500 Tips for Research Students

Sally Brown, Liz McDowell, Phil Race, Brown, Sally, McDowell, Liz, Race, Phil

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2013
• eBook ISBN: 9781135358891
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Education
• Subtopic: Education General

This text offers researchers practical hints and advice as well as support/guidance in planning, carrying out, writing up and publishing research findings. Topics covered include: information handling; time and self-management; writing; dealing with others; and publishing and profile.

Chapter 1 Getting Started In Research

1. Why are you doing research?
2. Making key research decisions
3. Choosing your supervisor
4. Dealing with your supervisor
5. Planning your research
6. Piloting and trialling
7. Using other people as a resource
8. Some tips for part-time researchers
9. Working with fellow research students
10. What to do when things go wrong
11. Avoiding disasters

The first two chapters of this book are about starting off your life as a research student. We've collected together in Chapter 1 our suggestions about getting your research going, and saved for Chapter 2 ideas about tuning in to your new surroundings and managing your time and effort.

We start this chapter by inviting you to interrogate yourself about your reasons for getting into research in the first place. The better your reasons for doing research, the more likely you are to succeed. We then give suggestions concerning the key decisions about the nature and direction of your research, which you'll need to make sooner or later. Next we look at dealing with supervisors - very important people in the overall picture for any researcher.

The remainder of this chapter deals with different aspects that you'll need to consider as your work develops, including planning, piloting and trialling, and coping with difficulties. We've also included some suggestions particularly for part-time students. These may apply to anyone who has got a lot of commitments to balance alongside their research work.

We've also looked at how to make the most of fellow research students. You will probably become integrated within a new community of colleagues and friends, and the more you put in to making this community work well, the better will be your experience of being a research student.

Research students usually have tales to tell of things that go wrong. We think that, rather than pretend that such things will never happen to you, it is better to confront them right from the outset, and this will help you to put them into a more healthy perspective.

1
Why are you doing research?

You may be embarking on research full-time shortly after completing a degree course or after a career break, or you may be planning to undertake research alongside a full-time or part-time job. Whatever your particular circumstances, you need to identify and maintain you motivations for doing research to sustain you through what is bound to be a lengthy project. Why might you want to do research? We've listed ten possible reasons why you might choose to do research; all the better if you've got strong reasons of your own.

1. A career move. A research degree may be the stepping stone to the career you want in some fields. Many scientific careers and most academic careers require you to have a research degree.
2. Personal interest. The research may give you the chance to explore an issue which is a great personal interest to you.
3. Following someone's example. You may have friends or relatives who have done research, and want to emulate their example.
4. Because other people expect you to do research. This may not be the best reason for starting on research - you really need reasons of your own for doing it to help you keep going when the going gets tough.
5. Avoiding the 'real world'. Doing research does give you more independence, freedom and flexibility than most jobs - but it doesn't pay very well! It may give you the chance to stay in or get back into academic life - though if you are expecting a continuation of undergraduate student living you may find yourself in for a surprise.
6. Because you can't find a job, or know it's going to be hard to get one. A research degree (or some research experience) may increase your chances of being appointed to jobs you would like to secure. A period doing research may give you time to decide exactly what you want to do next.
7. Developing your skills and abilities. Doing research provides lots of opportunities to develop skills and abilities which are transferable to other career and life situations. Some of these might include: problem-solving, using initiative, working independently, sifting through information, and making decisions.
8. You enjoy doing research. You may already have some research experience and know that this is one of the most interesting and exciting ways of spending your time. In fact, you're already hooked!
9. Pure vanity! Many people study for doctorates because they want to be called 'Doctor'! This is not a bad reason, in fact, as it usually represents a strong personal desire to succeed. Alternatively, your motive may be proving to yourself that you can do it. You may feel that a research degree is the next step on the educational ladder - and you want to get right to the top of it!
10. Because you like working with the unknown. This is a healthy basis for choosing to do research, and it lessens any tendencies to be frustrated by uncertainties.

2
Making key research decisions

When you begin a research project there are a lot of decisions to be made. You need to decide on the exact topic for your research and how to approach it, then come the details of experimental or survey design. Since many of these decisions loom large at the beginning of a project when you may feel you know very little, it can be daunting.

1. Nothing is final. Decisions you are asked to make at the beginning may seem to be irrevocable but often research changes in minor ways, and sometimes in major ways, as it goes along. This is an accepted part of the research process.
2. Have an escape route. Consider alternatives if the idea you first thought of doesn't work. Try to think through the consequences of your decisions. It is always worth having Plan B. Or you could try doing more than one thing in parallel for a while and see how they work out.
3. Don't rush your decisions. You may begin to panic if the days and weeks are slipping by and you don't feel you are actually doing any thing. Don't let this feeling push you into action for the sake of action. Thinking and planning does take time. Play with ideas for a day or two and see how they feel.
4. Don't start from scratch. Somebody else has almost certainly under-taken a similar project, needed a similar piece of measuring equipment or done a similar kind of survey. Do your best to find out. Research is all about building on the work of others.
5. Write it down. Writing down and trying to express clearly what you want to do and how you intend to achieve it is probably the most useful way of clarifying and pinning down your thoughts.
6. Get a second opinion. And a third and fourth! Write down your ideas, plans, rationale and first thoughts and get others to look at them. They may well notice some things that you have overlooked. Your research supervisors should be particularly helpful here.
7. Doing research is about progressively focused decision-making. Don't expect to get everything sorted out once and for all and then simply get on with it. You will find yourself constantly facing decisions about what to do next, how to interpret this set of data, what is significant and so on.
8. Don't wait till you know what you're going to do is the best possible course of action. Do something anyway. Sometimes deciding to do something is better than waiting to be sure that you are doing the right thing (but see 'escape route' above).
9. Keep a sense of proportion. Research isn't your whole life and in the overall scheme of things, will it destroy the planet if you make a wrong choice? Time spent doing research is an opportunity to get an overview of the field you're interested in before making important choices.
10. Take responsibility. It's your project. No one else can or should make the important decisions for you. However, listen to people who have fallen into the pits that can trap the unwary, as they know where the pits are, and how to avoid them.

