|
Research Planner The
following outline is intended to help you work from a topic of interest to
achieve a
valid research question with a clear focus, set boundaries, and well-defined
terms, supported by an understanding of common views of current scholarship. John Roxborogh 1. AREA of INTEREST1.1. What is your area of interest?This may be a person, an issue, a period of time, a place, a source of information. 1.2. Is there a personal reason why you have this interest?Personal motivation is vital to successfully complete any research. On the other hand if the story is very close to you emotionally it may not be easy to think critically about the issues. 1.3. Is there something you would be trying to demonstrate by writing this paper?Trying to prove something is not impossible. However there is a difference between trying to prove something by testing it for validity, and trying to convince others what you believe to be true without being willing to test your hypothesis. A curiosity to find out the truth about something is one thing, a determination to use a research process as a means of adding authority to what you believe without question already is likely to invalidate the arguments used more than actually prove the point. Prophets who already know the answers often have difficulty really testing the things they are very certain about. 1.4. Is there something you would be trying to find out by writing this paper?
1.5. So, altogether, what are you trying to achieve?
1.6. How will you know if you have succeeded or not?
2. BOUNDARIES: Make you research workable by setting boundaries such as:2.1. The people whose views you will investigate2.2. The sources you will consult2.3. The time period you will consider2.4. The geographical area in question2.5. The time you have available3. TERMS3.1. What are the key terms3.2. What do you understand these key terms to mean3.3. How do you know for sure?4. LITERATURE REVIEW AND THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK.You should write a literature review which surveys the information available in three key areas:
You should be able to identify: 4.1. The key writers in your area of investigation and the critical framework they employ to interpret what they describe.4.2. The terms in which you intend to discuss your topic.4.3. Your intended method of research and writing.5. OUTLINE5.1. Give an outline of your thesis using only three words to describe each chapter5.2. Prepare an annotated bibliography with 100 word summaries of 5 scholarly books or articles relating to your project:7. RECOMMENDED TEXTSJudith Bell, Doing your research project, Open university Press, 1993. Wayne C Booth, Gregory G Colomb and Joseph M Williams, The craft of research, University of Chicago Press, 1995 Sara Delamont, Paul Atkinson and Odette Parry, Supervising the PhD. A guide to success, Open University Press, 1997. Estelle M. Phillips and D S Pugh, How to get a PhD, open University Press. Linda Tuhiwai Smith, Decolonizing Methodologies. Research and Indigenous Peoples, London, Zed Books; Dunedin: University of Otago Press, 1999. Viggo Sfgaard, Research in church and mission, William Carey Library, 1996. |