Intro to Research

So…. you are heading towards your Research Project…. but: what exactly IS ‘research’?  Is there a right and a wrong way of doing it? What are the major problems / headaches and how do I go about avoiding and overcoming them? Good questions all! Michel has given me 2 hours to try to explain the nature of research to you and to give you a framework/logic to follow.  I will do my very best with that very limited time…. Could I ask you to refer to materials I have prepared for a rather longer series of lectures on this theme which I deliver to Documentation, Archives and Museums specialists (aka ‘Mulhouse FLSH / SCIMEC M2 English ‘) on my webpage menu system.  Then use the familiar ‘spring-out’ menu system and go through the files for:

• Research as a ‘driven’ process
• R1. Title to Literature Review
• R2. Research Methodologies and Surveys
• R3. Data presentation to conclusions and recommendations
• The ‘Need to Know’ fun item… play on words
• Helpful interactive resource for Social Sciences Research
• Dr James Neill’s Survey Design Workshop

[slideshare id=1006649&doc=survey-design-workshop-1234170716539145-3]

This will take you through the ‘logic’ which underpins the process of research. It really is VITAL that you understand this because there is effectively only one basic structure and process to research whether you are talking about literary research into the poetry of Kalil Gibran or assessing the success of a promotional campaign.  If you understand this process then you will never get ‘lost’ within your own research: you will always know where you are headed.  SO… please, for your own sake, bear with me on this. If you ‘get’ this, I promise you your research will be more thorough and valuable and as a result you are likely to present your project report and viva-voce (soutenance) all the better.