How to Start Your Research?

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In this article, I want to give you some tips on how to proceed with writing your research. Whether you are in your high school years or a university student, writing theses and dissertations, the hardest part is knowing how to start. In my case, my Master's Thesis took me at least 6 months. Don't get me wrong, in these 6 long months, I was not able to finish my research proposal. It was long and grueling, yet I was not able to accomplish even a single chapter.

Believe this is because of the fact that I wrote my first thesis when I was already in my final year as a Master of Arts student. I am already in graduate school. This happened because my undergraduate degree does not require an undergraduate thesis. This is the reason why the struggle is so real for me. The biggest problem I could remember is that I do not know what I am doing. So first, in this article, I share with you the important insights from my experiences.

In Selecting a topic, make sure that it genuinely interests you and is specific enough to provide a clear focus for your research. A well-defined topic will make the entire process more manageable. To be successful in this, I will give you the following pointers:

a.       Relevance. Make sure that the topic you choose is relevant to the needs of the community and to the advancement of knowledge in your respective field.

 

b.       Researchability. Make sure that the topic is researchable. On this pointer, there are two things to consider:

 

i.                     Technical researchability. You should answer the question of whether your research questions are answerable using existing research approaches, methods, and techniques.

 

ii.                   Logistical Researcheability. You should consider the scope of your research. Is it too broad or too deep? Can you access the data that you need to answer your research questions?

 

At this point, you do not need to write a full-blown proposal. What you need to do is to read and listen. Surely, there are people who pioneered the topic that you are seeing. Surely there are people who are already working in the field. Ask them questions. Ask for their advice and suggestions. Read the literature so that you have a deeper and wider understanding of the research topic you want to explore.

 

Always bear in mind that the first step for a good research project lies in the quality of research questions. Always assess your research questions. Remember that a poor research question is tantamount to a poor research project, and you can only create good questions if you have already understood the topic thoroughly again; this is accomplished after you read and understood lots of publications relevant to your topic.

 

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