Research Project Tips Timmins ON

Steps

1. Getting Started: In many cases the first thing you'll be asked to do is to submit, or at the very least think about putting together a project/research proposal. At this stage, any general ideas you have will probably be too broad or too vague. Don't worry, you belong to the 99.9% of students who find themselves in the same position.
2. Develop a focus within your general area of interest: Unless you are embarking on exploratory or emergent research, where you do not envisage issues and questions to arise until the investigation is underway, it is extremely important that you establish your focus at the beginning of the research process.
3. Go for gold: The main reason for establishing a clear focus at the outset is that it will provide the foundation for what is known as the golden thread i.e. the major concept within your research that influences every stage of the research process; and just as importantly can be seen developing within each section of your dissertation/thesis write-up.
4. In developing your focus of inquiry remember that practicality and ethics must be taken into account.
5. The main way to demonstrate and maintain your focus of inquiry is to develop appropriate research questions or hypotheses. There are no hard and fast rules as to what constitutes an ideal research question/hypothesis. Nevertheless, a sensible rule of thumb is that you are able to provide a clear rationale for the question/prediction being posed.
6. You will know if you are on the right track if you can confidently answer the following questions. What am I hoping to explore in the course of my research? What is the thinking behind my studies research questions/hypotheses? Can I access a wide range of background material? Will it be relatively straightforward to access my target population? Ethically, am I on safe ground?
7. Keep it simple and be pragmatic. Remember research is a process, and you will be assessed on how well you undertake that process.

Sources and Citations

• http://www.all-about-forensic-psychology.com/Forensic-psychology-research.html
• http://www.uk-student.net/modules/wfsection/article.php?articleid=164

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