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.

The Worst Way to Approach a Research Project

by Timothy Howe

Start by gathering "enough" data
Research implies gathering data. One temptation to be resisted is thinking that there is such a thing as "enough" data. No amount of information will ever seem like enough. It is not even possible to determine what constitutes "enough" during the research stage. Certainly, gathering a large volume of data is important, but avoid determining in advance what amount will be sufficient. 


Expect the research to organize itself
A sure way to bog down in a project is to permit the data to dictate the research process. This will lead the researcher down whatever trail the research leads instead of gathering the most important information for the project. Instead, start with an outline and stick with the outline. Only veer off it when it proves untenable. Good organization will cause good research.


Don't worry about the context of your quotes
Quotations are important since they give authority to your work, whether in support of your argument or as an argument to counter. But ignoring the context of the quote could affect understanding. Each quote originates in  a field that gives it meaning. Be sure to not strip the quote out of that field without its reinforced meaning.  


Don't verify if you are quoting the author's idea correctly
More dire than ignoring context, the researcher could misrepresent the ideas of the original source. Not all information is easy to process and it is easy to misunderstand ideas. As one quotes experts, it is vitally important to get the facts right. Poor quality control at this stage could nullify a research project. 


Find the hidden "gems"
Research is about hard work. There are rarely moments when a researcher happens upon a special "gem" that fills in all the gaps. The end product comes about as the result of persistence and tenacity. Hope will never be a replacement for effort.


Research possesses a time element. Thus it is crucial to get the right data, get it into some order, verify it and get to hard work quickly. 

Giving It Your All

By Steve Huerd

Having worked with high school students these past twenty-four years in professional youth ministry, I’ve seen thousands of students who have made incredible sacrifices to gain entrance into the colleges of their choice.

Students' Commitment to College

A friend of mine was telling me recently how his son (only now in "eighth" grade) decided that he wanted to attend an Ivy League school.  This goal pushed him to spend many Friday nights studying while his other friends were out having fun, so he could earn the highest GPA possible.  He also pushed hard in cross-country and track so he could be nominated for team captain.  He ventured into DECCA and other organizations that would shine on elite college applications.  After being turned down by several Ivy League institutions, he eventually wound up on the west coast at Stanford.

Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA

Every year it seems that the stakes grow higher as high schools offer more and more AP courses as they seek to prepare their students for college.  With the rising cost of undergraduate tuition, well-meaning parents are constantly pushing their kids to take as many college prep, AP, and college-high school credit courses as possible resulting in even higher standards of performance.

Over and over again in high school counselors' offices the phrase, “If you want to go (there), you’ll have to do this and this” is repeated to youth who truly want to obtain the best that the next four years can give them.  And, year after year, in school after school, they pursue their dreams with intense fervor and discipline-- hoping that one day it will all be worth it.

Whether you agree or disagree with the current state of affairs regarding this phenomenon, the reality is that there is an ever-increasing class of eager students pushing themselves to achieve their dreams and aspirations.  They come naïve and somewhat open-handed to us, the learned and the educated of society, to prepare them for what lies ahead.  Along with their parents they pay small fortunes in order to sit at our feet, to read the books of our choosing, and to complete the coursework we deem appropriate.

Our Corresponding Responsibility As Professors

Knowing this truth, how should we feel as professors of these students?  While we are instinctively aware that we simply cannot give them "all" that they need-- knowing them and seeing their hearts should motivate us to be the absolute best we can be.  In every class, we become stewards of their sacrifices, hope for their dreams, and wisdom for that which they seek.  And while the mileage of this truth varies from student to student, the overall stewardship and responsibility of imparting knowledge and training to them continually remains in our court as professors.  Teaching at this level to such impressionable and eager minds is truly a high calling worthy of the stricter judgment God requires (James 3:1).  Being aware of the generational impact of our teaching upon the church and the society as a whole ought to cause us to give it our best.  May God, in his mercy, grant us continued steadfastness showing us His approval, making our efforts successful.