By | Connor Circle | Global HR Expert
A research project is one of the hardest assignments that students get during their program, at any level. Sometimes, a research project can be tougher than an exam. On average, small research projects usually take about two months to be completed. For more complex projects or in situations where the students encounter a problem, the timeline will be longer. Finishing a project on time is important, however, doing a great job is more important. In this article, you will learn five tips on how to finish your research project on time.
- Choose a relatable topic: The ability to make research is a skill in itself. This skill lies in all of us, waiting to be explored and efficiently utilized. To effectively utilize this skill, you need to find a topic that you understand and will like to research. Choosing a topic that you have little or no understanding of can peg your abilities to carry out proper research. You will be spending several weeks gathering facts and analyzing data about a subject. It is only right that the subject is one that you are familiar with. You can take suggestions from your friends, family, and others around you. But make sure that the final decision is not influenced by anyone. Have it at the back of your mind that you are choosing an area of interest, not an area to impress.
- Develop a realistic plan: Have you heard of Parkinson’s law? If you haven’t, Parkinson’s law explains that we are able to complete a task only in the amount of time that we give ourselves to complete the task. This means that if you give yourself a day to complete a job, you will complete it in one day. Consequently, if you give yourself six hours to complete that same job, it will take you six hours to complete it. Relating Parkinson’s law to your research project, give yourself a timeline when you want to complete the project. Divide the timeline into milestones. This will help you to break the project that is supposed to take a couple of months. You will end up using weeks, days, or even hours to gradually complete your project in the given time.
- Seek help: Before you, there are others who have also gone through their phase of a research project. People who have the experience that you do not have. If you want to do a good job in your research, you need to reach out to these people. You can seek help from your seniors or supervisor. You can also go online to find help. There are academic writers who can help you put all your findings, analysis, and conclusion into words. Refrain from overloading yourself with too much work. Search for people who can provide assistance to make the research project easier for you.
- Employ the use of research tools: Some decades ago, people had to scour different libraries to find materials for their research projects. They would have to consult different books, articles, journals,knowledge graphs and other educational materials to get enough data for the project. If it is market research, they will have to talk to people and keep gathering information till they have enough for the project. Today, you don’t need to go through all of that stress to do your project. You can get more materials than you will need from the internet. A great example of where to get materials for academic research is Google Scholar. You can also check sites that end in “.edu” or “.gov” for verified and reliable information. There are also online forums like Quora where you can read discussions about your topic. Another option is to find people who know about your research topic, reach out to them, and ask them questions that will help you in completing the project.
- Choose a good supervisor: If it is up to you, choose a supervisor that you think will be helpful. You don’t need to go for the popular ones, rather find the ones who have a reputation for making time to help, guide, and motivate their students. When you have a supervisor like this, it becomes easier to move quickly.
It is possible to complete your research project on time. All you have to do is block out the naysayers and focus on these tips which have been provided above. Find a topic that you understand and go all out to find all the help and resources that you can get.
