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How to plan ahead and avoid getting caught off guard by risks during the research process
3 Minute Read - If you’re new here, it might be useful to know I introduced a series of posts that deal with project planning in the research context over the last two months. This post thus forms part of a larger set of blog posts and should ideally be read in conjunction with them. This is the third post in the series. The first post dealt with pinning down the vision and objectives of your research project, while the second post provided guidelines to…
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Research project planning with the right resources
4 Minute Read - In the last blog post, I introduced a series of posts that deal with project planning in the research context. This post thus forms part of a larger set of posts and should ideally be read in conjunction with them. This is the second post of the series, and in the first post, I wrote about the vision and objectives of your research project. It is important that this conceptual step is not skipped in a research project, otherwise, you will…
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Pinning down the vision & objectives of your research project
4 Minute Read - I recently attended a project planning workshop for research. The reason why this workshop was primarily aimed at research projects is because things hardly go according to plan in a research project. A number of planning tools were presented in this workshop and I thought it might be useful to discuss some of them in a series of blog posts over the next few months. In this blog post, I will be focussing on the vision and objectives of the project.…
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How to stay motivated as a research student
5 Minute Read - Research can be lonely, especially if you are doing a coursework degree and you are a social sciences student, where group and lab work is typically not the norm. You may have been forced into group work and frustrated by having to work with people who do not seem like they are as committed as you and now you have a chance to do it yourself, but it’s not all it’s been made out to be. The benefit of doing coursework…
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How to read when time is limited
3 Minute Read - So we’ve all been there. The lecturer asks specific questions related to the prescribed reading and everyone in the class looks down. The bow of shame. The bow of a student who hasn’t done their readings in advance. Let’s be honest, we’re all busy! There’s work, family, friends, side hustles, and on top of that trying to finish off this degree. One way of dealing with this is to spend the next few weeks averting attention from yourself in class (to…
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How to write an impactful (not too abstract) abstract
4 Minute Read - An abstract is one of the most important components of an academic manuscript. You will often find them at the beginning of theses and dissertations, as well as journal articles and working papers. Sometimes they go by a different name, like an executive summary for a policy paper or technical report. The information contained in the abstract is in many cases what allows someone to decide whether they are going to continue reading the rest of the paper or not. Yet…
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An entrepreneurial outlook on financing your postgraduate studies
4 Minute Read - Every student should get on with their postgraduate studies with an entrepreneurial mindset. I won’t delve much into defining the concept but will proffer the understanding that an entrepreneur is a goal getter, and someone who embodies the qualities and spirit of being foresighted, innovative, risk-taking and reward oriented. These characteristics are crucial in postgraduate studies because the purpose of higher-order learning is to enhance inherent qualities in a learner, to enable them to become better performers and leaders in areas…
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How to get the most out of your time as a graduate student
4 Minute Read - Think about it. Your entire childhood consisted of you getting used to some form of structure. From bedtime routines instilled by your caregivers and waking up at a set time every morning for primary school, to the timetable you were handed in secondary school and your seemingly flexible, but jam-packed university timetable. After having completed a four-year undergraduate degree or an honours degree, many students go on to register for their master’s degree. If you are lucky and you have the…
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How to craft a bold but practical methodology
5 Minute Read - Research proposals generally consist of three main sections: (1) the introduction, where you spell out your purpose and research questions; (2) the literature review, where you provide a synopsis of the most relevant literature related to your topic; and (3) the methodology section in which you explain how you will go about answering your research question. Although the format of this document differs depending on the guidelines or rules of your institution, all research proposals contain these elements. The methodology section…
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How to make the most of your ‘proposal stage’
6 Minute Read - The proposal stage is arguably the most difficult part of a research journey. It takes many people outside their comfort zones and can be an incredibly stressful time, especially if you are not sure what topic you want to pursue. But the purpose of the proposal stage is designed to help you gain clarity as you move towards the research stage. Despite this, many students want to avoid the discomfort of the proposal stage. Based on my experience as a student…