3
Choosing your supervisor

Some researchers are able to choose who to ask to supervise their research. Other research projects are devised by a senior academic who sometimes also obtains funding to employ a researcher. In this situation you don't have much choice about your first supervisor but you may be able to choose a second supervisor.

1. The eminent professor may also be an absent professor. The most eminent person in the field is not necessarily the best supervisor, though others may be impressed to hear that you are working with him or her.
2. Keep first impressions in perspective. It's all too easy to be attracted towards choosing someone who comes across immediately as approachable and friendly, or to steer away from someone who seems rather aloof or formal. What matters ultimately is how good these people turn out to be as supervisors.
3. Find out about supervision success rates - and failures. A supervisor who has already had successful researchers is less of a risk (though of course every supervisor has to have a first research student).
4. Talk to other researchers. If you are considering approaching someone to ask them to be your research supervisor it helps if you can talk first to someone else who has been supervised by them. Find out from them how frequently they see their supervisor.
5. Prepare your shopping list! It's useful when talking to other researchers about how they get on with their supervisors, to have your own set of questions to help you decide who will be most likely to get on with you.
6. Ask other lecturers. They may have some good ideas of who would be a good person to supervise on the topic you're going to research. You will probably also be able to read between the lines what lecturers think about each other. This can help you avoid being the lonely research student supervised by the lecturer that no colleagues like very much.
7. Take the initiative. In many situations you don't have to wait for a supervisor to be allocated. You can ask the person you think would suit you best. They won't mind, will probably be flattered and can only say 'No'.
8. Think about possibilities of complementary supervisors. In many universities you are required to have more than one supervisor. It's useful if they can complement each other. One may be eminent and give status but have very little time for you. Another may have more time and be closer to the experience of being a new researcher.
9. Read the regulations. Your university may have regulations about who can act as a research supervisor. For example, lecturers registered for part-time PhDs probably aren't eligible, no matter how relevant and extensive their experience. In most universities, supervision arrangements have to be registered and approved by an appropriate committee or board.
10. Find out the groundrules. Check out with potential supervisors their expectations of their research students. Gently probe whether they are likely to meet your own expectations and needs. See if there are any university codes of practice for research supervision.

4
Dealing with your supervisor

Your supervisor is probably one of the most important people in a crucial phase of your life. You may even have more than one person sharing the supervision of your work. Supervisors are allegedly human beings, and the following suggestions may help you get on with them.

1. Develop some groundrules. Establish at the beginning what you can expect from your supervisor and what he or she expects in return. This might include how often you will meet, how you should arrange other urgent meetings, what kind of reports of progress you are to submit, how quickly your supervisor will respond to written material you submit for comment and so on.
2. Know your university's policy and guidelines. There is almost certain to be a policy on research supervision and perhaps a set of minimum standards. If you are aware of them you will know whether you are getting a fair deal, and what is reasonably expected of you yourself.
3. Supervisors tend to disagree! When you have more than one research supervisor it is not uncommon for them to disagree. Depending on how important the matter is, you can consider their different views and decide for yourself, or you get them together to discuss the points of disagreement and negotiate a joint way forward. Don't make enemies by playing up their disagreements with each other. Or try a third party.
4. Keep records of meetings. Your supervisor may or may not be very good at keeping a record of what you discussed and agreed. To make sure there is no confusion, keep a written record of points agreed and actions to be taken. Send your supervisor a copy.
5. Changing your supervisor is usually an option. It is not unknown for researchers to change their supervisors and most universities have a policy on this. If serious problems arise make use of this - but don't start initiating such changes the first time you fall out with your supervisor - and don't automatically blame your supervisor when you're stressed or drowning!
6. Remember that it is your research. Your supervisor will not expect you to go along to meetings to be told what to do. The meetings are for you to test out ideas and to obtain guidance when you need it. It is up to you to let your supervisor know what you need and to take charge of your own project. Don't skip meetings! There is a temptation to avoid meetings when things are not going very well. You may intend to see your supervisor next week when everything is sorted out - but it usually gets worse! If you force your supervisor into having to track you down it can be a real mess!
7. Take care with the boundaries. Many supervisors spend at least some time socialising informally with their research students. Avoid the temptation to translate free-and-easy attitudes from social times to work times.
8. Become better at receiving critical feedback. If you're defensive or hostile, you may stem the flow of feedback from your supervisor. All feedback is useful, even when we feel we disagree with it. Accept praise too! People who give compliments don't like them being 'shrugged off' by the recipient. Build on positive feedback, and allow it to give you a positive feeling about your work.
9. Don't be too proud to say 'sorry'! Any relationship between human beings has its difficult times, and the effect of these is minimised when they are confronted rather than buried. You may know more about your subject than your supervisor, but not more about getting a higher degree successfully.

5
Planning your research

Whatever you plan to do in your research, things will change as the research develops. This is no excuse for not planning. As somebody once said 'Plans are useless but planning is absolutely vital' - and as someone els...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title
• Copyright
• Contents
• Preface and Acknowledgements
• Chapter 1 Getting Started In Research
• Chapter 2 Finding Your Feet - And Keeping Them
• Chapter 3 Reading, Writing - And Finishing
• Chapter 4 Getting Going With Teaching
• Chapter 5 Life After Researching
• Conclusions
• Further Reading and Useful Sources
• Index