Performing Graduate Research - 10 Tips for Success

Depending on the academic institution a student researcher is associated with, graduate level research can be defined in a variety of ways. Some institutions have rigorous guidelines you must abide by while other academic entities have more relaxed rules. Regardless of the institution you are affiliated with, if you hope to get published you must consider and in many cases adhere to some of the

suggestions presented in this article. The best advice anyone can give you is to get advice from an expert in your field of interest. This article was written as a starting point for aspiring graduate level researchers.
1. Before you Get Started
Make sure you identify and affiliate with a graduate level academic advisor and or mentor at your educational institution. To gain the most from your investigative experience you should create a schedule of how much time you plan to spend on researching, reading, reviewing, analyzing and writing. Whenever possible you should establish specific goals that are measureable, achievable, realistic, timely and relate directly to your specific topic of interest. Don't be afraid to ask for help in every step of the research process. In order to stay on track you should keep a research journal, notepad, or file, preferably electronic so that you can carry it with you. Studies have should shown that people who identify and write their goals down are far more likely to achieve their goals.
2. Getting Started
Identifying and developing a topic you are passionate about is one of the most important steps you need to take as a graduate level researcher. The next step is to find out where your institution's physical and online libraries are located and at least for the physical library arrange to get a guided tour if possible. If your institutions' online has a tutorial you should take advantage of the tool. At least in the beginning it is important to use your library's physical and online resources. After you become familiar with these resources you may rely on just one or use both resources. Once you have refined your topic of interest you should read and explore all of the available background information on the topic by conducting a thorough literature review.
3. Advising and Mentoring Tips
An important part of being a successful researcher is selecting an advisor/mentor as opposed to being assigned one. If you have an opportunity to select an advisor, you should identify the best and then sell them on why you would be a great student to work with. Make sure the advisor and or mentor you select or are assigned to is involved in the field you have selected to study. Don't be shy about asking other people who have the same general area of interest as you do for their advice about advisors. Other things you should consider when selecting an advisor or mentor include whether you and the advisor have compatible personalities and whether the advisor has a reputation for high standards.
4. Reading Tips
Although there are any number of reading strategies, often the simplest approaches are the best. For example the Survey, Question, Read, Recite and Review (SQR3) strategy is often cited as a useful strategy to use in any academic setting. Another useful tip is to make reading the preface, introduction, abstract and or summary sections of any document the first thing you do when you start to read. When reading a book you should always look through the table of contents so you know what to expect. Finally, remember to always take some kind of notes, however, try to avoid the heavy use of highlighting as it can be distracting.
5. Writing Tips
Selecting a topic that is interesting can be the most important element of the writing process. When selecting a topic it is also important to narrow the topic as much as possible and double check that there are enough resources to support your research efforts. Always run your final topic or research question by your advisor(s) before you start writing. You should never start your writing with a quote. As a researcher you should always have the first and last word on the subject you have chosen to write about.
All your papers and research should have an introduction, body, conclusions and or a summary and be written in third person unless otherwise instructed. Ideally all of your paragraphs should contain between 3-7 sentences. However this writing guideline may vary depending on the institution you are affiliated with, academic style (APA, MLA, etc.) selected, and the type of document you ultimately submit. Remember that no more than 20% (preferably less) of an assignment should consist of direct quotes. It is extremely important to use original author citations and references to give credit for quoted statements or paraphrased sentences.
6. Is It Scholarly Tips
To insure your efforts have a chance to be identified as scholarly work, you need to ensure your refined topic and or research question is well researched, clearly articulated and achievable. Selecting an appropriate research design (quantitative, qualitative, mixed or other) for the topic you have chosen can mean the difference between the successful completion of your degree program or a false start. It is important that you identify who benefits from this research and specifically how this work adds new information to the particular scholarly research community that you hope to eventually join. Whenever possible it is important for you to use language, vocabulary or terminology that is specific to your selected area of research and always use citations and references. Share your plan for conducting, analyzing and presenting your research with the appropriate individuals of your academic community.
7. Presentation Tips
When you have finished writing up your research you should begin preparing for the presentation of your findings. To help ensure the likelihood of a scholarly presentation many institutions offer students a set of guidelines and or point them to example presentations (if your school does offer this option take advantage of the guidelines). Aspiring scholars can increase their chances of delivering a scholarly presentation by continuously communicating with their advisors, committee members, and reviewing what experts in their fields have presented in the past. You can also increase your chances of delivering a scholarly presentation by attending academic conferences on the topic of interest, so that you better understand the state of the field. While at these conferences review submitted posters, proposals and or papers and see how winning documents are structured.
Start with a basic outline that addresses the most important points of your findings. After you have created a basic outline fill it in with more details and then develop a script to accompany your presentation (if you are using Outlook you can use the notes section to accomplish this task). Always practice giving your presentation at least one or two times before you actually deliver it to your target audience. Make sure your presentation contributions are original, use citations and references, and always strive to deliver material that adds to the current body of scholarly knowledge for your area of interest. You can prevent the possibility of plagiarizing by using a service like Turnitit to check writing originality.
8. Time Management Tips
Although there are a variety of ways to manage your time as a student researcher the simple plans seem to be the easiest to use and often give the best results. One of your first priorities should be use or create a calendar or scheduling system to manage your attendance in classes, participation in discussion groups or teams, conducting research and preparing and submitting assignments. You should also create a to-do-list and prioritize assignment completion, researching, reading, writing, presenting and any other assignments you are responsible for completing. You should always endeavor to have specific and measurable goals that include all aspects of your academic program including courses, meeting with advisors, conference attendance, conducting research and getting published. You should try to make a habit of finishing assignments and tasks well ahead of schedule so when unexpected events happen you have some flexibility. Finally, consider acquiring a reference/bibliographic software program to store your research articles and associated meta data.
9. Graduate Level Research Funding Tips
Always try to work with your course instructors, advisors, mentors and committee members to put together a solid funding acquisition plan. Included in your plan should be a schedule for the grant proposal writing, editing, review and submission process. You should strongly consider applying for foundation monies as there is $8B in grant funds available annually. When you start the search process look for funding and grants that match your research topic, question or problem. Without exception you should have your funding proposals critiqued before you submit them to a funding source. Finally, do not be afraid to resubmit your funding request (after revising) in the future.
10. Adhere to a Formal Customized Research Process
To improve the likelihood of producing scholarly research you should identify and develop your topic and or your research question and then acquire as much background information as possible. After you have a sufficient amount of supporting background material you should refine your search topic using a variety of tools (search engines, database search engines, etc.) to review keywords associated with your topic of interest. Whenever possible consider all alternative research options including open access databases, indexes, catalogs, blogs, websites, etc. However, you should be mindful that not all sources are considered scholarly research resources and many should be used for initial research only.
You should consider selecting a bibliographic/citation/reference software tool or tools to assist you in your research and then learn how maximize the use of it for your topic. There are also a number of qualitative and quantitative research software packages that you should consider using. Once you have acquired the appropriate tools, identified resources, analyzed the materials, organized your materials, finished writing, editing, reviewing and rewriting you are ready to submit.
Summary
It bears repeating that to get the most out of your graduate level research experience you should identify the best advisor, mentor, committee members, and personal coaching you can afford or have access to at your academic institution. Once you have identified supporting personnel you should then put together a plan that includes goals that are specific, measurable and relevant to your topic of research. Throughout your research experience you will need to use a reading strategy that works for you and allows you to complete assignments and research on time. The simple strategies seem to work the best. Before you start writing make sure you have a refined question or problem and then write clearly for a specific audience.