles until I discover about the HEXACO dimensions of personality. The HEXACO personality dimensions consists of the Honesty-Humility, Emotionality eXtraversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, and Openness to Experience, and actually the basic "idea" are like those Big Five Personality but "updated" with the new and the sixth dimension of Honesty-Humility, which, roughly speaking here, explains the extend someone can be fair and sincere in dealing with others. More "online rummaging" about the "things" that can be "affected" by Honesty-Humility then brought me to examine the impression management behavior by the question: are the more sincere and fair someone to other people will also make him/her engage less in impression management behavior (deliberately managing how he/she will be evaluated by other people)?

But finding topics are just the beginning steps, there has to be a strong background to your research; it can be to address a problem, to examine the topic that has conflicting result, but eventually you have to make sure that you research will contribute in some way. You have to write systematically, so it is also advised that you write with concept map to organize the ideas of your writing. Actually I didn't really draw or make the actual concept map, instead I make sure to know the flow of what I am writing - so I can make the reader get what I actually want to point out.

Well, to make it not being too far from literary thingy that suppose to be presented in this blog, much and much reading are necessary to write basically anything. By reading many journal or research article you can figure the "research trends", learn what is hot or not to examine, and you can have strong understanding about what you researches; even you can also know what is the best method to research and how you can analyze the finding satisfyingly.

Agatha Christie.

 Speaking about researching to make good writing, thus good book eventually, I think that mystery novel - that also my favorite genre - are one example about the importance to do research for your book. To plot smart and engaging mystery story, it has to be based on "the real deal" - the author has to research stuffs like about poison, anatomy, or maybe learn about certain culture of lifestyle and many more. For me Agatha Christie is one of the great example of what a good "researcher" she is to be able to write maaanyyy great mystery books.

Rick Riordan.

Not just in the mystery genre, other example are also Rick Riordan who must have been researching a lot about mythologies so that he is able to write maanyyy wonderful fantasy books like Percy Jackson and the Olympians and so on. George R. R. Martin who is the author of A Song of Ice and Fire (and adapted to Game of Thrones TV series) are also known to "base" the story idea of his books from European history; and the crazy thing is he also known to do his research by the "manual" way of browsing.

George R. R. Martin.

I know that my examples are all "foreign" authors, and I should have name Indonesian author as well; but I'm just pointing out the name(s) that comes out from my mind. What are you fellows think? Which author(s) that you think are very good in researching what he/she writes? Can you recommend me a very well-researched books that makes it sooo great to read? Please leave your comments while it's free x'D.