Category Archives: research

developing a research agenda

So you’re thinking about how to develop a research agenda after your doctorate. This is often difficult to do. You’ve been down and dirty with the same question (and with all of the material you generated) for quite some time. … Continue reading

Posted in research, research agenda, research decisions | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

making the most of research leftovers

You all know about leftovers. The bits of a meal that you couldn’t quite finish. The remnants that end up in a plastic box or a covered bowl in the fridge. Mostly you get round to eating them for lunch … Continue reading

Posted in academic writing, data, data analysis, leftover, Pat Thomson, research | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

“discussion” – it’s about moving forward

Discussion. It’s a word that immediately comes to mind when we think about communicating research. First we report the results, and then we discuss them. Discussion might be a separate thesis chapter just before the conclusion, or the end of … Continue reading

Posted in academic writing, argument, contribution, discussion, research | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

the risk of research feature creep

I’ve recently been reading a design manual – don’t ask – and came across the term feature creep. Designers define feature creep as “a continuous expansion or addition of new features”. And this feature creep is a problem. The term … Continue reading

Posted in academic writing, feature creep, research, research as process, research decisions, research design | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

bad writing advice

There’s some very bad writing advice out there. Most of it is well-intentioned. Most doesn’t aim to make profit from anxious writers. But unfortunately readily available writing advice is not uniformly good. Does this matter? Caveat emptor perhaps? Well, there’s … Continue reading

Posted in academic writing, advice, poor advice, research, writing research | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments

putting the search into research – starting the phd

Getting through a doctorate requires a finely honed information practice. You have to become pretty good at summarising, synthesising and categorising ‘stuff’ – otherwise known as ‘the literatures’.  But you also have to keep track of what you’ve read, and … Continue reading

Posted in academic writing, keywords, literature review, literature reviews, research, searching, starting the PhD | Tagged , , , , | 6 Comments

big researchers don’t cry?

This is a guest post from Jozica Kutin. Jozica is a researcher and PhD candidate at RMIT University, Melbourne.   At the end of each research interview I tell the person I’ve interviewed how appreciative I am of their time and … Continue reading

Posted in Emotion, emotional research, interview, interviews, research, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 11 Comments

blogging research projects

I am often asked about the ways in which I use blogs for research purposes. I take this question  to mean I should talk about something other than the usual blogging that I do. So here goes. I have played … Continue reading

Posted in academic blogging, archive, blogging about blogging, literature review, research, research agenda, research blogging | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

beware the shoehorn – #researchfunding

For the last five years, I’ve directed a research development centre for the Arts and Social Sciences. I’ve just finished that job and am thinking about what I’ve learnt. This is one of the things that I’ve worried about. The dictionary tells me … Continue reading

Posted in research, research agenda, research bid writing, shoehorning research bids | Tagged , , | 2 Comments