at the beginning of a research project you need to

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How to Get Started With a Research Project

Last Updated: October 3, 2023 Fact Checked

This article was co-authored by Chris Hadley, PhD . Chris Hadley, PhD is part of the wikiHow team and works on content strategy and data and analytics. Chris Hadley earned his PhD in Cognitive Psychology from UCLA in 2006. Chris' academic research has been published in numerous scientific journals. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 312,936 times.

You'll be required to undertake and complete research projects throughout your academic career and even, in many cases, as a member of the workforce. Don't worry if you feel stuck or intimidated by the idea of a research project, with care and dedication, you can get the project done well before the deadline!

Development and Foundation

• Don't hesitate while writing down ideas. You'll end up with some mental noise on the paper – silly or nonsensical phrases that your brain just pushes out. That's fine. Think of it as sweeping the cobwebs out of your attic. After a minute or two, better ideas will begin to form (and you might have a nice little laugh at your own expense in the meantime).

• Some instructors will even provide samples of previously successful topics if you ask for them. Just be careful that you don't end up stuck with an idea you want to do, but are afraid to do because you know someone else did it before.

• For example, if your research topic is “urban poverty,” you could look at that topic across ethnic or sexual lines, but you could also look into corporate wages, minimum wage laws, the cost of medical benefits, the loss of unskilled jobs in the urban core, and on and on. You could also try comparing and contrasting urban poverty with suburban or rural poverty, and examine things that might be different about both areas, such as diet and exercise levels, or air pollution.

• Think in terms of questions you want answered. A good research project should collect information for the purpose of answering (or at least attempting to answer) a question. As you review and interconnect topics, you'll think of questions that don't seem to have clear answers yet. These questions are your research topics.

• Don't limit yourself to libraries and online databases. Think in terms of outside resources as well: primary sources, government agencies, even educational TV programs. If you want to know about differences in animal population between public land and an Indian reservation, call the reservation and see if you can speak to their department of fish and wildlife.
• If you're planning to go ahead with original research, that's great – but those techniques aren't covered in this article. Instead, speak with qualified advisors and work with them to set up a thorough, controlled, repeatable process for gathering information.

• If your plan comes down to “researching the topic,” and there aren't any more specific things you can say about it, write down the types of sources you plan to use instead: books (library or private?), magazines (which ones?), interviews, and so on. Your preliminary research should have given you a solid idea of where to begin.

Expanding Your Idea with Research

• It's generally considered more convincing to source one item from three different authors who all agree on it than it is to rely too heavily on one book. Go for quantity at least as much as quality. Be sure to check citations, endnotes, and bibliographies to get more potential sources (and see whether or not all your authors are just quoting the same, older author).
• Writing down your sources and any other relevant details (such as context) around your pieces of information right now will save you lots of trouble in the future.

• Use many different queries to get the database results you want. If one phrasing or a particular set of words doesn't yield useful results, try rephrasing it or using synonymous terms. Online academic databases tend to be dumber than the sum of their parts, so you'll have to use tangentially related terms and inventive language to get all the results you want.

• If it's sensible, consider heading out into the field and speaking to ordinary people for their opinions. This isn't always appropriate (or welcomed) in a research project, but in some cases, it can provide you with some excellent perspective for your research.
• Review cultural artifacts as well. In many areas of study, there's useful information on attitudes, hopes, and/or concerns of people in a particular time and place contained within the art, music, and writing they produced. One has only to look at the woodblock prints of the later German Expressionists, for example, to understand that they lived in a world they felt was often dark, grotesque, and hopeless. Song lyrics and poetry can likewise express strong popular attitudes.

Expert Q&A

• Start early. The foundation of a great research project is the research, which takes time and patience to gather even if you aren't performing any original research of your own. Set aside time for it whenever you can, at least until your initial gathering phase is complete. Past that point, the project should practically come together on its own. Thanks Helpful 1 Not Helpful 0
• When in doubt, write more, rather than less. It's easier to pare down and reorganize an overabundance of information than it is to puff up a flimsy core of facts and anecdotes. Thanks Helpful 1 Not Helpful 0

• Respect the wishes of others. Unless you're a research journalist, it's vital that you yield to the wishes and requests of others before engaging in original research, even if it's technically ethical. Many older American Indians, for instance, harbor a great deal of cultural resentment towards social scientists who visit reservations for research, even those invited by tribal governments for important reasons such as language revitalization. Always tread softly whenever you're out of your element, and only work with those who want to work with you. Thanks Helpful 8 Not Helpful 2
• Be mindful of ethical concerns. Especially if you plan to use original research, there are very stringent ethical guidelines that must be followed for any credible academic body to accept it. Speak to an advisor (such as a professor) about what you plan to do and what steps you should take to verify that it will be ethical. Thanks Helpful 6 Not Helpful 2

You Might Also Like

• ↑ http://www.butte.edu/departments/cas/tipsheets/research/research_paper.html
• ↑ https://www.nhcc.edu/academics/library/doing-library-research/basic-steps-research-process
• ↑ https://library.sacredheart.edu/c.php?g=29803&p=185905
• ↑ https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/common_writing_assignments/research_papers/choosing_a_topic.html
• ↑ https://www.unr.edu/writing-speaking-center/student-resources/writing-speaking-resources/using-an-interview-in-a-research-paper
• ↑ https://www.science.org/content/article/how-review-paper

About This Article

The easiest way to get started with a research project is to use your notes and other materials to come up with topics that interest you. Research your favorite topic to see if it can be developed, and then refine it into a research question. Begin thoroughly researching, and collect notes and sources. To learn more about finding reliable and helpful sources while you're researching, continue reading! Did this summary help you? Yes No

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Libraries | Research Guides

Start your research, purpose of this guide, develop a research question, decide on sources, locate your resources.

• Tips for Reading and Notetaking
• Course Reserves This link opens in a new window
• Cite Your Sources
• Individual and Group Study Spaces
• Make an Appointment to Meet with a Librarian This link opens in a new window

This tutorial on research methods will help you gain practical skills and knowledge you can apply for all research needs.

Scroll down to learn about:.

• Developing a Research Question : How do you get background knowledge? Develop a thesis? Start searching?
• Deciding on Sources : What's the difference between academic and popular sources, or primary and secondary sources?
• Locating Sources : How do you locate articles, books and literature reviews both from NUL and other academic institutions?
• Tips for Reading and Note-taking : What are different strategies for reading scholarly articles and books?

Have a question or need help? Contact any NUL Subject Specialist Librarian for personal assistance.

• Build Background on your Topic
• Build a Question
• Videos: Choose and Search Keywords

Somewhere in between your initial idea and settling on a research question, you'll need to do background research on how scholars in a particular subject area have discussed your topic. You may find background research in your textbook or class readings, academic books in the library's collection, or reference sources.

The databases below compile reference sources from a variety of disciplines, and they can be a great way to consider how your topic has been studied from different angles.

• Oxford Bibliographies This link opens in a new window Offers annotated bibliographies of the most important books and articles on specific topics in a growing range of subject areas. Particularly useful for anyone beginning research.
• Oxford Reference Online This link opens in a new window Online version of many Oxford University Press reference works, ranging from specialized dictionaries and companions to major reference works such as the Encyclopedia of Human Rights, the Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink, the Oxford Encyclopedia of Latinos and Latinas in the United States, and the Oxford Encyclopedia of Economic History, among many others.
• CQ Researcher Plus Archive This link opens in a new window The CQ Researcher is a collection of reports covering political and social issues, with regular reports on topics in health, international affairs, education, the environment, technology and the U.S. economy.

Use  NU Search  to browse for books, reference entries, and periodicals to build background information.

After you have an initial project idea, you can think deeper about the idea by developing a "Topic + Question + Significance" sentence. This formula came from Kate Turabian's  Student's Guide to Writing College Papers . Turabian notes that you can use it plan and test your question, but do not incorporate this sentence directly into your paper (p. 13):

TOPIC: I am working on the topic of __________, QUESTION: because I want to find out __________, SIGNIFICANCE: so that I can help others understand __________.

Remember : the shorter your final paper, the narrower your topic needs to be. Having trouble?

• Which specific subset of the topic you can focus on? Specific people, places, or times?
• Is there a cause and effect relationship you can explore?
• Is there something about this topic that is not addressed in scholarship?

Turabian, Kate L.  Student's Guide to Writing College Papers . 4th edition. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. 2010.

How do you move from a research question to searching in a database? You first have to pick out keywords from your research question.

• Evaluating Sources
• Academic vs. Popular Publications
• Primary vs. Secondary Sources
• Video: Types of Scholarly Articles

When evaluating a source of information, consider both the content of the source itself and  the context in which the source was created.  

CONTENT 

•  What does it say? What is its main point or argument? Relevance to your topic? What new information, facts, or opinions does it include? 
•  Where did you find it? Where was it published? 
•  When was it written? Within the past few days, weeks, or years? Is it historical? Has its information changed over time? 
•  Who created this information? What are their credentials? 
•  Why does this source exist? Is its purpose to inform, persuade, or entertain? 
•  How does it incorporate data or evidence? What kinds of evidence?

CONTEXT  

•  What is the audience for this source? General readers, people who work in a specific field, academics? Does it assume previous knowledge? 
•  Where can you find other information about this topic? 
•  When was this information last updated? Has it been revised, redacted, or challenged? 
•  Who is missing from the conversation? Does it include opposing viewpoints, marginalized voices, or global perspectives? 
•  Why do you need this information? Is it for an academic assignment, work project, personal decision-making, or to share with others?* 
•  How did the information find you?  Was it through a relevance-ranked search, social media algorithm, advertising cookie, or press release? 

 *Sources that may be appropriate for sharing with others, deepening personal understanding, or decision-making may not be appropriate for an academic assignment or work presentation. When in doubt, check with your librarian or professor for more guidance! 

Adapted from  Beyond the Source  created by the DePaul University Libraries .

Not all "articles" are the same! They have different purposes and different "architecture".

• Original article – information based on original research
• Case reports – usually of a single case
• Technical notes -  describe a specific technique or procedure
• Pictorial essay – teaching article with images
• Review – detailed analysis of recent research on a specific topic
• Commentary – short article with author’s personal opinions
• Editorial – often short review or critique of original articles
• Letter to the Editor – short & on subject of interest to readers

Peh, WCG and NG, KH. (2008) "Basic Structure and Types of Scientific Papers." Singapore Medical Journal , 48 (7) : 522-525.  http://smj.sma.org.sg/4907/4907emw1.pdf  accessed 4/24/19.

• What are the differences between types of articles? "Scholarly articles," "trade journals," "popular magazines," and "newspapers" are all referred to as "articles" - pretty confusing, right?! Check out this table which distinguishes between the different kinds of "articles" that could be useful sources.

Primary sources  provide the raw data you use to support your arguments. Some common types of primary resources include manuscripts, diaries, court cases, maps, data sets, experiment results, news stories, polls, or original research.  One other way to think about primary sources is  the author was there .

Secondary sources  analyze primary sources, using primary source materials to answer research questions.  Secondary sources may analyze, criticize, interpret or summarize data from primary sources. The most common secondary resources are books, journal articles, or reviews of the literature. 

Depending on the subject in which you are doing your research, what counts as a primary or secondary source can vary!  Here are some examples of types of sources that relate to dragons in different disciplines:

There are many types of primary resources, so it is important to define your parameters by:

• Discipline (e.g. art, history, physics, political science)
• Format (e.g. book, manuscript, map, photograph)
• Type of information you need (e.g. numerical data, images, polls, government reports, letters)

Look at the  Primary and Secondary Sources  guide for more clarification on what primary and secondary sources are in different disciplines! 

• Find Articles
• Videos: Books at NU and Other Libraries
• Find Literature Reviews

Northwestern has access to millions of articles not available through Google!

From the library website , enter your keywords into the NUSearch search box. All results with those keywords in the title or description will appear in the search results. Limit your results to "Peer-reviewed Journals" for scholarly articles.

