EE

One area I could improve throughout the EE process is my self-management skills. My original goal was to find secondary data from government websites regarding reductions in the amount of plastic pollution. However, this proved to be unavailable. My next approach was to gather primary data from universities or environmental groups in Montreal but underestimated the time it would take to receive a response and follow up on leads when they came. In the future I would start the process of data collection much sooner. I now have a greater appreciation for the importance of time management and planning. Whilst writing my EE, another thing I learned was to keep focus on my research question and topic as I found myself going off on tangents in my initial draft. I have learned to develop my chains of analysis much more carefully and deliberately with a focus on my research question. I am more aware now that all arguments need to support and relate to answering the research question. This research paper has been a new academic challenge for me, and it has really helped me develop my repertoire of skills in numerous areas.

I had to be open-minded whilst choosing my topic and research question. During the beginning stages,  there was no guarantee that there would be sufficient information available to make ideas viable, which is the issue I came across with my first idea. I had hoped to look at how the legalization of marijuana in Canada affected the markets for alcohol and tobacco. However, after a process of research and inquiry, I realised that there was not enough information available, because the legalisation happened so recently. Although I had my heart set on this topic, I had to be open to exploring new ideas. After inquiring into different topics, I eventually decided on looking into the ban on plastic bags in Montreal. The biggest learning in the process so far has been finding information using Google as a search engine. Using correct key words in order to get the desired information is a skill that I have further developed.