Managing Research Projects

When planning a hike, look at a map to see the "big picture" of where you plan to hike and areas to avoid.

The same is true when planning a research project.

Make sure you see the big picture of what is involved.

What are the expectations of the project?

• What does the description of the project say are the requirements or expectations? (e,g, assignment in a syllabus, goals of a grant, application for an internship, journal article requirements, art installation for a site, etc.)
• Write the description of the project and the expectations in your own words.

What is the scope of the project?

• What is should be included in the project? For example:
  • a thesis of 10,000 words on the topic of the underground railroad
    • write about friendships between black and white conductors and what drew them together
  • a literature review, introduction, abstract, references
  • an empirical research project, with literature review, methods, results, discussion, references, appendices
• What does not go, or should not be included, in the project?
  • Is an annotated bibliography needed?
  • Do I need info about economic factors related to the underground railroad? Probably not.
  • Do I need to collect data? If so, how will I do so?

Use a calculator like the ones above to lay out a timeline that works for you, taking into account when you'll have more and less time for the project. Below is a sample timeline by month, laying out tasks relating to research, reading, and writing. 

Read Chapters 1 and 2 from The Craft of Research

1. Selecting a Topic in a Specific Field

List topics relevant to your particular class and that interest you, then narrow down to one or two promising ones. What do you wonder about? If you have a general topic, you'll need to work to narrow it down by doing some reading. 

These types of sources may be useful to read or skim as you develop your research question:

• Encyclopedia entries, especially specialized ones (e.g., Encyclopedia of Mental Health, Encyclopedia of Philosophy of Religion)
• Handbook entries, especially specialized ones (e.g., Oxford Handbook of Energy Politics (see table of contents sample), Handbook of Parenting) 
• Database subject terms, especially seeing narrower/related terms for your broad topic, as well as other subjects that often are used to describe articles in your results list.
• Google your topic, especially using Google Scholar, a search engine that focuses on scholarly journals and books. Skim the articles it turns up, especially their lists of sources.

When you know the general outline of your topic and how others have narrowed theirs, try to narrow yours. If you can’t, browse through journals and websites until your topic becomes more clearly defined. 

Read chapter 1 of The Craft of Research for more detailed concrete steps and suggestions.

2. Develop a question

3. State the significance of the topic. Why is important to study the topic you identified?

Booth, Wayne C. The Craft of Research. Fifth ed. Chicago, IL: The University of Chicago Press, 2024.

• Set aside a block of uninterrupted time to mull over stuff.
• Scribble ideas down, all of them, related to the project.
• Write down important phrases.
• Create a document (spreadsheet, Word, Google Doc, pad of paper - whatever works for you) where you keep track of the terminology (keywords) you use for searches and the kinds of results those terms provide).
• Try using a concept map to see the big picture of your topic.

Consider what tools and resources you will need for your project.

For example: 

• Books
• Articles
  • peer reviewed
  • empirical research articles
• Databases to search
• Primary, secondary, or tertiary resources
• Permission from the IRB - Institutional Research Board
• or more

Research is not only messy, it can be emotionally taxing.

Be aware of your thoughts, feelings, and actions as you begin the search for information. Dr. Carol Kuhlthau, Professor Emerita at Rutgers University, developed this 6 stage model to explain the affective (feelings), cognitive (thoughts) and physical (actions) common to each stage of researching.

So, make a plan.

Talk to a librarian to help guide you on resources you should consider consulting.

For concrete details and suggestions, read Chapter 3, "Finding and Evaluating Sources," in The Craft of Research.