ITSLIFE - Learning for Teaching

Teaching and Learning Themes

Producing your Research Project - Page 2

How do I avoid panic?

You can probably see that the research process will take time, so give yourself plenty of it. If you wait until the night before (as we all have!), you will add pressure to yourself and others, and probably produce a poor project.

There are 3 keys to completing successful research projects:

1. Plan Ahead
2. Keep Organized
3. Review and Revise

This involves a good deal of independent work for you, and your learning can grow considerably through the process. Have faith in your intelligence and abilities. You can do it!

Each project that you finish will give you more confidence for the next project.

If you become comfortable with the research process now, you will have a much easier time as you need it more in your professional practice. (adapted from Samuels 2004)

Reviewing your research proposal

By now you will have probably completed a proposal for your research project. To review and reinforce the key aspects of your project, you may wish to work through the page on 'Formulating a research proposal' in Bryman and Bell. They have a useful exercise on the 'What, Why and When Framework for Crafting Research'

Click here to open that page

Gathering Information and Reading / Literature

On of the most common queries raised by students about research projects is the difficulties of finding suitable information / reading or literature about the research theme or topic.

Samuels (2004) has three really good 'tip sheets' to help with this. They are all hyperlinked below so you can use them with this stage of the research:

2. Listing Key Words

This tip sheet helps by suggesting a list of the words that will help you find the information you need about your research topic is a good place to start. They are called "key words" because they can "unlock" the doors that will lead you to useful information.

3. Getting an overview

Getting an overview is finding a source of information that gives you a simple understanding about a topic without telling you all about it in great detail. An overview should have some basic facts and be in clear enough language for you to understand. It should answer the questions; "who", "what", "when" and "where", and only briefly some of the "why" and "how" questions. Think of an overview as a picture taken from a distance where all of the details are not in focus. Your later research will bring those details into focus.

8. Focusing a research topic

Focusing a research topic is narrowing (or sometimes broadening) a topic so that you can demonstrate a good understanding of it, including enough examples and important details, within the size limits of the project you are required to produce. You need to satisfy both yourself and your teacher that you know what you are talking about. If your teacher gives you no limits, make them for yourself. You don't want to spend your life on this, at least not right now.

Bell and Bryman (2006) also have a good section on gathering literature and information, which is hyperlinked below:

Literature, reading skills and key words

This page has a variety of sections and activities which should help you select and use literature.

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