Planning a research project

In current sity homeuniversity a-zmaps and the university us on us on us on t learning development▼ d in your ng and conducting a dissertation research ng and conducting a dissertation research guide addresses the task of planning and conducting a small research project, such as for an undergraduate or masters’ level dissertation. It aims to help you develop a clear sense of direction early on in the project, and to support you in organising, planning, and monitoring your companion guide writing a dissertation focuses on the preparation of the written report or is a dissertation? You will usually be asked to generate a topic for yourself; to plan and execute a project investigating that topic; and to write-up what you did and what your findings were. Important stages in the dissertation process include:Choosing a topic;developing a research question;effective planning of the research;being organised and methodical while conducting your research; andreporting the some students come to their research project with a clear research question to address, many others arrive at this point with several ideas, but with no specific research question. Don’t wait until you have a fully formed research question before discussing your ideas with others, as their comments and questions may help you to refine your at other writing: set aside some time to spend in the library, skimming through the titles of research papers in your field over the past five years, and reading the abstracts of those you find most through the dissertations of previous students in your department: the topics may give you inspiration, and they may have useful suggestions for further about your own interests: which topic have you found most interesting, and is there an element that could be developed into a research project? This may identify a research question you could er that a research study can:Replicate an existing study in a different setting;. A research question in isolation, or within a wider programme of work; a theoretical idea to a real world list is not exhaustive, and you need to check whether your department has a preference for particular kinds of research s your proposed topic with a member of academic staff who you think might be appropriate to supervise the project. To the population of interest; example, a project on coal mining in the north east of england may require you to visit newcastle’s record office, or to interview coal miners from the region. If the practical considerations associated with your research ideas are unrealistic, you need to consider whether you are willing to modify or reconsider your ping a research your topic has been accepted by your department, you need to begin the process of refining the topic and turning it into something that is focused enough to guide your project. Try describing it as a research problem that sets out:The issue that you are going to be investigating;. Argument or thesis (what you want to prove, disprove, or explore); limits of your research (i. Is important that you establish a research problem at, or close to the start of, your project. It is one of the key tools you have, to ensure that your project keeps going in the right direction. Every task you undertake should begin with you checking your research problem and asking “will this help me address this problem? Should be willing to revise your research problem as you find out more about your topic.

Formulate a detailed plan for a research project

You may, for example, discover that the data you were hoping to analyse is not available, or you may encounter a new piece of information or a new concept while undertaking a literature search, that makes you rethink the basis of your research problem. Sets out your research field but does not frame a research problem because it is too general. Is a much better research problem as it establishes an argument (existence of public transport may have some influence on new housing development). You will make this large subject manageable by focusing on a limited period of time (1990 onwards), and limited ive planning of the g a research proposal. Research proposal is a more detailed description of the project you are going to undertake. Some departments require you to submit a research proposal as part of the assessment of your dissertation, but it is worth preparing one even if it is not a formal requirement of your course. It should build on the thinking that you have done in defining your research problem; on the discussions that you have had with your supervisor; and on early reading that you have done on the topic. A comprehensive research proposal will make you think through exactly what it is that you are going to do, and will help you when you start to write up the could try outlining your project under the following headings (booth, williams, & colomb, 2003. May find that some of these headings are difficult to fill in right at the start of your project. If, for example, you are unsure about the limitations of your methodology you should talk to your supervisor and read a bit more about that methodology before you ng a research plan. Dissertation is an extended project that asks you to manage your time and undertake a variety of tasks. Then allocate research tasks to the remaining research te literature review and conduct pilot te data dissertation plan, then begin first s draft with is very important to be realistic about how long each task is likely to take. Some focused thought at the beginning, then at the planning stage of each phase, could save hours later on. This is where planning is improve the prospect of completing on time, and avoiding procrastination, you need to:Be realistic about when you can/will start;. To work out if any of your research will take a set amount of time to complete;.

Yourself when you complete objectives that you have timetabled; you fall behind make sure you spend time reworking your research plan should also include information about what equipment you will need to complete your project, and any travel costs or other expenses that you are likely to incur through the pursuit of your research. You should also think about whether you are dependent on any one else to complete your project, and think about what you are going to do if they are unable to help you have created your plan it is a good idea to show it to someone else. Supervisors are there to help you shape your ideas and give you advice on how to conduct the research for your dissertation. They are not there to teach you the topic you have chosen to investigate: this is your project. It is not your supervisor’s job to chase you into completing your dissertation, or to tell you how to manage the different stages of the project. To ensure that you get the most out of your supervisor you need to:Agree a timetable of meetings at the start of your project and stick to it;. This could include your research plan, early results of your data collection or draft chapters;. The end of each supervision agree some action points for you to focus on before the next time you meet; a record of what you decide in supervision you are not happy with the way you are being supervised, explain why to your supervisor or discuss the issue with your personal aking a literature less of whether you have been given a dissertation topic or you have developed your own ideas, you will need to be able to demonstrate the rationale for your research, and to describe how it fits within the wider research context in your area. To support you in doing this you will need to undertake a literature review, which is a review of material that has already been published, either in hard copy or electronically, that may be relevant for your research project. Refer to the guides effective note making, referencing and bibliographies, and avoiding plagiarism, for further help with most research projects the data collection phase feels like the most important part. However, you should avoid jumping straight into this phase until you have adequately defined your research problem, and the extent and limitations of your research. As you undertake your research you are likely to come up with lots of ideas. They may be useful as ideas in themselves, and may be useful as a record of how your thinking developed through the research process. Time reflecting on the implications that your pilot study might have for your research project, and make the necessary adjustment to your plan. Even if you do not have the time or opportunity to run a formal pilot study, you should try and reflect on your methods after you have started to generate some g with you start to generate data you may find that the research project is not developing as you had hoped.

