A Better Way to Approach a Research Project

by Timothy Howe

Create a plan
A builder does not just pick up a hammer, some boards and nails and begin construction. A builder first looks at a blueprint. The blue print functions as a guide to how the structure will look in the end. With its direction, lines on a paper soon become a foundation, walls, and a roof. In the same way, a research project must not be a shot in the dark. It requires rigorous planning. The more detailed the plan is, the more likely it will cause the project to arrive at its intended goal. 


Create a timetable
Most research projects have a termination point. A paper is due, a presentation is expected or a book is submitted. If this endpoint alone serves as a time reference there is a strong likelihood that procrastination will result in the vast majority of the work taking place at the latter stages. This can lead to hurried and careless work. The researcher will find it much better to set aside a timetable for each stage of the project and then check later to see if he or she is ahead or behind of schedule. 




Create a thesis
The thesis is a GPS. A good thesis drives research not the other way around. A researcher who begins researching a topic without knowing precisely what he or she is looking for will waste a lot of time doing inconsequential research. That same researcher may even be tempted to stick some of those results in the project just because of the work it caused regardless of whether or not it is connected to the topic. Let the thesis drive the research not some interesting discovery that can derail the project. 



Create an outline
If the thesis is the GPS, then the outline is the roadway. A good outline escorts the researcher by the hand to the results of the project. Following an outline during the research phase as well as the writing phase keeps the researcher on target. Of course, the outline will be inexact at the beginning since the point of research is to determine something as of yet unknown, but a good outline is easily adjustable along the way.  


Create an end vision

Do not be tempted to leave the end research open-ended. A good researcher will usually be able to plan ahead regarding a specific research target and will stop when that target is reached. Again, this remains flexible as new findings adjust it. It is critical to know when enough research has been gathered to produce conclusive results or argumentation. 


By following these guidelines a researcher will make the most productive use of his or her time and create the best possible research.