The Research Journal. Bassot, Barbara

The Research Journal - Bassot, Barbara


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      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

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      enthusiastic about your study and it is good

      to capitalise on this. As time progresses, you

      might begin to feel pressurised by the scale of

      the task, especially as it often comes at a time

      when you have lots of other academic work

      to complete, and maybe final examinations

      to prepare for too. This journal can help you

      to manage the process effectively and will

      help in the inevitable ups and downs of the

      research process.

      You will probably have been given a significant

      length of time for working on your research

      project; this can be comforting, yet deceptive

      at the same time. In the early days it is all too

      easy to think that you have plenty of time,

      and procrastination can quickly set in as you

      sit back and start to put things off. Before you

      know it, weeks have gone by and the deadline

      starts to feel much closer. Then feelings of panic

      can start to surface, which can make people

      feel overwhelmed and even stuck, so making

      progress can sometimes start to get tricky.

      This book has a strong emphasis on planning,

      which helps to prevent a range of negative

      feelings associated with completing a large

      assessed project. You have probably already

      been asked to write essays, as well as other

      types of written work. This book will help you

      to keep up the writing habit and includes

      activities that help you to reflect on what you

      are achieving in this area. It also helps you to

      understand more about yourself and how you

      can manage your project well.

      This is not a book on research methods or on

      completing a research project, as there are

      plenty of those available. What it does provide

      is a practical and reflective tool to use as a

      ‘how to’, alongside other texts which focus on

      the academic and practical aspects of social

      research. During your independent study you

      are likely to find a small number of what you

      will come to know as your go-to books on

      research methods; you might even find one

      to use as your first point of reference. This is

      good and likely to be very helpful to you in

      the research process. The Research Journal is

      a book to use together with these, not instead

      of them, because it is designed to help you to

      establish your direction and work through the

      process. In the early stages of a project, many

      students say they struggle to find their feet and

      using this book at this time can be particularly

      effective. You will also want to use it to keep

      a record of your work and thoughts on the

      whole research process, and this could prove

      particularly valuable if you are asked to write a

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      reflective evaluation of your work either as part

      of your dissertation or as a separate piece.

      Ultimately how you use this book is up to you

      because it is all about you and your learning;

      this is an individual thing. However, here are

      some pointers to bear in mind:

      • It is very practical, and you will gain the

      most from it by engaging with the activities

      rather than simply reading them. The

      process of completing the activities

      encourages you to think at a deeper level

      at every step. This means that as time

      progresses you should find your

      understanding of the research process

      grows and your knowledge of your chosen

      topic develops.

      • It is designed as a book you write in, so

      please do so. Remember, you can always

      supplement the space for writing with

      a blank notebook or a document on your

      favourite device.

      • Overall the content is structured to follow

      the research process. However, there

      isn’t one single way of completing a

      research project. This means it may well

      be helpful to skim the book first and then

      dip in and out of it as you see fit. You

      will probably gain more from using it like

      this rather than mechanically working

      through it from start to finish. Indeed, there

      is something contradictory about engaging

      with free-flow writing in a very structured

      way, as you will see in Theme 1.1.

      • There are some reminders of aspects of

      study skills; if you know you are strong in

      these areas, feel free to skip them. But, if

      you’ve had feedback comments such

      as, ‘You need to continue working on your

      academic language’ and ‘Your referencing

      is still not especially accurate’, these could

      be useful in helping you to get the mark

      you hope for.

      Overall, this is a book that you will want to

      keep close at hand as your project progresses.

      The benefits of using it vary from person to

      person, but include:

      •


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