For a more specific search,  go to one of the Libraries' many scholarly databases. If you know the name of your database, find it with  Databases A-Z . Find subject-specific lists of databases in our  Research Guides.

Searching a scholarly database is different from using a Google search. When searching: 

• Use an advanced search, which  allows you to search for multiple keywords. "AND" allows you to enter more than one term in multiple search boxes to focus your search (e.g. apples AND oranges) for articles about both. "OR" broadens your results (e.g. apples OR oranges) for articles about either. 
• The results may link to a full-text version of the article, but if one is not available, the library can likely get it for you! Clicking the "Find it @ NU" button  on the database's left-hand navigation will display other Northwestern databases that may have access to it. If we don't have access to the article, request it through Interlibrary Loan. 

Locating Books

To locate a book, use the NUsearch.  The catalog will tell you the location and call number for retrieval. You can also request for books to be pulled and picked up at the Circulation desk of your choosing.

Borrowing Materials from other Institutions

Need to borrow a book Northwestern does not own or have an article PDF scanned and sent to you? Log into (or create) your interlibrary loan account.  You may also check the status of your interlibrary loan requests here. Contact the Interlibrary Loan Department for more assistance.

• Interlibrary Loan Department

• Annual Reviews The Annual Reviews provide substantially researched articles written by recognized scholars in a wide variety of disciplines that summarize the major research literature in the field. These are often a good place to start your research and to keep informed about recent developments.
• Oxford Handbooks Online Scholarly reviews of research in 15 subject fields including: Archaeology, Business/Management, Classical Studies, Criminology/Criminal Justice, Economics/Finance, History, Law, Linguistics, Literature, Music, Neuroscience, Philosophy, Physical Sciences, Political Science, Psychology, Religion, Sociology.

Search for literature review articles in subject databases:

• Type the phrase "Literature Review" (with quotation marks) as a search term OR
• Look to see if there is an option to limit your search results by  Document Type  (this may appear underneath the search box or among the filters on the left side of the search results display).

Be careful The document type "Review" is often used and may identify articles that are book reviews, software reviews or reviews of films, performances, art exhibits, etc.

Need Help? Ask Your Librarian

Created by...

Created and maintained by Instruction & Curriculum Support , with content also developed by Chris Davidson, Jason Kruse, Gina Petersen, and Amy Odwarka (intern, fall 2019). 

• Next: Tips for Reading and Notetaking >>
• Last Updated: May 2, 2024 10:39 AM
• URL: https://libguides.northwestern.edu/start-research

How to Start the Research Process

What is research, before you start..., book a librarian, reference & instruction librarian.

• Select a Topic
• Discover Background Information
• Refine Your Topic
• Determine Keywords
• Construct Search Terms
• Select a Database
• Source Types

Get Help: Ask a Librarian

  Ask Us!

  Book A Librarian

[email protected]

uhsp.edu/library

  314.446.8361

Research, in simplest terms, is information seeking.

However, research is not just about finding a piece of information. Instead, we can see research as a thorough examination of a topic. This process includes locating information, reflecting on what you have learned, adapting your ideas, organizing thoughts into a logical order, and then using those sources and ideas to produce a project or come to a decision.

Find basic information

Exploring your topic and finding background information at the start of a research project can help you identify useful information (i.e. a theme or subtopic to focus on, key concepts, etc.) and will save you time.

This is also a good way to refine your search - to take a broad topic (medieval medicine, for example) and narrow it to something that you can cover in a more meaningful way in your paper (such as, the effect of the Black Death on the development of medicine and medical practices).

This guide covers the beginning stages of research, often referred to as "pre-research." While you might be tempted to begin searching before completing these steps, the pre-research process will save you valuable time and effort.

Stages in the pre-research process:

Getting frustrated, schedule an appointment with a librarian.

Whether you have a quick question, are having trouble with a library resource, or need help with research we can help!

Select from a quick appointment or a longer 30-minutes research appointment. Librarians are available to meet in person or via Teams, Monday-Friday from 9 am - 5 pm.

• Book a Librarian Appointments are via Teams and are available Monday-Friday from 9 am-5 pm.
• Next: Select a Topic >>
• Last Updated: Jun 27, 2024 10:49 AM
• URL: https://uhsp.libguides.com/researchprocess

Start Your Research

Gather background information, create a research question, developing a topic.

• What to Search For
• Where to Search
• How to Search
• Evaluate Sources
• Citing Sources This link opens in a new window
• Need Help? Ask a Librarian This link opens in a new window

Background information is crucial to understanding your topic and getting ready to search for sources.

Creating a research question and thesis statement will help guide your research and your paper.

The videos below will give you some good ideas on how to develop a research topic.

When you pick your topic, it's not set in stone. Picking and adjusting your topic is an integral part of the research process!

Transcript of this video

This video is published under a Creative Commons 3.0 BY-NC-SA US license. License, credits, and contact information can be found here: https://www.lib.ncsu.edu/tutorials/picking_topic/

Your topic seemed so great! So why can't you find any information on it? If you're looking for an all-in-one source that addresses your topic perfectly, you might need a different approach.

This video is published under a Creative Commons 3.0 BY-NC-SA US license. License, credits, and contact information can be found here: https://www.lib.ncsu.edu/tutorials/perfect-source/

• << Previous: Home
• Next: What to Search For >>
• Last Updated: Feb 2, 2024 3:54 PM
• URL: https://library.mcla.edu/research_process

Step 1: Understand Your Project

Step 2: focus project, step 3: gather resources, step 4: develop notes, step 5: create an outline, step 6: develop notes draft, step 7: start the writing process, step 8: gather supplemental information, step 9: final touches.

• Using Databases
• Using "Libguides"
• Using the Internet
• Using the library's Search and Discover! box

Start at the Beginning:

• Grading Rubric

Your syllabus will have the requirements of the project carefully outlined. Read it! Make sure you understand what the assignment is, what the instructor is asking for, and what is required. It seems crazy, but the last thing you want is to be 6 pages into an 8 page research paper and find out you missed a requirement with 15% of the final grade that was in bold in the assignment notes! 

Next, look at the rubric for the assignment. What does an "A" paper look like compared to a "B" or "D" paper? How many Reference sources are required? What style guide should you be using? and so on.

Ask Questions:

Instructors and Librarians love answering questions, maybe not at 10 p.m. the night before the paper is due, but they'll do their best. Just make sure the answer to your question is not easily found in one of the resources mentioned above. Review your syllabus, rubric, and any provided examples, and THEN ask questions before you begin the process. Of course, others may arise, but at least you are starting on firm foundations, and headed in the right direction.

Define Scope of Project

What is your research question? The scope and focus of the project will depend heavily on the particulars of the assignment that we discussed in the section above. But here you should define "what do I want to find out?" "What is my Thesis Statement  or Research Question ?" or "What topic do I want to write about?"

I want research "sleep needs of teenagers" or "using music as a tool teaching English as a Second Language" is broad enough to ensure you'll find materials, but will also allow you to focus on specific subjects or areas within those questions as well. Again, if we start too broad, this next step can help us focus in better.

Preliminary Search:

The  preliminary search  is where we gather the basic editorial information on our subject. Using a basic Internet search (described in more detail on the "Using the Internet" page), or reference materials , you'll be answering the basic "who, what, where, why, and when" questions to get a basic understanding of your topic. The preliminary search is important because it will help you define the scope of your research question, which will dictate the information your paper will probably cover. As you search pay attention to key concepts that pop up, like major dates, keywords, or related materials that you might want to discuss in your project. You don't have to go in-depth on any of these things yet, just make note of things that may be important later.

Get everything together 

This step is pretty self explanatory and will start your "work" phase of the project. From your preliminary search, you should have some basic information to work with and you'll start to explore that information in-depth.

Use the rest of this guide:  The rest of this guide outlines how to use the Library Search box to find books, videos, articles, and other materials that will be useful in your project. It also provides useful tools to continue using the Internet in more detail to find more information as well. Jump to the other tabs to find out how to better use those tools to find more resources. Again, be mindful of what types of materials your instructor requires. Is there anything that they don't want, do you need a certain number of scholarly/peer-reviewed materials or primary-source materials? These are all things to keep in mind during this step. 

Interlibrary Loan : ILL is a free service provided by Link Library for the CUNE community. Simply, if we don't have access to a resource you need, we can get it for you! Jump over to the ILL Guide and request materials or learn more about how the process works.

Yes. You do have to read the materials once you get them, but don't let that overwhelm you! This is one of the areas that can seem most daunting, but doesn't need to be. Books and 20+ page academic articles can pile up quickly, but you're not reading every word, nobody has time for that! Rely on your preliminary research to give you a basic understanding of what you're looking for, then pinpoint that material in your resources. When reading look for:

• Major topic or section in your paper? Read it.
• Background information: Does it provide context or insight to your major topics? Read it.
• Chapters/Sections that specifically address things you're interested in. Only spend time on stuff that's worth your time.

You want to look for what is actually going to help you write your paper and will lend to your understanding of the topic at hand. If the author goes off on a tangent or starts discussing a specific point that you know you won't be putting in your paper, skip it. And don't sit down expecting to read word-for-word. Skim first, and find the interesting parts! Remember: You will potentially have quite a few resources you'll need to pull from, so learning how to prioritize and manage your time is a huge part of the research process that often gets overlooked. Be smart about it and use your time wisely.

Take LOTS of Notes!

There are a ton of ways to outline a paper. Your instructor may even give you an outline as part of the project. An outline serves many purposes, and is pretty important to the writing process, which you are about to begin!

• Introduction
• Main Point 1
• Main Point 2
• Main Point 3

See? Not much too it now, but this little outline can be built into anything from a 3 page book report to an actual book (though you probably won't be writing an entire book of research during your undergrad... or grad school). The reason this outline is so versatile is because each  Main Point  can be broken down into as many sub-points or minor-points as you need. 

Cite Properly:

You should be developing your main points as you read through your resources and take notes. What areas are being covered over an over? What points will help you drive your Thesis Statement home? If you're writing a persuasive paper, these are often the key points to your argument. if you're writing a book report these are your key themes. You should be somewhat aware of what your main points might be all the way back as you do your preliminary search, but these are usually well defined as you dive into reading your resources and gaining a better understanding of the topic. As you continue to read through your resources, you can develop a hierarchy of points and which subjects would be good sub-points to your main topics, and so-forth. 

Basic Outline

Defining Points:

Combine Your Notes and Outline

At this point in the process, you should be able to assess whether or not you are conveying the points that make the most sense and whether or not your research is building the argument you think it is. By looking at your newly beefed up outline, you should have a general feel for how your paper will go and what points are strong, what points are weak, and maybe where we should fill in some extra information or add a point, etc. Read through your notes as they now sit in a rough outline of what they'll look like in the paper. You should see a structure established. Thinking critically throughout this process will make sure your research covers the points you intend. Intentional inspection of all these elements as they go into your paper will help you build your paper before you even start writing.

Remember:  It's easier to edit a page down than it is to fluff useless information into a paper at the end.

Add your thoughts and perspective:

We have the bones and muscle of our paper, the outline is the skeleton and the research references are the muscle which allows it to move. But what makes this YOUR paper is your voice and your insight and input, and tying it all together. Your input is what is going to make the reader care about all this information you have found. The difference in doing a research project this way, is that you are now able to bite off tiny chunks and connect from point-to-point, instead of staring at a blank piece of paper in the hopes that a 10-page paper will appear. Focus on one section, and take one step at a time. 

More Assessment:

As you are writing, you'll start to recognize areas that make lots of sense, and seem really good. Other areas may not make as much sense or don't feel as strong or compelling. At this point, you have probably noticed one or more of the following:

• This is no longer a major section, and should probably be rolled into another section
• This is definitely a major section but it is not as well established or developed as the others
• I'm missing something that all my research seems to be pointing towards
• Now that I've gotten this far, I realize there's an area that I should continue to research and work in

These are all very natural aspects and you shouldn't feel bad if you get through one of your main points and realize any of these, or a combination of them. One more reason the outline we built is so nice, is it allows us to edit and reincorporate new information in without destroying everything we've done thus far. The trick is to continue to critically inspect all aspects of your paper.

