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Introduction

Welcome to The Research Journal. You are

probably reading this because you are about

to start or have recently started your first piece

of independent research. You might well be

studying at undergraduate level. However,

if you are doing a Master’s programme and

you didn’t undertake a research element

at undergraduate level, you may well find

this book useful too. Whatever your current

situation, The Research Journal is designed

as a practical tool to help you to succeed in

each aspect of your research project through

the process of critical reflection. Any first

piece of independent research is a very big

and challenging undertaking; this journal will

help you to see the whole picture (often very

difficult to visualise in the early stages) and

the individual parts that make up the whole.

This means you will be able to manage your

research project well; no one else will be

able to do this for you, and it will ensure your

success. The journal will also help you to reflect

on your learning and progress throughout your

research project and will enable you to write a

dissertation you can be proud of.

Who this journal is for

The Research Journal is designed for all students

who are doing their first piece of independent

research. This is often a key piece of assessed

work that needs to be submitted towards the

end of a programme of study. Because of

its size and the number of credits it carries, it

can have a significant impact on your overall

grade or degree classification. Because of

this, many students recognise its importance

and want to do well in it. Independent

research often gives you the opportunity to

focus on a subject or topic you are interested

in and enables you to delve deeper and

learn more about it. A discussion of your

dissertation is common at interviews for

jobs and graduate schemes because of

the variety of skills you develop during the

process. Critical reflection lies at the heart of

a high-quality dissertation and this book’s

journal format enables you to engage with

the necessary metaprocesses (thinking about

thinking) to critically evaluate your growing

knowledge and understanding. As a result, it

puts you firmly in charge of your research.

How to use this book

The Research Journal is practical in nature and

is designed as a reflective tool to help you

engage critically with each aspect of your

research project and to take control of it. In

the early stages, you will probably feel very