Tips for Good Research

"Research comprises 'creative work undertaken on a systematic basis in order to increase the stock of knowledge, including knowledge of man, culture and society, and the use of this stock of knowledge to devise new applications.' It is used to establish or confirm facts, reaffirm the results of previous work, solve new or existing problems, support theorems, or develop new theories."[1]


Research is something we are always told to go off and do at the beginning of a new brief, but researching is endless I often find myself getting stuck in this section of the design process and going off on a tangent with my research instead of keeping concise. This usually means that I spend a large proportion of my time collecting information I probably won't use and less time on actually developing and refining my outcomes. As usual I have been given three modules to work on this year and all week I have been carried away with researching. I therefore decided to look up some tips for good research in the hope to gain quality research I can work from without spending too much time on it.

Before I wasted any more of my valuable time on the endless research that I probably won't use, I thought it would be beneficial to get a few tips on how to collect quality research while keeping it concise!

1. Define and articulate a research question
2. Schedule! Write a schedule with a series of milestones to accomplish by a specific date.
3. Identify possible sources of information in many formats and retrieve information using a variety of methods.
4. Start, don't end, with Wikipedia.
5. Mine bibliographies. If you find a good academic book for your research, there will be a bibliography full of other reliable sources for you to use.
6. Judge the scope of the project and reevaluate the research question based on the nature and extent of information available.
7. Select the most appropriate investigative methods (surveys, interviews, experiments) and research tools (periodical indexes, databases, websites).
8. Refine the search strategy as necessary. Don't try and tackle your subject all at once, deal with one piece at a time.
9. Write and organize useful notes and keep track of sources.
10. Evaluate sources using appropriate criteria.
11. Synthesize, analyze and integrate information sources and prior knowledge.
12. Revise hypothesis as necessary.
13. Use information effectively for a specific purpose.
14. Understand such issues as plagiarism, ownership of information and costs of information. Cite properly and give credit for sources of ideas.
15. Carry an idea book for when you really start getting into the project and you think of ideas even when you're not at home working on the project.

I think I still have a tendency to research for longer than I should and get wrapped up in learning things that are irrelevant to my project, but these tips are definitely sending me in the right direction. If you're like me I definitely recommend trying to make use of these tips as I believe with a little motivation and discipline they are a great structure to follow to collect quality research in the minimum amount of time. 

Citations

[1] Wikipedia (2014). Research. [online]. Last accessed 4th August at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Research 

Sources

- Wax, D. (2013). Advice for Students: 10 Steps Towards Better Research. Available: http://www.lifehack.org/articles/communication/advice-for-students-10-steps-toward-better-research.html. Last accessed 8th Oct 2013.

- Georgetown University Library. (2013). 15 Steps to Good Research.Available: http://www.library.georgetown.edu/tutorials/research-guides/15-steps. Last accessed 8th Oct 2013.