I’m thrilled to introduce you all to our guest blogger, Dr Danica Sims. Danica recently completed her PhD in the Department of Health Science Education, with a study entitled “Factors influencing Lecturer Assessment Practice in Diverse Southern Contexts”. As I recently sat in Danica’s PhD exit seminar, I was struck by how frequently she mentioned the role of various writing practices as an important part of her research journey. We often tend to think of ‘research’ as data collection and analysis, but in fact the whole research process is both embedded in and wrapped in writing - from the proposal, to the thesis, to the publications, and everything in between.
Part 1 - "The Beginning"
I submitted my doctoral thesis at the end of 2019. There were moments of intense stress, especially at the end, but, in general, for me, writing my thesis was not the ‘Everest’ many experience it to be. Here are some of my reflections and recommendations.
The importance of your research proposal
Depending on what field your research project is in, writing your research proposal can take a week, or a year!
Moving from the biomedical sciences to education was a shock (to say the least). My masters research proposal in medical cell biology (cancer) took me a few days to whip up without much stress. For my doctorate, I was completely taken aback at the several months it took to craft and revise my research proposal.
With each round of critique and feedback, the focus of my research became narrower and my arguments more robust. It was a slow and painful, but necessary, process. This rigorous process of peer-review helped me really fight for what exactly (just the one thing – not everything I found interesting) I would research and made sure that every decision going forward reflected this core mission. It also ensured that there was in fact a theoretical basis for my research questions and approaches. Without having a clear “map” for the next couple years of research, I would have most likely gotten lost on my journey.
My advice when writing your research proposal:
- - Be patient!
- - Read and write broadly…
- - Before narrowing down and
refining your focus.
- - You should have a clearly
defined, single research focus.
- - This focus may change (many
times!)
- - But it needs to be nailed down
eventually.
- - Do not be afraid of peer-review, because it will only make your research proposal better!
Ask yourself:
- -
Is the rationale of my research
proposal clear and theoretically grounded?
- -
Are my arguments coherent and
consistent (from beginning to end)?
- -
Have I explicitly justified
(with literature) my research choices?
- - Is it easy for my reader to follow along, or are they getting lost?
Remember, all the hard work you put into your proposal at the
beginning of your research journey saves you so much time and effort in the
future! Your research proposal is your thesis master plan. You already have your core arguments presented – that
golden thread running from start to finish. You have the foundation of your
literature review – that just needs to be expanded, deepened, and updated in
your thesis. You have your ultimate direction to guide you when research gets
muddy and messy (it will). Glance back over it from time to time, especially
when you are feeling lost or confused, because it will remind you of where you
are going and why.
Part 2 – “The middle”
When I was a biomedical scientist, I wrote in my lab-book daily. It was my record of every single experiment I ever did, the planning, all my calculations, and results. It was more technical (quantitative) than insightful. However, that practice of keeping clear records, detailing what I was doing, how, why, and the outcome of those actions, was critically important – especially when I had to look back and double-check an experiment.
The same can be said for keeping a qualitative research journal. The journal became my “everything” book.
What I included in my research journal:
- Every time I read a new article I would pop a summary in there.
- I would also include “hashtags” with each article summary.
These hashtags were little notes that specified
where I thought this article could be added into my thesis and aided in later searching. This was incredibly helpful when I could not
quite remember, “who said that thing again?”
- Supervisor meeting notes were a critical
inclusion, as these tracked feedback
I had received and actions to be taken.
- Including decision-making, and reasons
behind those choices, was essential. Months later I then had a record of why I
made certain changes, along with a justification.
- This relates to analysis (which I found to be the most
challenging part of performing and writing qualitative research). Detailing
what I was doing allowed me to track the deepening analysis and construction of
my results. Explicitly writing my thought-processes made me feel surer of and
more confident in the final reporting of the results.
- It was also very encouraging to
read back and see how I had developed and matured as a researcher. It assisted
me in “finding my voice” and
incorporating aspects of this into my thesis.
- These reflections contributed to my reflexive statement in my thesis too. I could honestly and transparently share my journey with my readers.
Keeping a research journal is part of the process of being a
rigorous researcher. It not only stands as additional evidence for the research
project, but provides an audit-trail for you. As you write in your research
journal, be heartened to know that you are “doing the work” right there and
then. You are contributing to your thesis, your analysis and your personal growth
as a researcher.
Part 3 – “The End”
If I could give just one piece of advice to all researchers, it would be to read and write every day!
I think that most people stress about their dissertation or thesis because they leave it to the end, or once they are done all their data collection and analysis. I would suggest that you actually start at the very beginning and write as you go!
I began “writing” my doctoral thesis within the first month and probably had close to 40 different drafts before I finished. My thesis was a working document and I saw the writing process as a cyclic and iterative task. Any time I had even a rough “chapter” I would send it off to my supervisor for feedback. While I was waiting for feedback I worked on another “chapter”. Rounds and rounds and rounds of this took place over the three-years.
Here are a few practical tips:
- I did not specifically schedule in a time each day to write. Rather, I simply made it a part of my daily routine (or daily lived reality). My “thesis” was pretty much permanently open on my computer, so, every time I opened my laptop there it was, reminding me that it needed to be written.
- With each new article I read (and added to my research journal – see part 2) I would immediately update my literature review with a new sentence and reference.
- After each meeting with my supervisor I would make adjustments to the current version of my thesis, whether it was changing the flow of the argument or restructuring a chapter.
- With each interview I conducted, I would start transcribing it that very day, code it within the week and add it my growing chapter. Data collection and analysis are not so scary if you treat them as a single interview, or single experiment, at a time.
- Set chapter deadlines – especially towards the end of your research journey. This may mean sending off a chapter each month, or every two-weeks, to your supervisor. Agreeing to a regular time-period also helps you get into a solid rhythm.
- Lastly, track your progress. Going into the working document each day, or every week, and seeing the word count grow, is incredibly encouraging.
Doing these small things
consistently over the three-year period meant that I was not left to climb
that mountain at the end.
Danica Sims is a biomedical scientist who made the leap from laboratory to classroom, entering the unfamiliar field of higher education research, because of her deep care and passion for empowering young people and bettering education in South Africa. When she is not working as an educationalist and researcher, you can find her reading a good book (anything but another journal article!), most likely with a cup of tea and slab of chocolate (which she won't be sharing), or seeking outdoor adventure along one of Cape Town’s many beautiful hiking trails.
Comments
Post a Comment