OAUN601 - Organising your Research Project

The opening lecture for context of practice 3 was delivered by Richard Miles on the subject of 'organising research'. Although I have started to develop my dissertation and at this point have a good amount of research I did get some useful insight from the information we were given. Firstly, there were two books that I want to look into further that discuss explicitly the skills and necessary steps to develop a good research project and analysis and argument within that project. Doing Your Research Project by Judith Bell (now in its fifth edition) and Critical Thinking Skills by Stella Cottrell. Richard recommended both of these books so I'll make sure to have a look at them and take anything from them that I can to enhance the analysis within my research and the arguments I'm forming in answering my dissertation question.

The structure of the context of practice 3 module is broken down into two components, the dissertation and the accompanying practical piece. The module itself is expected to include around 400 hours of work-made up of self directed study and taught sessions, this is the recommended working time for a 40 credit module. I also think the amount of feedback we will be getting is adequate to ensure the written element is as good as it can be based on tutor input. The rest of the lecture was encouraging us to plan our time and set out a list of objectives in order to make sure we do a literature search and understand the format of the essay we are writing. Referencing and essay structure were also touched on. Despite already having done most of what was recommended to us over summer, all of the information and advice given was a good reminder to make sure that I'm on top of my research and creating a bibliography in conjunction with the writing of the essay. This makes sure that the sources I'm using are kept up to date and there is less risk of letting a source go unaccredited.

Richard emphasised several specific things we could do to ensure organising our project is straight forward and ensures that the process leads to a successful outcome.

• Firstly, choosing an appropriate title. The title should be no more than 15 to 20 words and ideally it should provide a thesis, or an answerable assertion. The title should also give an appropriate tone, whilst employing key terms that denote the ideas and discussion that will be conveyed in the writing.
• Next, the project outline. We should make sure to allow a generous amount of time for initial reading and writing up and consider the time taken up by work, social events and any holidays outside of university. Include targets and milestones for the written and practical components of the project.
• Deadline 15 weeks from 27.09.16
• In terms of referencing our dissertation, start compiling a bibliography at the beginning of the project so that everything is up to date, include all details (name, forename, date, place, publisher, page), use Harvard referencing.
• Information regarding the format of the dissertation, it should be separated into chapters. Each chapter should ideally evidence a different theoretical or methodological approach. The chapters can be quite different in focus – hopefully the introduction will explain why you have chosen to structure the argument a certain way and the conclusion will draw the chapters together. Think about how these different chapters relate to your practical research. Move from the general to the specific aspects of the argument.
• During the introductory segment of the dissertation the topic being investigated should be clearly outlined and explained to the reader why it is an important area to study. State the overarching research question of the project. This should be formulated as an answerable question or assertion, not an abstract statement. (If necessary, you might also wish to articulate more specific sub-questions that guide your project). Outline the methodology. This might include highlighting key primary and secondary research methods, including visual, practical, and textual research methods. Completing the above may necessitate telling the reader what your own individual position (theoretical, political etc.) on this topic is. This is not necessary, but good practice as it is a demonstration of academic honesty and a defence against accusations of bias.
• The first body of the dissertation should show awareness of key theoretical sources within the chosen topic. Evidence that you are aware of all the key contextual information (leading practitioners in the field, influential historical events, social and cultural contexts, policy, legislation etc) within your chosen topic. Appraisals of the quality of evidence cited. Try to use reliable sources at all times. Use triangulation to draw independent conclusions based of contrasting or complimentary options and sources. Avoid writing in a linear or chronological fashion. The best writing at this level is comparative and critical. Write in paragraphs that focus on specific points, which are woven together cumulatively to build into a powerful and well-defended argument, and make the writing flow. Explicitly explain the relevance of all of the material cited to the central research question or questions, and your chosen research methods (practical and textual). Conclude each sections with a small conclusion that links to the next chapter.
• A number of extended analyses of specific works. Try not to include too many – two or three extended, critical analyses are preferable to many superficial analyses. A clear rationale for the selection of the chosen works. Explicitly explain the relevance of all of the works cited to the central research question or questions. This is best dealt with in the first paragraph of this chapter. Descriptive Analysis: Basically, describing the work in as much detail as you can to help with your later interpretation. Theoretical and Contextual Analysis: explicitly evidence of the application of theoretical research and contextual information from Chapter 2 to back up your interpretations of your chosen works. In other words, use quotes and citations to back up your own ideas. Try to relate the work to the context in which it was discovered. What cultural and historical information is necessary to “get” the work? Do any social values or norms influence the way the work is interpreted, for instance by guiding the audience to make a specific moral judgement. Does the work make a claim for a specific truth about the world? End with a small conclusion that links to the next chapter.
• Conclusion: An extended paragraph summarising the findings of each of the preceding chapters. This can be tackled on a chapter-by-chapter basis, or as something more overarching, comparative, or fluid. Try to discuss research methods and processes as much as final outcomes. All conclusions should be linked to evidence produced in the main body of the dissertation. If there is material in the conclusion that doesn’t relate to preceding evidence, then take it out. All conclusions should explicitly answer the Research Questions outlined in the Introduction of the Dissertation.