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5

to something that we have read, but don’t

remember where we read it. We then

have to spend lots of time trying to find it

again, often at a time when the deadline

is looming! (Borg, 2001; Ortlipp, 2008;

Bassot, 2016).

The first of these bullet points is particularly

worth noting; we write about things in order

to understand them, rather than because we

already understand them. This helps us to see

why starting to write is often the most difficult

part; it means we need to write when there is

probably a lot that we don’t yet understand.

However, it is the act of writing itself that

helps our understanding and knowledge to

grow, so it is important not to put it off. The

best piece of advice I ever received when

doing my doctoral studies was, ‘Don’t get

it right, get it written!’ At first this advice felt

like turning everything on its head as I felt I

needed to understand things before I could

write about them. But being prepared to take

the advice proved to be an important step

forward because, once I started to write,

things began to get easier and I understood

more. Unlike many of the books you have

used at university so far, The Research

Journal is one that you are asked to write

in – so please do so, as it provides some

ideal steps towards understanding more.

Research terminology

Terminology in research is by its very

nature abstract and, as a result, it can be

difficult to grasp and potentially confusing.

Theme 5 explores some key terms. When

writing this book, some key decisions

were made in relation to its scope and the

terminology used; these are summarised here.

There are regular debates among academic staff

in the social sciences about appropriate content

for research methods modules. These modules

are commonly studied at undergraduate and

postgraduate level. Some academics (but not

all) agree that undergraduate students need

some grasp of methodology at a philosophical

level, often demonstrated through a discussion of

different research paradigms. Others argue that

at this level an understanding of the difference

between quantitative and qualitative research is

sufficient. This is the approach taken by writers

such as Greetham (2019) and Cottrell (2014) as

shown by the content of their publications. These

academics take the stance that postgraduate

students then need more, including a grasp

of areas like constructivism, critical theory,