What Am I Missing?

Flavor Text : depending on the focus of your paper or your topic or the level of writing, this is a time to find interesting bits of information or quotes that really add to the "voice" in your paper. Not all projects allow for this type of thing, so make sure the level of writing you are aiming for allows for it, but popular quotes, or interesting, wild, or shocking quotes and anecdotes can really inject life into a paper, and here would be a good time to snag a line or two for use.

Continue Writing

You should have all the materials you need to wrap up your rough draft. You've got all your extra supplemental information, you've gone back to Steps 3 and 4 and included these new materials in your draft. Rewrite, rework and reconfigure to make it make sense and connect your points the way you want/need them. Be mindful of page limits and other assignment specifics from your syllabus or rubric. 

Finally : Yes! once the body of your text is written, go back and write your intro and conclusion. I like to start with my conclusion (because why go in order now?) and then end with the introduction, but that's really up to you. Then when it's all said and done, read your paper. Then maybe read it again, out loud. Yes, reading your work out loud can help you rewrite funky parts or ask yourself "does that actually make sense?" once you've heard it instead of just reading it.   

Most word processors and text editors have built-in spell check and some grammar editing, but don't just trust those tools without at least skimming over it. In higher education, it is generally a great idea to get rid of conjunctions all-together (plus it helps the word count!), and  pro top:  the word "that" is often filler. Reread your sentence and ask yourself "do I really need that that there?" The answer is usually no, and your paper will read better for it. Once you've edited it yourself, make sure to take it to the  Tutoring Center  and have one of the student tutors read it for you. (Grad Students: use  Smart Thinking!  available in your Blackboard portal, find out more in the Grad Resource Room guide). 

Turn it in!

At this point, the end of your hard work is at hand, and it's time to turn in this artifact which hopefully represents quite a bit of learning and development on your part. Be proud of it, because not only do you have a better grasp on the subject but your hard work is about to pay off. Congrats! 

Final Note:  At any point if you have questions of your instructor or the library staff, we're here to help. Just because this guide is available online doesn't mean your library staff won't take time to show you the finer points, or walk you through a confusing section or help you find materials. If at any point in the above process you feel like you're getting stuck, let us know! A librarian's job is to help get you unstuck.

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Basic Steps in the Research Process

The following steps outline a simple and effective strategy for writing a research paper. Depending on your familiarity with the topic and the challenges you encounter along the way, you may need to rearrange these steps.

Step 1: Identify and develop your topic

Selecting a topic can be the most challenging part of a research assignment. Since this is the very first step in writing a paper, it is vital that it be done correctly. Here are some tips for selecting a topic:

• Select a topic within the parameters set by the assignment. Many times your instructor will give you clear guidelines as to what you can and cannot write about. Failure to work within these guidelines may result in your proposed paper being deemed unacceptable by your instructor.
• Select a topic of personal interest to you and learn more about it. The research for and writing of a paper will be more enjoyable if you are writing about something that you find interesting.
• Select a topic for which you can find a manageable amount of information. Do a preliminary search of information sources to determine whether existing sources will meet your needs. If you find too much information, you may need to narrow your topic; if you find too little, you may need to broaden your topic.
• Be original. Your instructor reads hundreds of research papers every year, and many of them are on the same topics (topics in the news at the time, controversial issues, subjects for which there is ample and easily accessed information). Stand out from your classmates by selecting an interesting and off-the-beaten-path topic.
• Still can't come up with a topic to write about? See your instructor for advice.

Once you have identified your topic, it may help to state it as a question. For example, if you are interested in finding out about the epidemic of obesity in the American population, you might pose the question "What are the causes of obesity in America ?" By posing your subject as a question you can more easily identify the main concepts or keywords to be used in your research.

Step 2 : Do a preliminary search for information

Before beginning your research in earnest, do a preliminary search to determine whether there is enough information out there for your needs and to set the context of your research. Look up your keywords in the appropriate titles in the library's Reference collection (such as encyclopedias and dictionaries) and in other sources such as our catalog of books, periodical databases, and Internet search engines. Additional background information may be found in your lecture notes, textbooks, and reserve readings. You may find it necessary to adjust the focus of your topic in light of the resources available to you.

Step 3: Locate materials

With the direction of your research now clear to you, you can begin locating material on your topic. There are a number of places you can look for information:

If you are looking for books, do a subject search in One Search . A Keyword search can be performed if the subject search doesn't yield enough information. Print or write down the citation information (author, title,etc.) and the location (call number and collection) of the item(s). Note the circulation status. When you locate the book on the shelf, look at the books located nearby; similar items are always shelved in the same area. The Aleph catalog also indexes the library's audio-visual holdings.

Use the library's  electronic periodical databases  to find magazine and newspaper articles. Choose the databases and formats best suited to your particular topic; ask at the librarian at the Reference Desk if you need help figuring out which database best meets your needs. Many of the articles in the databases are available in full-text format.

Use search engines ( Google ,  Yahoo , etc.) and subject directories to locate materials on the Internet. Check the  Internet Resources  section of the NHCC Library web site for helpful subject links.

Step 4: Evaluate your sources

See the  CARS Checklist for Information Quality   for tips on evaluating the authority and quality of the information you have located. Your instructor expects that you will provide credible, truthful, and reliable information and you have every right to expect that the sources you use are providing the same. This step is especially important when using Internet resources, many of which are regarded as less than reliable.

Step 5: Make notes

Consult the resources you have chosen and note the information that will be useful in your paper. Be sure to document all the sources you consult, even if you there is a chance you may not use that particular source. The author, title, publisher, URL, and other information will be needed later when creating a bibliography.

Step 6: Write your paper

Begin by organizing the information you have collected. The next step is the rough draft, wherein you get your ideas on paper in an unfinished fashion. This step will help you organize your ideas and determine the form your final paper will take. After this, you will revise the draft as many times as you think necessary to create a final product to turn in to your instructor.

Step 7: Cite your sources properly

Give credit where credit is due; cite your sources.

Citing or documenting the sources used in your research serves two purposes: it gives proper credit to the authors of the materials used, and it allows those who are reading your work to duplicate your research and locate the sources that you have listed as references. The  MLA  and the  APA  Styles are two popular citation formats.

Failure to cite your sources properly is plagiarism. Plagiarism is avoidable!

Step 8: Proofread

The final step in the process is to proofread the paper you have created. Read through the text and check for any errors in spelling, grammar, and punctuation. Make sure the sources you used are cited properly. Make sure the message that you want to get across to the reader has been thoroughly stated.

Additional research tips:

• Work from the general to the specific -- find background information first, then use more specific sources.
• Don't forget print sources -- many times print materials are more easily accessed and every bit as helpful as online resources.
• The library has books on the topic of writing research papers at call number area LB 2369.
• If you have questions about the assignment, ask your instructor.
• If you have any questions about finding information in the library, ask the librarian.

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How to do a research project for your academic study

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Writing a research report is part of most university degrees, so it is essential you know what one is and how to write one. This guide on how to do a research project for your university degree shows you what to do at each stage, taking you from planning to finishing the project.

What is a research project? 

The big question is: what is a research project? A research project for students is an extended essay that presents a question or statement for analysis and evaluation. During a research project, you will present your own ideas and research on a subject alongside analysing existing knowledge. 

How to write a research report 

The next section covers the research project steps necessary to producing a research paper. 

Developing a research question or statement 

Research project topics will vary depending on the course you study. The best research project ideas develop from areas you already have an interest in and where you have existing knowledge. 

The area of study needs to be specific as it will be much easier to cover fully. If your topic is too broad, you are at risk of not having an in-depth project. You can, however, also make your topic too narrow and there will not be enough research to be done. To make sure you don’t run into either of these problems, it’s a great idea to create sub-topics and questions to ensure you are able to complete suitable research. 

A research project example question would be: How will modern technologies change the way of teaching in the future? 

Finding and evaluating sources 

Secondary research is a large part of your research project as it makes up the literature review section. It is essential to use credible sources as failing to do so may decrease the validity of your research project.

Examples of secondary research include:

• Peer-reviewed journals
• Scholarly articles
• Newspapers 

Great places to find your sources are the University library and Google Scholar. Both will give you many opportunities to find the credible sources you need. However, you need to make sure you are evaluating whether they are fit for purpose before including them in your research project as you do not want to include out of date information. 

When evaluating sources, you need to ask yourself:

• Is the information provided by an expert?
• How well does the source answer the research question?
• What does the source contribute to its field?
• Is the source valid? e.g. does it contain bias and is the information up-to-date?

It is important to ensure that you have a variety of sources in order to avoid bias. A successful research paper will present more than one point of view and the best way to do this is to not rely too heavily on just one author or publication. 

Conducting research 

For a research project, you will need to conduct primary research. This is the original research you will gather to further develop your research project. The most common types of primary research are interviews and surveys as these allow for many and varied results. 

Examples of primary research include: 

• Interviews and surveys 
• Focus groups 
• Experiments 
• Research diaries 

If you are looking to study in the UK and have an interest in bettering your research skills, The University of Sheffield is a  world top 100 research university  which will provide great research opportunities and resources for your project. 

Research report format  

Now that you understand the basics of how to write a research project, you now need to look at what goes into each section. The research project format is just as important as the research itself. Without a clear structure you will not be able to present your findings concisely. 

A research paper is made up of seven sections: introduction, literature review, methodology, findings and results, discussion, conclusion, and references. You need to make sure you are including a list of correctly cited references to avoid accusations of plagiarism. 

Introduction 

The introduction is where you will present your hypothesis and provide context for why you are doing the project. Here you will include relevant background information, present your research aims and explain why the research is important. 

Literature review  

The literature review is where you will analyse and evaluate existing research within your subject area. This section is where your secondary research will be presented. A literature review is an integral part of your research project as it brings validity to your research aims. 

What to include when writing your literature review:

• A description of the publications
• A summary of the main points
• An evaluation on the contribution to the area of study
• Potential flaws and gaps in the research 

Methodology

The research paper methodology outlines the process of your data collection. This is where you will present your primary research. The aim of the methodology section is to answer two questions: 

• Why did you select the research methods you used?
• How do these methods contribute towards your research hypothesis? 

In this section you will not be writing about your findings, but the ways in which you are going to try and achieve them. You need to state whether your methodology will be qualitative, quantitative, or mixed. 

• Qualitative – first hand observations such as interviews, focus groups, case studies and questionnaires. The data collected will generally be non-numerical. 
• Quantitative – research that deals in numbers and logic. The data collected will focus on statistics and numerical patterns.
• Mixed – includes both quantitative and qualitative research.

The methodology section should always be written in the past tense, even if you have already started your data collection. 

Findings and results 

In this section you will present the findings and results of your primary research. Here you will give a concise and factual summary of your findings using tables and graphs where appropriate. 

Discussion 

The discussion section is where you will talk about your findings in detail. Here you need to relate your results to your hypothesis, explaining what you found out and the significance of the research. 

It is a good idea to talk about any areas with disappointing or surprising results and address the limitations within the research project. This will balance your project and steer you away from bias.

Some questions to consider when writing your discussion: 

• To what extent was the hypothesis supported?
• Was your research method appropriate?
• Was there unexpected data that affected your results?
• To what extent was your research validated by other sources?

Conclusion 

The conclusion is where you will bring your research project to a close. In this section you will not only be restating your research aims and how you achieved them, but also discussing the wider significance of your research project. You will talk about the successes and failures of the project, and how you would approach further study. 

It is essential you do not bring any new ideas into your conclusion; this section is used only to summarise what you have already stated in the project. 

References 

As a research project is your own ideas blended with information and research from existing knowledge, you must include a list of correctly cited references. Creating a list of references will allow the reader to easily evaluate the quality of your secondary research whilst also saving you from potential plagiarism accusations. 

