Tag Archives: research

three things examiners look for in methods chapters

Posted on June 26, 2017 by

Once upon a time, when I worked in schools, early childhood teachers routinely issued young children with a ‘pen license’. A pen license was much sought after as it meant that a child could ‘advance’ to using a pen instead of … Continue reading →

Posted in data, data analysis, examiner, methods, methods chapter, research methods, thesis, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

brought to you by the letter ‘S’

Posted on February 6, 2017 by

S is for SPECULATE The word speculate has bad press. It is usually equated with guessing, making things up. Not good. However, to speculate can also mean to theorise, hypothesise, surmise, make a supposition. Speculation needs a bit of a helping … Continue reading →

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data analysis – jigsaw puzzling writ large?

Posted on January 9, 2017 by

I do love a good jigsaw. The more complicated the better. Tiny pieces. Ambiguous shapes that could be one of any number of things. Large slabs of mono colour. What’s not to like? And over Christmas I got hooked on the … Continue reading →

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what’s a #phd ‘contribution’?

Posted on November 10, 2016 by

You hear the term contribution almost as soon as you enrol in the PhD. It’s something you wrestle with as you write your research proposal – you need to convince your chosen institution that your research will make a contribution. … Continue reading →

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when field work is just pants

Posted on August 4, 2014 by

Going away on research field-work requires more than selecting and packing specialised kit – various bits of technology, each designed for a particular task. It also needs a very specific kind of domestic organisation. Sorting out what might seem to … Continue reading →

Posted in research | Tagged , , , | 7 Comments

academic travel story – on getting un-jammed

Posted on June 13, 2013 by

I’ve just been on a week’s leave in the south of France. Well yes, poor me eh. Anyway before we get into a discussion of whether this was a good or bad time to go or be away, Ill just … Continue reading →

Posted in academic writing, performativity, publishing, space, time | Tagged , , | 6 Comments

oh no, someone did the research before me…

Posted on May 6, 2013 by

I very frequently meet doctoral researchers who are worried about not being original enough. They are afraid that what they are doing has been ‘done before’ and they won’t therefore be making an ‘original contribution’ to knowledge. They also are … Continue reading →

Posted in originality, research | Tagged , , | 11 Comments