On the subject of research writing, methods, data, analysis, assumptions... Some ideas for structuring your own research ideas, and useful tips about research design.
Working Title: Initially, phrase a research question as the title of the paper (you can change it later).
Abstract: Restate and expand on the research question in the abstract (you can change it later when you have analysed your findings).
Research Access: Make good use of your personal access to your contacts, projects or companies, past or present for providing data.
Gather data and working backwards:
What I mean by this is that you will almost certainly end up changing/revising the research question as you go along, and the abstract will need to be revised at the end. The working title and abstract written at the beginning was just a first stab at the paper.
A research question is a prerequisite and precursor to a research project. Having a question puts the focus on a few things; the kinds of data you might expect to gather which could be anything from interviews, observations, documentary/documents, to literature review/desk research etc. etc.
A (tentative) research question usually implies particular kinds data, so ask, what kind of data does the question imply? What constitutes evidence for the phenomena under investigation? What data will (or might) provide the kinds of evidence that could be used to make justifiable statements about the research context?
A clear idea of the kind of evidence and data sought leads us to consider the types of
data capture methods (research methods) that can be used to produce data or the evidence sought. This in turn indicates a typical overall research model, research design and research approach. Sometimes a programme of research will involve many of these approaches. For example, literature review, a distinctive family of desk based text research, is generally a prerequisite for all other research activities; evident in an introduction or positioning section of a paper, or constitute the whole research project itself. In very general terms, the gamut of research designs or models includes - but is not limited to:
Essay: Purely theoretical, elaborating a conjecture, speculation, conceptual, philosophical argumentation, thought experiment, word games, word play, rhetoric, logicism, formalism, constructionism.
Review, meta-analysis of prior research, selective literature review, systematic literature review.
Empirical: descriptive, idiosyncratic, case-study, naturalistic observation, questionnaire survey.
Correlational-causal: studies adopting systems model views, inputs factors, outcomes, case-control study, observational study, survey, structural equation modelling.
Statistical meta-analytic: research derived from other research, findings based on aggregations of other research.
Semi-experimental: research styled on intervention in settings, field experimentation not amenable to laboratory control, quasi-experiment, trials, living labs.
Experimental: classical closed system model of scientific discovery, reproducible experiment, blind experimentation, random assignment experiments.
(partially derived from the
Wikipedia article on Research Design):
These various research models involve or require differing philosophical commitments and assumptions or beliefs around the nature reality and the world (worldview, ontology), and of the nature of knowledge (epistemology is the theory and nature of knowledge; objective, subjective, social). Usually it is sufficient to simply acknowledge the stance adopted for the purpose of the research, be it: interpretive, critical, critical realism, naive realism, post-modern, deconstruction, construction, positivist, aesthetic, utilitarian, speculative, qualitative, quantitative.
Improve the draft:
Commence your paper with an introductory/positioning piece that incorporates a short selective review of relevant recent literature critically addressing the topic areas you are working with.
Provide a presentation to peers or colleagues if possible, talking through your ideas, the data, your analysis and findings. Doing so will inevitably help refine how well you communicate the story, your message, convincing evidence, the key points, highlight your contribution and findings.
Use a Template
Start using a scientific conference template for writing up. I recommend you write using a journal or conference template. Two examples in the IS field below...
This is an example from the ECIS 2015 conference...
This is a pointer to the live HICSS template in Word format or in LaTeX format on the HICSS conference website. See the "Author Instructions" section...
The HICSS conference style in LaTeX is provided/shared via Overleaf. Overleaf is an online writing/editing service that uses LaTeX, the defacto standard for most scientific research writing...