The way in which you cite your sources will vary depending on the university standard.

If you are an international student looking to  study a degree in the UK , The University of Sheffield International College has a range of  pathway programmes  to prepare you for university study. Undertaking a Research Project is one of the core modules for the  Pre-Masters programme  at The University of Sheffield International College.

Frequently Asked Questions 

What is the best topic for research .

It’s a good idea to choose a topic you have existing knowledge on, or one that you are interested in. This will make the research process easier; as you have an idea of where and what to look for in your sources, as well as more enjoyable as it’s a topic you want to know more about.

What should a research project include? 

There are seven main sections to a research project, these are:

• Introduction – the aims of the project and what you hope to achieve
• Literature review – evaluating and reviewing existing knowledge on the topic
• Methodology – the methods you will use for your primary research
• Findings and results – presenting the data from your primary research
• Discussion – summarising and analysing your research and what you have found out
• Conclusion – how the project went (successes and failures), areas for future study
• List of references – correctly cited sources that have been used throughout the project. 

How long is a research project? 

The length of a research project will depend on the level study and the nature of the subject. There is no one length for research papers, however the average dissertation style essay can be anywhere from 4,000 to 15,000+ words. 

Holman Library

• GRC Holman Library
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Research 101: Getting Started On Your Research Project

Step 3: beginning college-level research.

• Research 101 Tutorial
• Step 1: Understanding Your Assignment
• Step 2: Picking and Developing a Topic

Find More Help @ Holman Library

This lesson is intended to get you started with college-level research.

Please contact the library if you need further help getting started with your research or if need assistance continuing with the research process. We are here to help. 

• Ask a Librarian Get help in-person, by email, phone, or 24/7 chat from a librarian! more... less... Ask ANYTHING...questions about research, finding info, citing sources, logins, printing, tech problems, finding locations and services on campus, events, registering for classes...etc. We will do our best to help!

Start your Research

Once you understand your assignment (Step 1) and have a general idea of a topic (Step 2), the best place to begin your research is in background sources like subject-specific encyclopedia or other introductory sources. Some suggestions of library databases to use to find introductory sources can be found below.

Start with Keywords

In both databases begin searching with general keywords and phrases.

For example, if your topic is  Climate Change  you can simply put that keyword phrase in as your initial search, or search for a specific aspect of your topic.

• For example,  Ocean Acidification .

Only include the most important concepts in your keyword search.

• For example, DO NOT include extra words or terms such as PROS AND CONS or complete sentences or questions. Doing so might result in zero results.  

Once you find a background article on your topic read it and take notes about the terms and ideas the article presents.

Academic writing often uses specific language and these terms will then be the keywords you will use as you continue your research.

Use open-ended questions to help you organize these terms and keywords.

• For example: 
• WHO  are the people and groups associated with this topic?  
• WHAT  are the main issues? 
• HOW  is society impacted? 

Databases to Start your Research

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• Last Updated: Jun 17, 2024 3:22 PM
• URL: https://libguides.greenriver.edu/research101

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• Citation Styles

How to start the research process (6 tips)

Research can be a fun and informative process, but so many writers struggle to know where to begin. In this post, we’ll discuss six tips for starting the research process.

1. Understand how the research process works

If you’ve never undertaken a research project before, or if you find it difficult to get started, take some time to learn how the research process actually works. Your grasp of how research gets done will inform your ability to not only start the process, but to persevere until the end.

All research begins with a question or set of questions. These questions eventually transform into thesis statements and main ideas. However, even before you can come up with the questions that you want your research to answer, you need to familiarize yourself with what other researchers have written about your topic. This is called preliminary research .

Preliminary research helps you situate your own ideas within the ongoing scholarly conversation. It also allows you to establish whether your idea is worth exploring.

2. Make a plan and know when to stop

The most successful research process will be both well-planned and flexible. On the one hand, you should plan to complete your research in a way that enables you to meet the deadline.

On the other hand, you should allow for the possibility that your topic or main idea might be too broad or narrow (see step three below). Even the most well-planned research projects sometimes veer in unexpected directions.

Additionally, you’ll want to be aware of when it’s appropriate to stop your research. While you could feasibly go on researching a topic forever, use the assignment guidelines (and your own instincts) to help you determine when you need to move on to the next component of the project.

3. Choose a manageable topic

Many research projects start with a broad topic, but it’s essential to know when a topic is too broad to manage. The complexity of your topic should depend on the required length or size of the assignment.

Preliminary research can help you determine if your topic is too broad because it forces you to engage with the scholarly conversation. This allows you to find the gaps in the current research, which are likely narrower than general topic ideas.

4. Meet with a librarian

A librarian can help you formulate a topic, narrow or broaden your ideas, and find relevant sources for your research. Consider scheduling a research consultation with a librarian at the start of your research process. Librarians can also provide guidance on citing your sources.

5. Create an outline

You can use an outline to map out the areas that you want to explore in your research process. An outline will equip you with a set of clear directions for undertaking systematic research on your topic

6. Keep track of your sources

You’ll want to keep track of the sources that you’re consulting throughout the research process. This will be especially important when you create the bibliography or reference list for your research project. It’s a good idea to cite your sources as you work, rather than wait until the last minute.

BibGuru’s citation generator can help you keep track of your references, create in-text citations, and assemble your bibliography. Use BibGuru’s projects feature to organize your research by assignment or source type, or create a folder for each of the main points of your outline.

Frequently Asked Questions about how to start the research process

The first step in the research process is identifying the question or set of questions that you wish to answer with your research.

The most important step in the research process is coming up with your primary research question.

An effective research process is well-planned, yet flexible, and incorporates ample time for finding, reading, and citing sources.

Start by creating an outline that maps out the directions you want to take with your research. Then, schedule time for tasks like meeting with a librarian, finding and reading your sources, and citation.

Research is a process because it includes multiple steps that allow you to gradually refine your ideas about a given topic.

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11.3 Managing Your Research Project

Learning objectives.

• Identify reasons for outlining the scope and sequence of a research project.
• Recognize the steps of the research writing process.
• Develop a plan for managing time and resources to complete the research project on time.
• Identify organizational tools and strategies to use in managing the project.

The prewriting you have completed so far has helped you begin to plan the content of your research paper—your topic, research questions, and preliminary thesis. It is equally important to plan out the process of researching and writing the paper. Although some types of writing assignments can be completed relatively quickly, developing a good research paper is a complex process that takes time. Breaking it into manageable steps is crucial. Review the steps outlined at the beginning of this chapter.

Steps to Writing a Research Paper

• Choose a topic.
• Schedule and plan time for research and writing.
• Conduct research.
• Organize research
• Draft your paper.
• Revise and edit your paper.

You have already completed step 1. In this section, you will complete step 2. The remaining steps fall under two broad categories—the research phase of the project (steps 3 and 4) and the writing phase (steps 5 and 6). Both phases present challenges. Understanding the tasks involved and allowing enough time to complete each task will help you complete your research paper on time with a minimal amount of stress.

Planning Your Project

Each step of a research project requires time and attention. Careful planning helps ensure that you will keep your project running smoothly and produce your best work. Set up a project schedule that shows when you will complete each step. Think about how you will complete each step and what project resources you will use. Resources may include anything from library databases and word-processing software to interview subjects and writing tutors.

To develop your schedule, use a calendar and work backward from the date your final draft is due. Generally, it is wise to divide half of the available time on the research phase of the project and half on the writing phase. For example, if you have a month to work, plan for two weeks for each phase. If you have a full semester, plan to begin research early and to start writing by the middle of the term. You might think that no one really works that far ahead, but try it. You will probably be pleased with the quality of your work and with the reduction in your stress level.

As you plan, break down major steps into smaller tasks if necessary. For example, step 3, conducting research, involves locating potential sources, evaluating their usefulness and reliability, reading, and taking notes. Defining these smaller tasks makes the project more manageable by giving you concrete goals to achieve.

Jorge had six weeks to complete his research project. Working backward from a due date of May 2, he mapped out a schedule for completing his research by early April so that he would have ample time to write. Jorge chose to write his schedule in his weekly planner to help keep himself on track.

Review Jorge’s schedule. Key target dates are shaded. Note that Jorge planned times to use available resources by visiting the library and writing center and by meeting with his instructor.

• Working backward from the date your final draft is due, create a project schedule. You may choose to write a sequential list of tasks or record tasks on a calendar.
• Check your schedule to be sure that you have broken each step into smaller tasks and assigned a target completion date to each key task.
• Review your target dates to make sure they are realistic. Always allow a little more time than you think you will actually need.

Plan your schedule realistically, and consider other commitments that may sometimes take precedence. A business trip or family visit may mean that you are unable to work on the research project for a few days. Make the most of the time you have available. Plan for unexpected interruptions, but keep in mind that a short time away from the project may help you come back to it with renewed enthusiasm. Another strategy many writers find helpful is to finish each day’s work at a point when the next task is an easy one. That makes it easier to start again.

Writing at Work

When you create a project schedule at work, you set target dates for completing certain tasks and identify the resources you plan to use on the project. It is important to build in some flexibility. Materials may not be received on time because of a shipping delay. An employee on your team may be called away to work on a higher-priority project. Essential equipment may malfunction. You should always plan for the unexpected.

Staying Organized

Although setting up a schedule is easy, sticking to one is challenging. Even if you are the rare person who never procrastinates, unforeseen events may interfere with your ability to complete tasks on time. A self-imposed deadline may slip your mind despite your best intentions. Organizational tools—calendars, checklists, note cards, software, and so forth—can help you stay on track.

Throughout your project, organize both your time and your resources systematically. Review your schedule frequently and check your progress. It helps to post your schedule in a place where you will see it every day. Both personal and workplace e-mail systems usually include a calendar feature where you can record tasks, arrange to receive daily reminders, and check off completed tasks. Electronic devices such as smartphones have similar features.

Organize project documents in a binder or electronic folder, and label project documents and folders clearly. Use note cards or an electronic document to record bibliographical information for each source you plan to use in your paper. Tracking this information throughout the research process can save you hours of time when you create your references page.

Revisit the schedule you created in Note 11.42 “Exercise 1” . Transfer it into a format that will help you stay on track from day to day. You may wish to input it into your smartphone, write it in a weekly planner, post it by your desk, or have your e-mail account send you daily reminders. Consider setting up a buddy system with a classmate that will help you both stay on track.

Some people enjoy using the most up-to-date technology to help them stay organized. Other people prefer simple methods, such as crossing off items on a checklist. The key to staying organized is finding a system you like enough to use daily. The particulars of the method are not important as long as you are consistent.

Anticipating Challenges

Do any of these scenarios sound familiar? You have identified a book that would be a great resource for your project, but it is currently checked out of the library. You planned to interview a subject matter expert on your topic, but she calls to reschedule your meeting. You have begun writing your draft, but now you realize that you will need to modify your thesis and conduct additional research. Or you have finally completed your draft when your computer crashes, and days of hard work disappear in an instant.

These troubling situations are all too common. No matter how carefully you plan your schedule, you may encounter a glitch or setback. Managing your project effectively means anticipating potential problems, taking steps to minimize them where possible, and allowing time in your schedule to handle any setbacks.

Many times a situation becomes a problem due only to lack of planning. For example, if a book is checked out of your local library, it might be available through interlibrary loan, which usually takes a few days for the library staff to process. Alternatively, you might locate another, equally useful source. If you have allowed enough time for research, a brief delay will not become a major setback.

You can manage other potential problems by staying organized and maintaining a take-charge attitude. Take a minute each day to save a backup copy of your work on a portable hard drive. Maintain detailed note cards and source cards as you conduct research—doing so will make citing sources in your draft infinitely easier. If you run into difficulties with your research or your writing, ask your instructor for help, or make an appointment with a writing tutor.

