Challenge 1: Choosing the right topic
The first and foremost challenge most people face when researching is picking the right topic to research about. For example, if you are a graphic designer looking to create a book, it may be hard to choose out an existing character of a book in your research which you would then use to try and create your own.
The reason why this is the first challenge everyone will face is because you can’t do any research without having a topic and focus in mind of what you want to research about. This said by Dr Susann V. Getsch who has said “You can’t do anything else until you figure out the basic focus of your topic,”.
In order to progress and get past this challenge, you should think of a topic which is doable, take into account all of your resources, the time you have and what is available to you. There is no point in researching about a place you may not be able to go to, or a subject which is too deep and in-depth for the amount of time you have. Get help from others and input from other people to help fine tune and get your research on the right tracks, it’s a good idea to “pick the brains” of every expert you meet.
D. Schwiesow (2010), https://www.waldenu.edu/about/newsroom/publications/articles/2010/01-research-challenges
Challenge 2: Choosing the right methodology
Your next step in the right direction is to choose the right methodology for you. This the procedure in which you will conduct your research and is important to move forward. Dr. Linda Crawford has a good way of going about this by saying “The best way to choose it is not to choose”. What is meant by this is that instead of outright choosing a methodology you should ask yourself a few different questions, these being:
1) What is the problem?
2) What is the purpose of your study?
The answers to these questions should guide you and determine what kind of methodology can use to be answer your research questions. Whether that be quantitative or qualitative.
Finding the right methodology to use can be hard but it is best to take your time with the planning process and be crystal clear with your focus groups, interviews for example in a qualitative study. The reason you should take your time before going off on your study is because you want to make sure that its worth the time you’re about to put into it
D. Schwiesow (2010), https://www.waldenu.edu/about/newsroom/publications/articles/2010/01-research-challenges
Challenge 3: Assembling a research team
Once you have a topic in mind and the methodology to continue your research, you should be assembling a team of people in which can support you in your study. To be successful with a research team, make your needs clear and tell them what you need help with, what are the questions you want to answer and the time of which you have. Having more than just yourself helping and researching on a case study is helpful because you can cover more work quickly as well as have a range of different ways of thinking in one group.
Give feedback and form cultivate friendships with the people who are going to be helping you, this will help you get a long together and think more critically in a group for your research. This is because that the people you will be working with and the people that will be in your group are essential and invaluable to you as they can work alongside you and give you a different angle and perspective of the topic at hand like mentioned earlier.
If you have to, create a committee and associate someone as the chairman if the committee. The committee should be formal and the chairperson should be someone who is confident and gets along with everyone else in the research team.
D. Schwiesow (2010), https://www.waldenu.edu/about/newsroom/publications/articles/2010/01-research-challenges
Challenge 4: Finding study participants
Trial and error is a big part of your research and can be hard to overcome when trying to find study participants for your research. There are three main points to which you should take into account to overcome the problem of finding study participants.
1) Don’t waste your money
Marketing is a risky business and you don’t want to be losing money over trying to get subjects or people for your research. Dr. Rodney Lemery ’80, who has a PhD in Public Health hired a third-party email marketing group to send of a survey to 50,000 self-identified men who fit his criteria and only got four subjects back after spending $2,500.
2) Don’t be afraid to reach out
You shouldn’t be afraid to reach out to established researchers in the field of which you’re studying. Reaching out to these sort of people will help you a lot as anyone established in the filed of your study will be able to provide invaluable information to you and your team. Very well-known researchers are people to and there’s no harm in trying, the worst they can say is no and if you don’t ask at all, you may never know if they have valuable information.
D. Schwiesow (2010), https://www.waldenu.edu/about/newsroom/publications/articles/2010/01-research-challenges
Challenge 5: Getting institutions to participate
If your topic is of political nature or something controversial you may be rejecting at first or receive some flak for your study but its important to not stop at the first rejection you come across. It may seem like no one want s to help and participate but you will never know if an institute wants to if you don’t ask. If you need to, you can always pursue alternate avenues, look online and for places which might be interested in helping you with your extensive research, you’ll eventually find an organisation that will want to promote your study and publish a notice about the study for others in the institute.
Its also important to persevere and never give up, if your topic is an extremely hot one and controversial you may not find anyone at all but it doesn’t stop you trying. You need to learn to sell yourself, build relationships with the institutions you’re trying to find study participants in and build the comfort level. There’s a difference between being persistent and turning people off completely so forming relationships with the people who will help you gain access to more information and study participants is key.
D. Schwiesow (2010), https://www.waldenu.edu/about/newsroom/publications/articles/2010/01-research-challenges
Challenge 6: Staying motivated and working your plan
In the case of a large research project your biggest problem and challenge you can face may be staying motivated and working on target with your plan. You need to monitor your attitude and tell yourself you can do it and make it through the process of carrying out your research. Doing so allows you to reward yourself as you progress, make sure to spend time with family and enjoy your life for every step forward and thing you uncover in your research.
Its also important to follow and stick close to your purpose. If the study is of your passion (which it should be), the research you do should increase your passion for that subject. Being passionate about the topic at hand should be reason enough to want to work on and stay motivated in your study.
When completely stuck, ask for help. One of the best things you can do is ask for help and share your goals with different individuals that you care about. They can help you achieve your goals as well as offer moral support for you in your study. All in all, share goals with those who will be able to give positive and supportive input.
D. Schwiesow (2010), https://www.waldenu.edu/about/newsroom/publications/articles/2010/01-research-challenges
Challenge 7: Dealing with your data
Completing your study is a good place to be in, your research is almost done and its time to tie it all together. But despite this, there are still problems you may encounter when trying to deal with all the data you’ve collected.
One of the main challenges is to ground yourself, dealing with the large amount of data you have collected can be hard but its important organize your work and present everything In a way that makes sense. Also try to connect your research to existing research.
Another tip is to go back to your methodology and take advantage of the technology you have, the internet and even things like a computer can prove to be invaluable to keep all of your data together and in a good order of importance.
Lastly, when dealing with all of your research make sure you stay focused. Focus throughout the whole of your study should be apparent but is key in dealing with your data. You should be cautious about irrelevant and unneeded data as you proceed through your analysis. A good way to do this and make sure you stay on track is to keep an eye on your research questions and overall hypothesis because the data you have collected can take you away from it.
D. Schwiesow (2010), https://www.waldenu.edu/about/newsroom/publications/articles/2010/01-research-challenges
Referenced from –
D. Schwiesow (2010) – 7 Research Challenges (And how to overcome them)
https://www.waldenu.edu/about/newsroom/publications/articles/2010/01-research-challenges
Accessed on May 4, 2016
No comments:
Post a Comment