Getting Started

Regardless of the scale or scope of your research, a structured approach will enhance the quality and impact of your findings. This page covers tips for: 

• Getting and Staying Organized
• Choosing a Topic
• Developing a Research Question

Getting and Staying Organized

Schedules can easily become crowded, specially with extensive research projects. It is best to get organized at the start.  Try these steps:

• Schedule: Review your calendar and schedule specific time to work on your research each week. Remember to plan time for breaks, so you can re-charge and to prevent burn-out. Suggestion: Keep research time to about 1 - 2 hours at a time. 
• Space: Whether you keep digital files or prefer printed, create a space strictly for your work. If it is feasible, designate a space where you only do research. By designating a place as your research spot, it can help you focus. If you cant have a physical space, creating a specific routine that you only use when you are researching can also help with this. 
• Research List: Create a research needs list. This could look like a time-line of due dates or a check list of the research process.
• Research Log: Start a research log. There are many templates found online, but the main things is to have a way to track what you have done and found, so far. Watch this Creating a Research Log video tutorial for more information.  
• Accounts: Set up any necessary accounts like RefWorks and  Interlibrary Loan or for individual databases you know you will use.  Doing these now will save time later. Ask others what accounts they use while researching or reach out to a librarian for suggestions.  
• Goals: Set reasonable goals for when you will complete each point on the list. 

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Choosing a Topic

1. Identify Your Interests and Strengths:
   • Interests: What subjects, theories or phenomena interest you about your discipline? You will be spending a significant amount of time on this topic, so it should be compelling enough to keep your attention. 
   • Strengths: What skills do you have that align with your interests? This will help you discover where you can make a substantial contribution. 
   • Talk/write it out: Talking with trusted peers and mentors or getting your thoughts on paper can help refine your interest into a workable research question.  
2. Conduct a Literature Review:
   • Existing research: What topics about your interest have been covered and what methods were uses? Analyzing current literature in your area of interest can help you identify existing gaps where you can contribute. Remember: keep track of these searches via a research log, so you can use them when you settle on a topic. 
   • Find a niche: What specific area can you add value or a new perspective? 
3. Evaluate the Feasibility of Your Topic:
   • Resources: What resources will you need to complete the research? (including equipment, funding, and time)
   • Access to data and information:  What data do you need access to? Reach out to a librarian if you have question about accessing data and information. 
   • Alignment with goals: Does your topic align with your long-term career goals and the requirements of your program.

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Developing a Research Question

• Start asking questions: Ask open-ended “how” and “why” questions about your topic. This will also help you find search terms. 
• Do preliminary or background research on your topic: Generate keywords and use the library resources to gain knowledge on your topic. Read recent theses through Dissertations & Theses @ Texas A&M System or check out our Dissertation and Thesis database list to see what has been done.  Remember: keep track of these searches via a research log.
• ​Consider your timeline: You want to develop a question that is specific and manageable in the time you have. If you find that you are finding too much information, you may want to focus your research on one aspect of your topic. 
• Review your research question: It is likely that some of your initial ideas will change as you continue researching. It is okay to adapt your work and be flexible.
• Watch this Developing your Research Question video for more.  

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