Identify five potential problems you might encounter in the process of researching and writing your paper. Write them on a separate sheet of paper. For each problem, write at least one strategy for solving the problem or minimizing its effect on your project.

In the workplace, documents prepared at the beginning of a project often include a detailed plan for risk management. When you manage a project, it makes sense to anticipate and prepare for potential setbacks. For example, to roll out a new product line, a software development company must strive to complete tasks on a schedule in order to meet the new product release date. The project manager may need to adjust the project plan if one or more tasks fall behind schedule.

Key Takeaways

• To complete a research project successfully, a writer must carefully manage each phase of the process and break major steps into smaller tasks.
• Writers can plan a research project by setting up a schedule based on the deadline and by identifying useful project resources.
• Writers stay focused by using organizational tools that suit their needs.
• Anticipating and planning for potential setbacks can help writers avoid those setbacks or minimize their effect on the project schedule.

Writing for Success Copyright © 2015 by University of Minnesota is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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How to do a Research Project: 6 Steps

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Table of contents

• Introduction

What is a research project?

Research project steps:.

A year ago I had this crazy idea of experimenting with the final semester of my two-year course. Being an international student in Australia, doing two postgraduate degrees and working at the same time was apparently not enough for me. So instead of choosing to do a professional project and finishing my degree, I decided to do a research project .

If you must know, I literally had no idea of how to do a research project or how to write a thesis . So I went to my professor and told him about my plans to complete a research project for my final semester. “If students imagine completing a research project in three months, I ask them to come and see me. And they later un-imagine it,” came my professor’s reply.

I was then given special permission to take two semesters to finish this research project – and hopefully in a few weeks’ time I will submit my first completed piece of research. In the past few months I have learned a lot of lessons that I want to share, in case you also decide to follow this route without any prior knowledge of how to do a research project!

• Step 1:  Find the right supervisor
• Step 2: Don’t be shy, ask!
• Step 3: Select the right topic
• Step 4: Keep your plan realistic
• Step 5: Prepare a project timeline
• Step  6: Write, write and write

1. Find the right supervisor

My professor asked a faculty member to become my supervisor. I floated an idea about what area I was interested in working on, and she agreed to keep an eye on me. In terms of a supervisor I couldn’t have asked for anything better. She is patient with me, she knows my shortcomings and she always motivates me even if I am unable to see myself progressing. Having such a supervisor makes this journey very comfortable and easy.

2. Don’t be shy, ask!

I told you earlier that I did not have any clue about how to do a research project. That was my reality and I didn’t try to hide it. I communicated my weakness openly to my supervisor and warned her in advance that I would be asking stupid questions throughout the duration of my project just so I could get an idea of what I was doing. “No question is stupid,” she assured me. The credit indeed goes to her, but it is ultimately your responsibility to communicate with your supervisor and ask as many questions as you need to.

3. Select the right topic

Your topic will determine your project. It should be interesting and it should be something that you really want to investigate. So never rely on others for recommendations about what should be your topic of research. Try to read and think a lot and you will find an area of interest. Explore your inner self, even if it takes time. In a few weeks you will start gathering your thoughts and realize what you actually are interested in researching.

4. Keep your plan realistic

Your topic could be the best in the field, but do you have enough resources to finish the project? Suppose your research project involves travelling halfway around the world to conduct a field investigation. The question you must be asking yourself is: can I afford that much time and money? If not, then no matter how brilliant your idea is, you need to think of something else. Save this one for when you receive a healthy research grant.

5. Prepare a project timeline

Having a project timeline is everything. It keeps you on track all the time. You should have a timeline set out in the first week, stating targets that you must achieve throughout the duration of your research project. Things could go wrong here and there, and you can always adjust dates, but it is very important to have a schedule, ideally broken down further into weekly targets. Ask your supervisor about what kind of targets you should set and try to achieve these on a weekly basis. Doing this should help you avoid becoming overwhelmed.

6. Write, write and write

If you’re unsure how to write a thesis, the best advice I can give is not to leave the writing stage until last. Start writing from day one. This is something I learned the hard way. My supervisor always suggests writing, but I don’t feel comfortable doing that unless I have all the information in hand. However, I’ve learned how important it is to write down whatever you do, and make notes of whatever you read. Documenting the whole process as you go will help you finalize the project in a very effective way. So don’t worry about writing things that are “wrong” or that don’t make sense. Remember, it only has to make sense once the whole project is finished. So even if it seems raw, keep on writing and get regular feedback from your supervisor.

These are some general rules that apply to every research project. You will definitely have to alter a few things here and there depending on your area of interest and your topic. I wish you good luck for this. And if you need to talk to me, don’t hesitate to leave a comment below. Finally, remember that persistence is the key. You may feel like giving up when things go off track, but stick with it and you’ll not only emerge with a completed project, you’ll also gain lots of invaluable skills along the way.

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Hailing from Pakistan, Zain finished a Masters of Journalism and International Relations at Monash University in Australia. He is working as a journalist and media trainer in Melbourne along with secretly harboring an ambition to become a filmmaker.

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Starting steps for research project success

Research projects are an important part of a student’s academic career. They’re an integral part of the learning process, providing students with the opportunity to explore a particular topic in-depth, develop research skills, and make an original contribution to their field of study.

That said, they can also be a source of stress for many students, particularly if it’s their first time writing a research project. The best way to approach a project of this size is to break it down into smaller steps and ensure you’ve laid the groundwork before you even begin writing.

In this article, we’ll look at different elements of beginning a research project, including writing a proposal, starting steps, and how to use monday.com to organize all your research and tasks in one place.

What is a research project?

A research project is an organized effort to investigate a specific question or topic. It can involve either quantitative or qualitative research methods and can include surveys, interviews, or literature reviews.

The goal of a research project is to answer a question or hypothesis by exploring new ideas and testing theories.

In an academic setting, research projects are typically conducted by students, faculty members, postdoctoral fellows, or graduate students, and may involve collaborations with outside organizations.

How to write a research project proposal

Before beginning to write a research project, you need to first write a proposal. A research project proposal is a document used to outline the specific goals, methods, and resources required for a research project. It’s used to present the planned research to potential sponsors or other stakeholders in order to receive approval to proceed with the project.

There are several elements to include in a project proposal that will not only help guide your research but help show why your topic is relevant and worth pursuing.

• Title: Develop a clear and concise title for your research project proposal.
• Introduction: Give background, including the purpose and importance of the research.
• Objectives: List the specific objectives of your research project.
• Methodology: Describe the methods and techniques you will use.
• Resources: Describe the resources you will need to carry out your project.
• Timeline: Provide a timeline for completion and bring up any potential obstacles or risks.
• Expected outcomes: Identify the expected outcomes, including possible implications.
• Budget: Estimate the costs of completing the project and any necessary funding.
• References: Provide references that you’ll cite that help prove your topic is relevant.

Looking at examples of other research project proposals will be helpful to visualize what yours should look like. Here are examples of successful project proposals in the field of social policy and criminology as well as a Ph.D. project in politics .

A project proposal template from monday.com can help you build out your project proposal. This template will ensure that you aren’t missing any essential elements that can result in your research project getting rejected or needing to edit and resubmit a new proposal.

5 starting steps for writing a research project

While there are many different steps to the writing portion of a research project, the initial setup of your project will not only set you up for success but will make the writing go a lot more smoothly. Here are five steps you should take when you’re just starting your research project.

1. Find the right supervisor

A good supervisor will provide guidance on the design, methods, and structure of your research project, as well as advice on how to best analyze and interpret data. A good way to find the right supervisor is to speak with faculty members in a department, a trusted professor, or a colleague to discuss who might be the best fit. When you have a list of potential advisors, send them an email to introduce yourself and your project before asking to meet to discuss the next steps.

2. Choose your topic

After finding a supervisor, they may be able to help you narrow down your topic. The more specific your topic, the better you’ll be able to sharpen the direction of your research so that you can explore your topic in greater depth. It can also save time by allowing you to tighten the scope of your research and focus on the most relevant aspects of the topic.

3. Develop a thesis

A thesis serves as the main point or argument and provides direction and focus to a project, allowing you to collect and organize information more efficiently. A clear and concise thesis statement guides readers in understanding the project’s purpose and ensures that readers will be able to follow the main thread of your argument.

4. Create a timeline

When you begin your research, it’s important to create a timeline to set a framework for the project and ensure that it’s completed on time. It also keeps you organized on various tasks and ensures all steps are accounted for, from researching to writing and editing. Finally, a timeline can help you stay motivated and on track.

5. Write your outline

Outlines provide structure and clarity and allow you to organize your thoughts in a logical order. An outline serves as a roadmap for your research, allowing you to focus on the important points and not get sidetracked. It may also help identify gaps in your research, which can be addressed before beginning the writing process.

monday.com can help you organize your research project

Given all the different steps to take before you even begin writing, staying organized and on top of each task will ensure your project runs seamlessly. Project management tools such as monday.com can help you stay organized so that you don’t overlook an important step in your project. There are a few specific monday.com features that make it an excellent tool for anyone working on a research project.

Track your project with timelines

Create a timeline to see when different elements of your research project are due and see if you’re on time with your project proposal’s timeline.

Organize your tasks in one place

There are tons of small tasks in each research project, from planning a project, collecting and organizing data, communications, surveying, and more. With monday.com’s task management tools, you can make sure you’ve accounted for all tasks you need to complete so that you don’t miss a thing.

Use a template to make a visual plan

The student planner template allows you to visualize your project plan. Not only is this a good place to track tasks, but you can also add in information such as budgets, contact information, priorities, and even attach files for each access to your project’s information all in one place.

How do you start a research project?

When starting a research project, the first step is to create a research question or hypothesis that will be the focus of the project. Next, you’ll want to begin gathering information, finding a supervisor, forming your thesis, and outlining your project.

What are some examples of research projects?

Research projects vary widely depending on the field. For example, in biology, some research projects have focused on investigating the effects of a medication or therapy on a specific group of patients or looking at the role of genetics in disease.

How do I find a research project topic?

There are many different ways to find a topic. For starters, consider which topics interest you. From there, you can research online, speak with professors or advisors, and attend conferences and workshops to find ideas.

Make sure you have all you need to start writing

Writing a research project takes a lot of time, dedication, and focus. They can also be stressful, especially if it’s your first time writing one. Following the steps and guidelines here will make your research project more successful. Additionally, using a project management work tool like monday.com to organize your research project is one of the best ways to alleviate the stress of staying on top of your tasks and timeline so that you can better focus on the research itself.

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How to Prepare for a Research Project

Whether you’re starting your first research project or your fifth, each project is unique and can be a lot to manage. From research proposals, project planning, data collection and report writing, there’s a lot to consider. In this article, we have five tips to help you prepare effectively for your upcoming research projects. 

‍ Outline Current Ideas ‍

Getting started is often the hardest part of any project. This is why writing out the ideas currently on your mind is a good first step for building momentum and giving direction. You can map out your current ideas, see where they link and note any aims you have for the project. This might be topic specific, such as what you would like to learn about the subject area or these could be personal. For example, what skills do you hope to gain? You might be interested in learning how to write a literature review, or present findings in a concise way. This can highlight areas to focus on when planning your project. 

Commit to a Research Space

Research projects are ongoing over a long period of time and require multiple resources that need to be tracked. In preparation, it’s a good idea to decide on a system for storing all this information and keeping track of ideas that might be relevant months after you thought of them. You could use a research notebook where you write reading notes, meeting notes, questions and so on. Alternatively, you can take your reading notes to the next level using tools such as genei, which allows you to create linked notes between various documents. Or note-taking apps such as Craft and Notion that also allow for back-linking and connecting ideas. 

Project Planning and Deadlines 

Now, tackling a research project across several months or even years can be overwhelming. You can overcome this by project planning, breaking down the project into sub-tasks and setting deadlines. You can use your research guide and any external deadlines, set by your employer or university, as a starting point. If these provide minimal structure, you can start using internal deadlines based on your commits and goals. e.g., commit to finishing your literature review by October or write 5000 words by May. Keep them short and focused so you’re able to build a tangible to-do list. You can use project planning tools such as gantt charts, which can be implemented in Excel or Notion , and set frequent reminders for internal or external deadlines. 

