at undergraduate level. However,
if you are doing a Master’s programme and
you didn’t undertake a research element
at undergraduate level, you may well find
this book useful too. Whatever your current
situation, The Research Journal is designed
as a practical tool to help you to succeed in
each aspect of your research project through
the process of critical reflection. Any first
piece of independent research is a very big
and challenging undertaking; this journal will
help you to see the whole picture (often very
difficult to visualise in the early stages) and
the individual parts that make up the whole.
This means you will be able to manage your
research project well; no one else will be
able to do this for you, and it will ensure your
success. The journal will also help you to reflect
on your learning and progress throughout your
research project and will enable you to write a
dissertation you can be proud of.
Who this journal is for
The Research Journal is designed for all students
who are doing their first piece of independent
research. This is often a key piece of assessed
work that needs to be submitted towards the
end of a programme of study. Because of
its size and the number of credits it carries, it
can have a significant impact on your overall
grade or degree classification. Because of
this, many students recognise its importance
and want to do well in it. Independent
research often gives you the opportunity to
focus on a subject or topic you are interested
in and enables you to delve deeper and
learn more about it. A discussion of your
dissertation is common at interviews for
jobs and graduate schemes because of
the variety of skills you develop during the
process. Critical reflection lies at the heart of
a high-quality dissertation and this book’s
journal format enables you to engage with
the necessary metaprocesses (thinking about
thinking) to critically evaluate your growing
knowledge and understanding. As a result, it
puts you firmly in charge of your research.
How to use this book
The Research Journal is practical in nature and
is designed as a reflective tool to help you
engage critically with each aspect of your
research project and to take control of it. In
the early stages, you will probably feel very
2
enthusiastic about your study and it is good
to capitalise on this. As time progresses, you
might begin to feel pressurised by the scale of
the task, especially as it often comes at a time
when you have lots of other academic work
to complete, and maybe final examinations
to prepare for too. This journal can help you
to manage the process effectively and will
help in the inevitable ups and downs of the
research process.
You will probably have been given a significant
length of time for working on your research
project; this can be comforting, yet deceptive
at the same time. In the early days it is all too
easy to think that you have plenty of time,
and procrastination can quickly set in as you
sit back and start to put things off. Before you
know it, weeks have gone by and the deadline
starts to feel much closer. Then feelings of panic
can start to surface, which can make people
feel overwhelmed and even stuck, so making
progress can sometimes start to get tricky.
This book has a strong emphasis on planning,
which helps to prevent a range of negative
feelings associated with completing a large
assessed project. You have probably already
been asked to write essays, as well as other
types of written work. This book will help you
to keep up the writing habit and includes
activities that help you to reflect on what you
are achieving in this area. It also helps you to
understand more about yourself and how you
can manage your project well.
This is not a book on research methods or on
completing