If so, estimate how significant the problem is to answering your research question, and try to calculate what it will take to resolve the situation. Also don’t think that by seeking help you are failing as a y, it is worth remembering that every problem you encounter, and successfully solve, is potentially useful information in writing up your research. Rather, flag up these problems and show your examiners how you overcame ing the you conduct research, you are likely to realise that the topic that you have focused on is more complex than you realised when you first defined your research question. The research is still valid even though you are now aware of the greater size and complexity of the problem. A crucial skill of the researcher is to define clearly the boundaries of their research and to stick to them. You may need to refer to wider concerns; to a related field of literature; or to alternative methodology; but you must not be diverted into spending too much time investigating relevant, related, but distinctly separate ng to write up your research can be intimidating, but it is essential that you ensure that you have enough time not only to write up your research, but also to review it critically, then spend time editing and improving it. The following tips should help you to make the transition from research to writing:In your research plan you need to specify a time when you are going to stop researching and start writing. You should aim to stick to this plan unless you have a very clear reason why you need to continue your research a break from your project. When you return, look dispassionately at what you have already achieved and ask yourself the question: ‘do i need to do more research? A section where you discuss ‘further work’ at the end of your dissertation will show that you are thinking about the implications your work has for the academic companion study guide writing a dissertation focuses on the process of writing up the research from your research carefully about your topic and ensure that it is sufficiently a detailed research proposal to help you anticipate the issues/problems that you are going to deal time to planning and stick to your closely with your supervisor and respect the time and advice that they give organised and take detailed notes when you are undertaking your literature survey and data a clear decision about stopping data positively into writing-up your te enough time to reviewing and editing your er that you cannot achieve everything in your dissertation, but you can critically appraise what you have done, and outline ideas for further, relevant d in your ng and conducting a dissertation research h for academic mental atics help al development planning (pdp). Anamika ray memorial hed on mar 3, presentation explains step by step processes in planning a research e: cc attribution-noncommercial-sharealike you sure you want message goes sor of virology and consultant y of vet. Medicine, university of maiduguri, t but you sure you want message goes brandcom pvt ng a research ant professor in mass i university, assam, -by-step planning for a research project. Time and money can be very influential constrains at the time ing a research project. Research methodology includes determining how to choose t for the study and how to observe the phenomenon of. It should hensive and course - linkedin oint 2016 essential course - linkedin oint 2016: course - linkedin to do a research .

And the ng a good research your postgraduate programme is at masters level then you will not need to think about the project in detail until you are part way through the programme, although it is never too early to start to have some initial ideas – but you probably do not need to worry about your choice until the christmas you are undertaking a doctorate, however, your planning needs to start even before you submit your application for the programme, as you will be expected to have a clear idea of what your thesis will be about right from the start. If you are applying for a specified project, you will need to be sure that it is a project you are excited about and interested in, and also that you have some ideas about the research methods you will need to use and the existing literature and research in the do i choose a good research topic for study? Masters students and most self-funding students at doctoral level will have an almost completely open choice about the topic for their research project. The only limitations will be whether your university can support you to do the project, i. As a doctoral student, of course, this will have been a factor in your choice of university, as there is no point applying to a university that cannot support your research how do you choose what to do? The model below has been used successfully with large numbers of postgraduate students to help them choose their project topic. It works through a number of stages, which help you to narrow down your ideas from a broad field to a specific research 1 what are the broad themes that interest you? In other words, what topics is there most discussion about either in the research papers or in the popular journals? An important aspect of any research project is that it should be investigating a question, so try to think of all the questions of interest or importance in relation to each of the two or three topics you have 4 choose a question and check its the list of questions you now have it should be possible to identify two or three that are particularly interesting or exciting for you, and then to choose one that grabs your interest. By viability we mean is it a question that needs answering and is it a question that can be answered in your size of 5 make your final last stage is to make your final choice of project. This may only be possible when you have been through stage 4 several times, since there may be several possible projects you need to investigate for viability before you come up with a suitable topic. Most postgraduate students’ first ideas about a research project are too ambitious, involving large amounts of data collection and questions that are too general. Having a single overall question that you are investigating provides a very clear focus for your work – and you can keep asking yourself throughout your research ‘is my work going to help answer my research question? Having a research question does not mean you have to use any particular methodology – it just keeps you on i choose a research topic that will be about my own country? Students are sometimes very interested in choosing a research project that is relevant to their own country.

