Our Research Project - Your Own Research Project

Conducting Your Own Research Project

The "Big" Picture and Having a Plan

There are several fairly well defined steps to conducting successful research regardless of the type of project that you undertake. Having the "big picture" in mind - knowing exactly what your question is and how you plan to study or answer that question is a key element to success, learning and minimizing frustration. It is a well established and documented fact in business that the key to successful projects is careful planning. So as you follow this section keep in mind that these skills apply not just to academic research but to most businesses involved in research and development as well.

The steps we'll discuss here include:

Posing a Question
Conducting Background Research
Plan Your Experiment Including Your Budget and Your Time Table
Conduct Your Experiment
Analyze Your Experiment
Interpret Your Experimental Results
Summarize and Document Your Results

As we go through these steps keep in mind that you will generally modify and revise what you originally planned. Sometimes changes are needed regardless of the amount of time you spend carefully planning your research. Simply consider it part of your overall plan and allow some time for this.

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