Getting Started with Your Research Studies

by Prof Matthew Lee, Department of Information Systems

The right question and the right methodology

A good research question helps to guide and focus your research work. At the beginning it is critical that your supervisor guides you towards formulating a very good research question.

You must be able to master an appropriate research methodology to address your research question. Many research degree programmes now include core courses in research methodology that provide you with a good starting point, so you can identify the right kind of methodologies for your research. You can develop these further with the guidance of your supervisor and your own self-directed reading.

Relationship with your supervisor

The importance of your relationship with your supervisor cannot be overestimated. Getting on well and having ongoing intellectual exchange is critical. It is not one-sided - you really have to participate in an active relationship.

Your supervisor may have many research students and many other commitments. If you do not get his or her attention, focus or interest in your project, then it is very easy for your supervisor to lose sight of you.

If a particular supervisory style does not suit you, discuss this with your supervisor and try to find an approach that enables you to achieve your objective within the constraints. If you are experiencing problems with your supervisor, then seek advice on overcoming difficulties or changing supervisor.

Persistence and hard work

Research by its own definition involves uncertainty. You're bound to run into unexpected difficulties because if everything was well known you wouldn't need to research it. You have to be prepared to overcome these temporary setbacks.

The research degree period is an extremely short time so be prepared to work very hard. If you are not prepared psychologically you will be overwhelmed by the amount of work. Unlike undergraduate study, research work is not well structured - you have to establish structure yourself. You have to work hard but also work smart. In research there are few limitations. For example, when you undertake a literature survey you have to define your boundaries and identify what is really important and what is peripheral.

Interactive and time-management skills

When working in a team or among other research students, you need to interact to cross-fertilise your research ideas. If you do not interact, you could end up reinventing the wheel and not benefiting from the input of your fellow researchers.

It's really easy to waste time when you are in a very unstructured lifestyle. Every minute you waste is an extra minute you need to complete your degree. So good management of time is essential.

Writing skills

You must organise your thoughts and express yourself by writing in a clear, concise and convincing manner. These skills need to be developed over a period of time. Don't wait until you are writing your thesis - start from Day 1. When you are presenting your research, your data are important evidence that you have done good research. But you must also convince the readers you have a good research question, you are addressing it with the right methodologies, your results are valid and your interpretation is sound.

Regulations

There are explicit regulations about what you must do to achieve your research degree, but you may still be unclear about what some terms mean. For instance, completing prescribed coursework, passing qualifying examinations, producing a thesis, undergoing an oral defence are specified in the regulations. But you may ask: What is the prescribed coursework? What extent do they contribute to my degree? Seek advice from your supervisor or other relevant sources to help you understand more fully what the requirements mean.

Publishing and building connections

The written requirements only say that you should produce a thesis that is of publishable quality, but how do you demonstrate this? Well, you publish articles based on your research in reputable journals. This is particularly important if you are planning a career in academia. The time lag associated with most publications means you should consider writing articles when you are about two-thirds through your research degree.

In your own field you will find there is a close-knit community of scholars. To integrate into this community you should read other people's work and go to conferences and start to meet these people. A good supervisor will also help you build a network, through introducing you to scholars with similar research interests.

Consider what you want to achieve beyond the period of your research degree. Completing an MPhil or PhD cannot be successful in itself unless it leads you where you want to go.

Get it right from the beginning

The best time to start thinking about all these issues is from Day 1. If you get it right from the start then subsequent years will be a lot easier. If you are on the right path then every step will be more effective.