The regulations for your postgraduate programme allow you to be away from the university for a lengthy period of ly, will you be able to get hold of literature and research that is relevant to your topic? Will the university have the expertise to support your research in or about your own country? Undertaking a study related to your own country may be both rewarding and valuable to you, and many postgraduate students do their masters or doctoral thesis in this will i need to put into my research proposal? Your research project is part of a masters programme, or a taught doctorate, then you will probably need to get the approval of your tutor or the programme leader for your proposal. Whatever the timing, though, the proposal will need to include the same sorts of information:2 the main research question that you will be focusing on, with, perhaps, a number of sub-questions. A proposed time schedule for the project, with key dates and the timing of each phase of the detail and depth of the proposal will need to be rather greater for a doctoral proposal than for a masters project. A doctoral research proposal is likely to be an individualised document (that is, not on a form), and will probably be 1,000–2,500 words writing your proposal, remember that its purpose is to enable the academic staff to judge whether what you want to do is practicable and realistic, and will be suitable to enable you to write a dissertation or thesis of the right what if your proposal is rejected? So, take the advice they give, and submit another should i plan and organise my research project? Your research is for a masters dissertation or a doctoral thesis it needs careful planning and organisation – you will not be successful if you simply start work and then see where it leads. So you need to plan it need to start by thinking through what stages there are to your project. For most research projects we can identify ten stages:Stage 1 – choosing the have already looked at this 2 – initial literature literature review is a critical early stage in your project. It enables you to find out what research has been undertaken in the field, what is ‘known’ and what the important questions are that others are investigating or have suggested for research. You will become aware of the range of methodologies that have been used to research your field, both in the past and in the present, and you should start to develop a critical view of the advantages and disadvantages of different approaches. Most importantly, though, it will help you to look at your initial ideas for your research and develop and refine them to produce the project that you will undertake. It is almost the most important stage of the project, for if you do this thoroughly and well you will be saved many potential problems later 3 – finalising the research y your research questions will emerge from the literature review.

The literature review will have shown you what is already known in the field and what important topics need to be 4 – choosing and developing the er your subject and field, there will be a range of different research methods available to you. At this stage you need to choose the best approach to enable you to answer your research question. Many students though, unfortunately, start with an idea of the methods they want to use and then apply them to their research question whether or not they are the best way forward. The correct way forward, of course, is to read and reflect very broadly on possible research methods and then choose what is most appropriate, even if this involves you in learning new approaches or 5 – piloting the er method you use, you will need to pilot your methodology. Stage 6 involves making the arrangements to collect that 7 – data ting the data can be a short or a long process – for example a project on the behaviour of apes may take many months of detailed observation and recording, while some experimental projects may take only a few weeks or even days to 8 – data analysis includes the systematic organising of the data and its presentation in a form that readers of your project can understand. Stage 9 is the ‘big picture’ stage of the research, where the detailed interpretations are drawn together to try to ‘answer’ the overall research question. It will certainly involve a critical reflection on the conclusions you have drawn and the methods you have used, and will probably make recommendations for future research in the field. The final stage of the project, though, is assembling the final version of the thesis. You will have produced drafts of individual chapters throughout the project, and these can be assembled into the first draft of the overall thesis or dissertation. This all takes a significant amount of time, which needs to be built into the planning of the will see from reading through the stages of the project that there is much to plan and prepare for. There are two simple techniques you can use to plan your time and your project – a time line and a gantt looks a straightforward path to understand and follow, but there are a number of important points to remember with this model. First, your real project will not follow this path in a neat sequence:• some stages will overlap – for example, you will certainly start to develop interpretations and conclusions as soon as you start collecting data, and you may of course want to test some of your conclusions by collecting further data. Some stages will continue throughout the project – for example, you will need to keep reviewing the literature throughout the project to be sure that you have not missed anything important or that there have not been new publications on the topic. Even while you are preparing the final thesis you will need to do a last-minute literature check so that you do not miss the latest ly, you will need to be writing the thesis/dissertation from as early in the project as possible. Check out the offer from postgrad sity of wollongong illawarra coal science a faculty / inspiring stories from uow alumni who are taking on the world in their chosen ity campus ngah indigenous odation those who are starting their first year at ations close 12 ational aduate ions ent & & campus western sydney t future students team on 1300 367 ch & ch & partners for research ing research-industry partnerships making a real ch ch & tion & commercial degree ch grants & ch data ch scholars: find an t the research office on +61 2 4221 global ng a range of uow global activities, achievements and university ational abroad & campus rship & international development.

Planning a research sity of wollongong illawarra coal science ng a research project here are the steps you will need to plan your research project. Find a topic to research start a log book do some reading and compile a list of at least three good references on the topic come up with a question in that area find a mentor state the hypothesis to be tested (in the format: if…then…because…) write a proposal for an experiment to test the hypothesis, including aim, materials and method. To the science ation about project sing a science er to be a ational: +61 2 4221 board: +61 2 4221 ering & information , humanities & the e, medicine & ial services ation ints management ity college of city acknowledge the traditional owners of the land on which the university of wollongong campuses stand, and we pay our respects to elders past and ght © 2017 university of wollongong.