Examine Your Skillset

Prior to starting a research project, it’s worth looking at the skills and tools you have to complete the project to a good standard. For example, how much do you know about the research methodology or statistical analysis you intend to use? You’ll also need to consider these things when submitting proposals so it’s good to brush up early. Do you feel confident conducting literature reviews? Writing up results? Even if you’re not ready to learn these things, you can Google and store guides in your chosen research space. Likewise, do you have access to the tools you will need and the knowledge to use them effectively? You might need to refamiliarise yourself with particular software or processes. 

Remain Flexible

Finally, keep an open mind and be ready for change. Research projects are complex and things you never anticipated may come to light - that’s okay! This initial preparation means you’re ready for things that might change. Allow for flexibility in your project planning and research workflow. Don’t be afraid to adjust things as you go along.

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Educational resources and simple solutions for your research journey

How to Plan a Research Project

One of the most significant skills of an academician is the knowing how to plan a research project and execute it successfully. This process is often quite stressful, since the skills required for planning and management are not taught in most research groups or academic institutions, and need to be consciously acquired as one proceeds in their career. Over time the challenges that an academician faces while planning a research project keep increasing as the nature of tasks that need to be managed keep multiplying. Planning a research project effectively is the most crucial step as it has direct implications on the overall quality of the project, but it is not easy. If you are looking for some tips on how to plan a research project successfully, then this article will help you out.

1. Define a clear problem statement: As a researcher, you are probably quite familiar with the process of identifying gaps in the existing knowledge base when planning a research project. What you also need to acknowledge right at the beginning is that finding the answers to fill in all those gaps may not necessarily be within the scope of your current project. When you start to plan a research project with this clear understanding, you have the opportunity to ask only relevant questions and define a clear, concise and simple problem statement. Along with this, it is also important to know that the problem statement might keep changing over the course of your project and you need to be flexible enough to modify it as required. If you want know how to plan a research project that has attainable goals, then having a clear and well-defined problem statement is the first step toward it.

2. Set pragmatic goals: Nobody knows more than you how tumultuous and unpredictable a researcher’s journey can be. Additionally, it is always challenging to plan a research project and then ensure it stays on track when multiple variables are involved, which often pose as roadblocks to your project. You can work your way through this by being cautious and pragmatic while setting goals. When planning a research project, consider all the external variables that are beyond your control, and keep troubleshooting strategies ready before beginning your project. This will ensure that your objectives are achieved with minimum hassle. So the next time you find yourself wondering how to plan a research project efficiently, focus on goal setting.

3. Define your timelines: If you often find yourself stuck with how to plan research projects, you’re probably not managing your time well .  So once you have decided the overall objectives and plan for a research project, define the timelines next.  You will need to consider the limited availability of time and resources when planning a research project, as well as the possibility that you may need to revisit and refine your problem statement and objectives routinely throughout the course of this project. Thus, when planning a research project, know that you may not always be realistically possible to adhere to your originally defined timeline. In order to avoid unnecessary delays in your project and to execute the research project successfully, you can break down your objectives into mini-goals that are attainable in a shorter duration. Having weekly or bi-weekly timelines instead of monthly timelines will make it easier to introduce modifications and keep your project on track.

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Tackling your first research project

Posted on: September 2, 2020

Your first research project can be daunting. For many students it is very different to anything they will have encountered before. More often than not you will have some, if not complete freedom over your choice of research topic and this is where you can focus your nerves by remembering that a research project can be fun and interesting. After all, you can pick an area to research that fascinates you, and that will make the whole thing a lot more enjoyable.

Identifying your topic

It can be difficult to choose which part of a subject to research when the decision is entirely yours. It is still pretty difficult when you have been given some direction by your tutor. After all, you don’t want to rehash research that has already been done, or waste your time researching an area that has been researched a thousand times before. You may have many areas of interest and find it difficult to know exactly which area to focus on.

There are a few things to think about here. First, make a list of topics that interest you. Ask questions of each topic, break them down into ideas and arguments that you want to explore further. From that point, pick the one that interests you the most but be careful - try and choose a topic that is narrow enough that your argument is focussed, but broad enough that you know you will have enough relevant sources to use. It is also worth making sure you know exactly what is expected of you in this research project. It’s easy to get carried away by your idea and forget what is being asked of you.

Beginning your research

Do some basic research by visiting your library, either in person or digitally, to find out what related research already exists. Talk to your subject librarian to find out what resources are available that you may not be aware of. Remember, the library is not just a place filled with books and journals. It will also have a range of databases and digital resources that could be exactly what you need. You’ll also find past dissertations by others from your department, which may help you develop your ideas further and can be used as sources for your own research.

Chat to others about your research ideas too. Discussion will help you to refine your ideas and you may discover that your friends have ideas and viewpoints about the topic that hadn’t occurred to you yet.

At this stage keep your research quite widely focussed, reading around related topics to help you round out your ideas. Don’t be afraid to let your ideas expand and change as you plan.

Digging deeper into your topic

Once you have started to get a firm idea of what you want to concentrate on it is time to start bringing it into greater focus. Establish the goals of your research; what are you aiming to achieve? What is your argument? Within your chosen topic, what issue are you planning to investigate? Think too about the limits of what you will be researching. This comes back to keeping a narrow focus; you need to have a clear idea of the limits of the project otherwise you risk the piece losing its focus completely.

Try creating a thesis statement to help you get your idea really clear in your head. A thesis statement takes your topic of research and distils it into one sentence, addressing your topic, the argument and the approach you will take. That sounds hard, right? It is, and it can take time to get right, but it is time well spent. By distilling your idea down into this one statement you will achieve clarity on what you want to achieve, and your project will be all the better for it.

For all this, you may still find yourself struggling to work out what you want to research. Maybe there are just too many things that interest you, or you can’t find something original. If this happens, talk to your lecturer. They will help you find your way through your ideas and offer advice on topics to avoid or even provide some ideas that hadn’t occurred to you.

Get organised

Before you begin, get yourself organised. It’s no good diving in head-first with no idea of how you will structure your time and your research notes. Create a dedicated file on your computer, broken down further into sections for each part and stage of your work, e.g. initial planning, research notes, bibliography, final draft, etc. Make sure you keep a clear record of your sources as you go. Not only does this protect you against plagiarism, it will make sure that you don’t struggle to find that perfect quote when you come to write up your project, and when it is time to write the bibliography you already have all the information to hand. A good, clear bibliography will help to show your lecturer the breadth of your research and will demonstrate the work you have put in. Every time you find something you will, or think you will need, make a note of it on a dedicated page of your notebook so that you will be able to find it quickly. Make sure you know the referencing method required by your course so that you know exactly which information you need to record and the format that is required.

As soon as you know when the project is due, break it down into tasks and decided how much time you need to dedicate to each part, adding a little extra time to each in case of problems or unforeseen delays. Make sure you block out time in your calendar to complete each task. That way, you won’t find the deadline hurtling towards you while you sit in front of the latest box set unprepared for the work that is due. And when you complete each goal, reward yourself. Even if that reward is small, a bar of chocolate or curling up with a favourite novel, taking time for yourself is important.

Don’t forget to talk to your lecturer if you get stuck at any point throughout the project! They aren’t there to just stand in front of the class and talk at you: they are your support through your study and will be happy to help guide you through any problems that arise. Remember though, they aren’t there to do the work for you; simply to encourage and advise.

Going further with your research

When you start your research, find out if your subject librarian has a research guide that could help you. These guides will offer advice on the range of resources available to you in the library and will help you find your way through the first stages of research, as you try to work out what is relevant, what is not, and what is leading you down interesting but irrelevant paths.

Take some time to look at the background of your subject. It doesn’t need to be extensive but having some wider, background knowledge can help you see the bigger picture and will help you put your research into context.

Don’t be afraid to be flexible. As you research and start to learn more about the topic and the argument you’re studying, you may find your idea developing so that it no longer quite fits the focus you’d planned. That’s ok, as long as you don’t go too far off topic. Be prepared to tweak your thesis statement just enough to accommodate the changes that your research throws up.

Use all the resources your library has to offer and if necessary, utilise the inter-library loan service to request any titles you can’t find. Make sure you widen your search beyond books and journal articles though. As mentioned above, speak to your subject librarian to find out which databases and digital platforms your institution provides access to. You very likely have access to a whole range of tools of which you may be completely unaware.

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• Knowledge Base
• Starting the research process
• 10 Research Question Examples to Guide Your Research Project

10 Research Question Examples to Guide your Research Project

Published on October 30, 2022 by Shona McCombes . Revised on October 19, 2023.

The research question is one of the most important parts of your research paper , thesis or dissertation . It’s important to spend some time assessing and refining your question before you get started.

The exact form of your question will depend on a few things, such as the length of your project, the type of research you’re conducting, the topic , and the research problem . However, all research questions should be focused, specific, and relevant to a timely social or scholarly issue.

Once you’ve read our guide on how to write a research question , you can use these examples to craft your own.

Note that the design of your research question can depend on what method you are pursuing. Here are a few options for qualitative, quantitative, and statistical research questions.

Other interesting articles

If you want to know more about the research process , methodology , research bias , or statistics , make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples.

Methodology

• Sampling methods
• Simple random sampling
• Stratified sampling
• Cluster sampling
• Likert scales
• Reproducibility

 Statistics

• Null hypothesis
• Statistical power
• Probability distribution
• Effect size
• Poisson distribution

Research bias

• Optimism bias
• Cognitive bias
• Implicit bias
• Hawthorne effect
• Anchoring bias
• Explicit bias

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Project Planning for the Beginner: Defining a Topic

• Defining a Topic
• Reviewing the Literature
• Developing a Researchable Question
• Research Design
• Planning, Data, Writing and Dissemination

Introduction

Before you start your research, you need to define your topic and develop a research question or hypothesis. You already know your general area of interest, which is probably linked to your discipline of study. Next, you have to specify a particular area of interest which is appropriate for research and which you will enjoy working on. Before choosing a topic, it might be useful to read some of the basics about why we do research, if you haven’t already.

How Can I Decide What to Study?

First, you should think about these three points:

• Your project must be something that interests you enough to keep you motivated to start researching it, keep researching it and finish writing it up. If possible, do research on something you are fascinated by or on an issue you are passionate about.
• You must have enough understanding of the area you’re interested in to do something useful when you investigate it. Think about what you know about the way that social scientists engage with your topic area and be willing to read around your topic to learn what you don’t already know.
• You may be lucky enough to be able to embark on a project which is entirely your own. You may be working on a project which your university supervisor has designed already. Or, you may be employed as a professional researcher on a project defined by someone else. Whatever your circumstances, choice remains an important consideration. You need to like your topic to have the motivation to succeed.

Top Tips for First Time Researchers

What practical things should i think about before i start my research.

A research project has to be doable. That means that you must be able to see not only what it should be and how it might be done in the most ideal possible set of circumstances, but also how you could do it given your time, money, existing resources, knowledge, and expertise. You should be able to do enough to fulfill the aim of your research and, in one way or another, add to our knowledge of the social world.

Every research project is constrained because we never have limitless resources. So, you have to make sure that you have enough resources in hand to get the job done. These constraints include:

• Time available

• Material resources required

• Ethical approval

The first constraint is always your own time. The following aspects are all important, but some will be more vital to you than others.

What is the deadline for the production of the research output? This could be a submission deadline for students or any other deadline for other researchers.

How much of your own time can you devote to the project? There are always other calls on your time, some of which you can anticipate. For example:

• Other work : An undergraduate or Master’s student might have to get other assignments done alongside their dissertation/thesis. A PhD researcher might have teaching or research assistant commitments.

• Other aspects of your life : Remember you should have one! Friends, family, work—it’s good to have balance.

