Organising Your Research Project

COP3

1/3 of final years grade.

Doing your research project - Judith Bell (BUY THIS)
(371.3) Can find it in library too...

400 Hours - Including interviews & reading etc..

6-9000 words & related body of practical work. Synthesised from the beginning not A & B. Minimum of 2 1/2 hours support on written element.

Turn up prepared to tutorial
Research & questions.

DEADLINE - 15th Jan 4pm (15 Weeks) Need to fit in 400 hours of study.

Have a substantial draft by break-up at christmas. (Practical & Written)

Indepth critical research.
Cohesive research project, with practicak & textual outcomes.
Analysis & evaluation.

A coherent written argument & related practical investigation.





Planning the project.

How ideas & initial research gets turned into dissertation.

Q's to think about before tutorial.

Write down all questions you want to investigate about topic!

History & development of design.

Primary & Secondary focus on them. Edit out the ones you don't think are useful or rewarding.

Change & Clarify proposal now!

A piece of A4 paper for first thoughts, primary & secondary q's. Pre-conceptions of topic, what would be useful?

What is it that I am trying to do? Is your question researchable?

Working title - get one! Although, can be changed.

Constantly refer back to working title. Make q's that can be answered. What about? Why?

Project outline.
Draft as project outline...
Think about activities going to be doing.
Plan - 2 weeks on books
Interviews.. etc...
When to do stuff?
Generous time to read & write up dissertation.

Factor in tutorials - ask tutor when it will be happening. 

Make milestones (use them).



Literature Search.
How much can you read in 100 hours?
Only read for a maximum of 100 hours!
Key texts concerning your topic? Go to library, to look up in section.
Google search or scholar.
Look at biblography of other books...

Focus your reading based on initial assessment of this survey.
Find key texts & plan time to read these.
Find secondary sources / critisms of key texts (triangulation)
Use journals (Academic jstor.org)

Referencing
Start biblograpy now!
Everything you pickup (surname, forename, date, place, publisher, page)
Make a word document!
Alphabetically - hand in!

Ethics
You need to be granted permission from your supervisor if interaction with human subjects.
Think about effect research may have on others.
If you involve real people. Permission to use the info in your work.

Data - subject to copywrite.




Different types of research. Create different results.

Project plan.
Primary & secondary question
Start to think about how you are going to research this.
Which methods - unique to you?

Qualitative - interview, opinions on the world.
Quantitative - surveys.

Action research
Theory
Doing - the theory
Reflecting
Changing theory based on reactions.
(Cycling process)

Questionnaires
Avoid leading, presuming or offensive question. Don't need just to get both but primary gets more marks.
Is a questionnaire the best way to investigate your topic?
Need a large percentage.

Interviews
No structure or structured.
Best way to investigate my topic.

Observation
Could be good.
COP3 - Log/Diary Constantly updating & adding reflections in! 
Experiments in making are forms of creative & primary research.
Taking photos in places.