Читать книгу The Research Experience - Ann Sloan Devlin - Страница 106

Whatever the length of time you have to complete a research project, start the process by creating a timeline of due dates for components of the project: coming up with ideas, consulting the literature, settling on an approach (research design), identifying and obtaining measures, securing IRB approval, recruiting participants, collecting the data, entering and/or analyzing the data, presenting the results, and explaining the results. As explained earlier in the chapter, the written report (manuscript) includes the Introduction, Method (participants, measures, procedure), Results, and Discussion. Given time pressure, it is a wise idea to write sections along the way, rather than wait until after you analyze your data.

Figure 2.13 Steps for Managing the Research Process

Source: Adapted from Devlin, A. S. (2006). Research methods: Planning, conducting, and presenting research. Belmont, CA.: Wadsworth/Thomson.

Divide the semester (12–13 weeks) into weekly segments; then work backward from the final deadline. If your instructor reads drafts, incorporate that into your timeline. Figure 2.13 provides one model to manage the steps in the research process.

You can control your own behavior, but receiving approval from the IRB or feedback on your draft may not happen according to schedule. Manage the time for the activities you can control (generating ideas, consulting the literature, writing sections of the manuscript). One other challenge is worth noting. One of the biggest obstacles is obtaining complete measures (with all items and scoring instructions), which is not as straightforward as you might think. The pitfalls of this task will be covered in Chapter 5.