Think as if Murphy’s Law always holds—if something can go wrong it will. This might not be the case, but if you anticipate what could go wrong and how you could deal with it, then you won’t be overwhelmed if it does happen.

You will usually need a computer of your own and access to secure back-up storage. For researchers without access to a personal computer, it is still possible to do good research with no more than a pen and a pad of paper, but it is harder.

It’s important to have somewhere to work—this could even be your own bedroom, but you have to have somewhere to think and to write in reasonable peace and comfort.

Do you need to travel to do your research? Is there transport available? Do you have the money to pay for travel?

Do you need to employ assistants? Have you got the money to pay them?

Do you have access to the people or the place that you will be researching, or can you get it?

Depending on your research area, gaining ethical approval may involve differing amounts of time and effort. You will likely have to produce one of the following before beginning your research.

You may simply require an adequate statement about ethical issues in your research proposal. “Adequate” means you have identified the potential ethical issues and said how you would handle them in doing the research.

For most research in Health and related areas, such as Social Care, you will have to submit a detailed ethical statement to a formal body for approval. You will have to be able to justify not only the ethical conduct of the research, but also argue for the appropriateness of the methods you deploy. This can be tricky when the approval body does not include members who understand your approach.

You may have to get some sort of certification before you can engage with your research subjects. For example, if you are doing any research with children, you may have to get police clearance, which demonstrates that you have no record of child abuse which would make it inappropriate for you to engage with them. Remember, this takes time.

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• About Research
• In the Beginning: What to Consider

Before you get started in “research,” it is important to identify your goals and objectives.

Consider these questions:.

• What are your expectations for becoming involved in college-level research projects?
• How committed are you to a project in terms of time, energy, and enthusiasm?
• How will you evaluate your experience?

Knowing what you can learn from research will not only help you to find a great position, it will help you make the most of it. The following information should give you a few “thinking” points to consider.

Requirements and planning ahead

In many fields, you will need to take some courses before you understand the work well enough to do research. If you have an interest already, go speak with faculty members who work in your area of interest and ask them what they require from undergraduate researchers. Don’t have a defined interest yet? Don’t worry; take some classes. When you find a topic that is interesting, go see the professor and talk to them about your interest.

Research position availability may not necessarily correspond with your interest and your availability. You may need to be flexible with your interests and open to trying new topics. You may also need to take classes, learn procedures or get more experience before being competitive for a research project with some faculty.

Research can have a number of goals

Many researchers do theoretical work in which they are attempting to prove or disprove a hypothesis. Sometimes theoretical research is defined as research that cannot yet be tested. Other researchers consider themselves to be doing basic research, which attempts to answer questions that are fundamental to the discipline. And finally, applied research involves the practical application of theories and basic knowledge for a specific problem or client. During the course of your research, you may take one or more of these approaches to the problem you are working on.

Research locations are as variable as research projects

When you begin to talk to faculty about projects, be sure to inquire where the work is done. There are a number of research labs and sites in Ithaca that will require you to travel to do your work. Some of them are accessible by bus, shuttle or bicycle. Other projects will allow you to work on a computer in any location in the world. Just make sure that you ask where you need to do your work!

Student role(s) in a project

Students are always interested in how much intellectual input will be expected of them. This depends on the faculty member’s personality and needs. In the beginning, everyone needs help and will be trained and closely mentored. Once you have the basics down, it will depend on your ability and interest in the project. There are some projects that are more technique-oriented; once you learn the technique, you will spend your time executing the technique and collecting data. In time, some groups will expect you to function at a high level and to be able to design, carry out and analyze your work. If you are working on a project in the humanities, you should expect to have a great deal of intellectual input.

Research Groups

Working independently or as part of a team.

Different research groups are organized in different ways. In some groups, there are researchers who have specialized training in different fields. They will use their very different expertise on a project. For example, the group may be looking at identifying chemicals that will inhibit bacterial growth in aquariums. There may be an expert in the surface qualities of glass, a chemist who is experienced in inhibitory compounds, a microbiologist and a fish expert. In other groups, each person will have their own, separate project that they are entirely responsible for.

Size of the research group

Some research groups at Cornell are very large with 20 to 30 people working there. Some research is done by faculty members working by themselves. What works for you? Are you outgoing and confident enough to ask questions in a large group? Are you more comfortable working with 1 or 2 other people?

Roles in a research group

• All research projects have a principal investigator (PI). The PI is the head of the research group or lab and serves as a research advisor to any undergraduate student(s) participating in research. Ultimately, the PI is responsible for all aspects of the research group, including training and supervision of all research staff members.
• The PI is a faculty member. When a faculty member first comes to Cornell, they are assistant professors. They will be defining their research and building their research group. In 5 or 6 years they will go through the tenure process, where their research and teaching will be evaluated. A professor granted tenure is now an associate professor. A full professor is a tenured professor who has been promoted to the most senior rank. Some retired professors continue to do research with undergraduates and are called emeritus professors.
• Research groups have people with different types and amounts of training. Some groups have a technician or project manager who is responsible for keeping the research going. They may be in charge of ordering, hiring undergraduates, supervising other researchers, maintaining equipment and doing their own projects.
• Graduate students have finished their undergraduate degrees and are now working full time on an advanced degree, such as a doctorate (PhD) or a masters (MS, MA, or MEng). They may be close in age and experience to the undergraduates in a research group. They will be spending the majority of their time doing research and they can be great teachers and advocates for undergraduates doing research in their field.
• Post-docs are people who have finished their doctorates and are getting more research experience before becoming a professor. They often have their own project related to the expertise of the research group or lab and are very knowledgeable about techniques and the research field. They may be looking for jobs, and are often interested in mentoring undergraduates to gain experience.
• When you join a research group, there often will be senior undergraduates that are working on their senior thesis or a publication. They are great to ask questions of and often can help with trouble-shooting problems.

Multiple research projects as an undergraduate

There is no right or wrong path for undergraduate research. You may find the perfect project in the beginning and stay with that project and faculty member for your remaining time at Cornell. Obviously, if you stay in one field or group for 3 or 4 years, it will increase the chance that you will master a project and perhaps publish your data.

On the other hand, if you are considering a career in research, you may want to try a couple of projects so that you can figure out what kinds of research you really like to do. You may be able to work on several projects with one research group or you may want to change your field or project. Faculty will be supportive of you as long as you communicate clearly when you will be leaving. Be responsible in finishing up the project in your current lab.

Finding a Research Advisor

Just like finding an opportunity, network to find an advisor you are comfortable with.

Some students work well with constant direction and others work with almost none. You’ve got to identify someone you can work with. Talk to a number of people about your interests. Generally, professors you’ve had in class are a great place to start. You may also consider asking professors to introduce you to researchers in their department. Graduate teaching assistants can also be good sources of information about faculty who are great mentors for undergraduates.

Cornellians you could talk with to get advice about research projects

• Your academic advisor
• Your student advisor
• Cornell Undergraduate Research Advisors
• Department advising staff in your major or college
• Experienced students. Talk with upper-class students you meet. Can your department put you in touch with upperclassmen who might assist you?
• Graduate Teaching Assistants or Graduate Residence Fellows
• Cornell Undergraduate Research Board (CURB) Peer-Mentors
• Defining Research
• Why Perform Research at Cornell?
• Student Research by the Numbers
• Is Research for You?
• Research Skills

Want to create or adapt books like this? Learn more about how Pressbooks supports open publishing practices.

2 2. Starting your research project

Chapter outline.

• Choosing a research topic (10 minute read time)
• Your research proposal (14 minute read time)
• Practical and ethical considerations (14 minute read time)
• Raw data (10 minute read time)
• Critical considerations (5 minute read time)

Content warning: Examples in this chapter discuss substance use disorders, mental health disorders and therapies, obesity, poverty, gun violence, gang violence, school discipline, racism and hate groups, domestic violence, trauma and triggers, incarceration, child neglect and abuse, bullying, self-harm and suicide, racial discrimination in housing, burnout in helping professions, and sex trafficking of indigenous women.

2.1 Choosing a research topic

Learning Objectives

Learners will be able to…

• Brainstorm topics you may want to investigate as part of a research project
• Explore your feelings and existing knowledge about the topic
• Develop a working question

Research methods is a unique class in that you get to decide what you want to learn about. Perhaps you came to your MSW program with a specific issue you were passionate about. In my MSW program, I wanted to learn about the best interventions to use with people who have substance use disorders. This was in line with my future career plans, which included working in a clinical setting with clients with co-occurring mental health and substance use issues.  I suggest you start by thinking about your future practice goals and create a research project that addresses a topic that represents an area of social work you are passionate about.

For those of you without a specific direction, don’t worry. Many people enter their MSW program without an exact topic in mind they want to study.  Throughout the program, you will be exposed to different populations, theories, practice interventions, and policies that will spark your interest. Think back to papers you enjoyed researching and writing in other classes. You may want to continue studying the same topic.  Research methods will enable you to gain a deeper, more nuanced understanding of a topic or issue. If you haven’t found an interesting topic yet, here are some other suggestions for seeking inspiration for a research project:

• If you already have practice experience in social work through employment, an internship, or volunteer work, think about practice issues you noticed in the placement.  Do you have any idea of how to better address client needs?  Do you need to learn more about existing interventions or the programs that fund your agency?  Use this class as an opportunity to engage with your previous field experience in greater detail.  Begin with “what” and “why” questions and then expand on those. For example, what are the most effective methods of treating severe depression among a specific population? Or why are people receiving food assistance more likely to be obese?  
• You could also a sk a professor at your school about possible topics.  Read departmental information on faculty research interests, which may surprise you.  Most departmental websites post the curriculum vitae (CV) of faculty, which lists their publications, credentials, and interests.  For those of you interested in doctoral study, this process is particularly important.  Students often pick schools based on professors they want to learn from or research programs they want to join.  

Once you have a potential idea, start reading!  A simple Google search should bring you some basic information about your topic.  News articles can reveal new or controversial information.  You may also want to identify and browse journals related to your research interests. Faculty and librarians can help you identify relevant journals in your field and specific areas of interest.  We’ll also review more detailed strategies for searching the literature in Chapter 3.  As you read, look for what’s missing. These may be “gaps in the literature” that you might explore in your own study.

It’s a good idea to keep it simple when you’re starting your project. Choose a topic that can be easily defined and explored. Your study cannot focus on everything that is important about your topic. A study on gun violence might address only one system, for example schools, while only briefly mentioning other systems that impact gun violence. That doesn’t mean it’s a bad study! The sooner you can arrive at something specific and clear that you want to study, the better off your project will be.

Writing a working question

There are lots of great research topics. Perhaps your topic is a client population—for example, youth who identify as LGBTQ+ or visitors to a local health clinic. In other cases, your topic may be a social problem, such as gang violence, or a social policy or program, such as zero-tolerance policies in schools. Alternately, maybe there are interventions such as dialectical behavioral therapy or applied behavior analysis that interest you.

Whatever your topic idea, begin to think about it in terms of a question. What do you really want to know about the topic? As a warm-up exercise, try dropping a possible topic idea into one of the blank spaces below. The questions may help bring your subject into sharper focus and bring you closer towards developing your topic.

• What does ___ mean?
• What are the causes of ___?
• What are the consequences of ___?
• What are the component parts of ___?
• How does ___ impact ___?
• What is it like to experience ___?
• What is the relationship between _____ and the outcome of ____?
• What case can be made for or against ___?
• What are the risk/protective factors for ___?
• How do people think about ___?

Take a minute right now and write down a question you want to answer. Even if it doesn’t seem perfect, it is important to start somewhere. Make sure your research topic is relevant to social work. You’d be surprised how much of the world that encompasses. It’s not just research on mental health treatment or child welfare services. Social workers can study things like the pollution of irrigation systems and entrepreneurship in women, among other topics. The only requirement is your research must inform action to fight social problems faced by target populations.

Because research is an iterative process , one that you will revise over and over, your question will continue to evolve.  As you progress through this textbook, you’ll learn how to refine your question and include the necessary components for proper qualitative and quantitative research questions. Your question will also likely change as you engage with the literature on your topic. You will learn new and important concepts that may shift your focus or clarify your original ideas.  Trust that a strong question will emerge from this process. A good researcher must be comfortable with altering their question as a result of scientific inquiry.

Very often, our students will email me in the first few weeks of class and ask if they have a good research topic. We love student emails! But just to reassure you if you’re about to send a panicked email to your professor, as long as you are interested in dedicating a semester or two learning about your topic, it will make a good research topic. That’s why we would advise you to focus on how much you like this topic, so that three months from now you are still motivated to complete your project.

How do you feel about your topic?

Now that you have an idea of what you might want to study, it’s time to consider what you think and feel about that topic. Your motivation for choosing a topic does not have to be objective. Because social work is a value-based profession, scholars often find themselves motivated to conduct research that furthers social justice or fights oppression. Just because you think a policy is wrong or a group is being marginalized, for example, does not mean that your research will be biased. It means you must understand what you feel, why you feel that way, and what would cause you to feel differently about your topic.

Start by asking yourself how you feel about your topic.  Sometimes the best topics to research are those about which you feel strongly. What better way to stay engaged with your research project than to study something you are passionate about? However, you must be able to accept that people may have a different perspective, and you must represent their viewpoints fairly in the research report you produce. If you feel prepared to accept all findings, even those that may be unflattering or distinct from your personal perspective, then perhaps you should begin your research project by intentionally studying a topic about which you have strong feelings.

Kathleen Blee (2002) [1] has taken this route in her research. Blee studies groups whose racist ideologies may be different than her own. You can listen to her lecture Women in Organized Racism that details some of her findings. Her scientific research is so impactful because she was willing to report her findings and observations honestly, even those contrary to her beliefs and feelings. If you believe that you may have personal difficulty sharing findings with which you disagree, then you may want to study a different topic. Knowing your own hot-button issues is an important part of self-knowledge and reflection in social work, and there is nothing wrong with avoiding topics that are likely to cause you unnecessary stress.

Social workers often use personal experience as a starting point to identify topics of interest. As we’ve discussed here, personal experience can be a powerful motivator to learn more about a topic. However, social work researchers should be mindful of their own mental health during the research process. A social worker who has experienced a mental health crisis or traumatic event should approach researching related topics cautiously. There is no need to trigger yourself or jeopardize your mental health for a research project. For example, a student who has just experienced domestic violence may want to know about Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy. While the student might gain some knowledge about potential treatments for domestic violence, they will likely have to read through many stories and reports about domestic violence as part of the research process. Unless the student’s trauma has been processed in therapy, conducting a research project on this topic may negatively impact the student’s mental health.

What do you think about your topic?

Once you figure out what you feel about your topic, consider what you think about it. There are many ways we know what we know. Perhaps your mother told you something is so. Perhaps it came to you in a dream. Perhaps you took a class last semester and learned something about your topic there. Or you may have read something about your topic in your local newspaper. We discussed the strengths and weaknesses associated with some of these different sources of knowledge in Chapter 1, and we’ll talk about other scientific sources of knowledge in Chapter 3 and 4. For now, take some time to think of everything you know about your topic. Thinking about what you already know will help you identify any biases you may have, and it will help as you begin to frame a question about your topic.

You might consider creating a concept map, just to get your thoughts and ideas on paper and beginning to organize them. Consider this video from the University of Guelph Library (CC-BY-NC-SA 4.0).

Key Takeaways

• You should pick a topic for your research proposal that you are interested in, since you will be working with it for several months.
• Investigate your own feelings and thoughts about a topic, and make sure you can be objective and fair in your investigation.
• Research projects are guided by a working question that develops and changes as you learn more about your topic.

Just as a reminder, exercises are designed to help you create your individual research proposal. We designed these activities to break down your proposal into small but manageable chunks. We suggest completing each exercise so you can apply what you are learning to your individual research project, as the exercises in each section and each chapter build on one another.

If you haven’t done so already, you can download this chapter’s exercises or the entire workbook in Google Drive. You might also create a document in a word processor on your computer or in a written notebook with your answers to each exercise.

Brainstorm at least 4-5 topics of interest to you and pick the one you think is the most promising for a research project.

• For your chosen topic, outline what you currently know about the topic and your feelings towards the topic. Make sure you are able to be objective and fair in your research.
• Formulate at least one working question to guide your inquiry.  It is common for topics to change and develop over the first few weeks of a project, but think of your working question as a place to start.

2.2 Your research proposal

• Describe the stages of a research project
• Define your target population and describe how your study will impact that population
• Identify the aim of your study
• Classify your project as descriptive, exploratory, explanatory, or evaluative

Most research methods courses are designed to help students propose a research project. But what is a research project? Figure 2.1 indicates the steps of the research project. Right now, we are in the top right corner, using your informal observations from your practice experience and lived experience to form a working draft of your research question. In the next two chapters, you’ll learn how to find and evaluate scholarly literature on your topic. After thoroughly evaluating the literature, you’ll conceptualize an empirical study based on a research question you create. In many courses, students will have to carry out these designs, and in so doing, their conclusions make a contribution to the research literature in their topic area.

The subtitle of this book is “a project-based approach” because the authors’ courses use this approach. In an introductory research methods course, students often have to create a research proposal followed by a more advanced research class in which they conduct quantitative and qualitative data analysis. The research proposal , is a document produced by researchers that reviews the literature relevant to their topic and describes the methods they will use to conduct their study. Part 1 of this textbook is designed to help you with your literature review. Parts 2-4 are designed to help you figure out which methods you will use in your study.

Parts 3 and 4 should also help you conduct the study you propose to do, analyze your data (though you will probably need additional resources for that), and share it as part of the body of social science literature on your topic. Check with your professor on whether you are required to carry out the project you propose to do in your research proposal. Some of you may be off the hook! But for many of you, this book is designed to help you find a reasonable and practical project for you to complete, moving through all of the steps in Figure 2.1.

A research proposal is focused on a question. Right now, this is your working question from Section 2.1. If you haven’t created one yet, this is a good time to pause and complete the exercises from section 2.1. [2] It is likely you will revise your working question many times as you read more literature about your topic. Consider yourself in the cycle between (re)creating your research question and reviewing the research literature for Part 1 of the textbook.

Student research proposals

Student research projects are a big undertaking, but they are well within your capability as a graduate student.  Let’s start with the research proposal.  Think about the research proposal as a communication device.  You are telling the reader (your professor, usually) everything they need to know in order to understand your topic and the study you plan to do. You are also demonstrating to the reader that you are competent and informed enough to conduct the study.

You can think of a research proposal like creating a recipe.  If you are a chef trying to cook a new dish from scratch, you would probably start by looking at other recipes.  You might cook a few of them and come up with ideas about how to create your own version of the dish.  Writing your recipe is a process of trial and error, and you will likely revise your proposal many times over the course of the semester.  This textbook and workbook are designed to get you working on your project little by little, so that by the time you turn in your final research proposal, you’ll be confident it represents the best way to answer your question. Of course, like with any time I cook, you never quite know how it will turn out.

Is writing a research proposal a useful skill for a social worker? On one hand, you probably won’t be writing research proposals for a living. But the same structure of a research proposal (literature review + methods) is used in grant applications. Writing proposals is often a part of practice, particularly in agency-based and policy practice.  Instead of finding a gap in the literature to study, practitioners write grant proposals describing a program they will use to address an issue in their community, as well as the research methods they will use to evaluate whether it worked (see Chapter 23 for more details).  Similarly, a policy advocate or public administrator might sketch out a proposed program and its evaluation as part of a proposal.  Proposal writing may differ somewhat in practice, but the general idea is the same.

Focusing your project

Based on your work in Section 2.1, you should have a working question—a place to start.  Think about what you hope to accomplish with your study.  This is the aim of your research project.  Often, social work researchers begin with a target population in mind.  As you will recall from section 1.4, social work research is research  for action .  Social workers engage in research to help people.  Think about your working question.  Why do you want to answer it?  What impact would answering your question have?

In my MSW program, I began my research by looking at ways to intervene with people who have substance use disorders.  My foundation year placement was in an inpatient drug treatment facility that used 12-step facilitation as its primary treatment modality.  I observed that this approach differed significantly from others I had been exposed to, especially the idea of powerlessness over drugs and drug use.  My working question started as “what are the alternatives to 12-step treatment for people with substance use issues and are they more effective?”  The aim of my project was to determine whether different treatment approaches might be more effective, and I suspected that self-determination and powerlessness were important.

It’s important to note that my working question contained a target population —people with substance use disorders.  A target population is the group of people that will benefit the most.  I envisioned I would help the field of social work to think through how to better meet clients where they were at, specific to the problem of substance use.  I was studying to be a clinical social worker, so naturally, I formulated a micro-level question.  Yet, the question also has implications for meso- and macro-level practice.  If other treatment methods are more effective than 12-step facilitation, then we should direct more public money towards providing more effective therapies for people who use substances. We may also need to train the substance use professionals to use new treatment methodologies.

• Is it more oriented towards micro, meso, or macro-level practice?
• What implications would answering your question have at each level of the ecosystem?

Asking yourself whether your project is more micro, meso, or macro is a good check to see if your project is well-focused. A project that seems like it could be all of those might have too many components or try to study too much. Consider identifying one ecosystemic level your project will focus on, and you can interpret and contextualize your findings at the other levels of analysis.

Exploration, description, and explanation

Social science is a big place. Looking at the various empirical studies in the literature, there is a lot of diversity—from focus groups with clients and families to multivariate statistical analysis of large population surveys conducted online. Ultimately, all of social science can be described as one of three basic types of research studies. As you develop your research question, consider which of the following types of research studies fits best with what you want to learn about your topic. In subsequent chapters, we will use these broad frameworks to help craft your study’s final research question and choose quantitative and qualitative research methods to answer it.

Exploratory research

Researchers conducting  exploratory research are typically at the early stages of examining their topics. Exploratory research projects are carried out to test the feasibility of conducting a more extensive study and to figure out the “lay of the land” with respect to the particular topic. Usually, very little prior research has been conducted on this topic. For this reason, a researcher may wish to do some exploratory work to learn what method to use in collecting data, how best to approach research subjects, or even what sorts of questions are reasonable to ask.

Often, student projects begin as exploratory research.  Because students don’t know as much about the topic area yet, their working questions can be general and vague.  That’s a great place to start!  An exploratory question is great for delving into the literature and learning more about your topic.  For example, the question “what are common social work interventions for parents who neglect their children?” is a good place to start when looking at articles and textbooks to understand what interventions are commonly used with this population.  However, it is important for a student research project to progress beyond exploration unless the topic truly has very little existing research. 

In my classes, I often read papers where students say there is not a lot of literature on a topic, but a quick search of library databases shows a deep body of literature on the topic. The skills you develop in Chapter 3 and 4 should assist you with finding relevant research, and working with a librarian can definitely help with finding information for your research project. That said, there are a few students each year who pick a topic for which there is in fact little existing research. Perhaps, if you were looking at child neglect interventions for parents who identify as transgender or parents who are refugees from the Syrian civil war, less would be known about child neglect for those specific populations. In that case, an exploratory design would make sense as there is little, if any, literature about your specific topic.

Descriptive research

Another purpose of a research project is to describe or define a particular phenomenon. This is called descriptive research . For example, researchers at the Princeton Review conduct descriptive research each year when they set out to provide students and their parents with information about colleges and universities around the United States. They describe the social life at a school, the cost of admission, and student-to-faculty ratios (to name just a few of the categories reported).  If our topic were child neglect, we might seek to know the number of people arrested for child neglect in our community and whether they are more likely to have other problems, such as poverty, mental health issues, or substance use.

Social workers often rely on descriptive research to tell them about their service area. Keeping track of the number of parents receiving child neglect interventions, their demographic makeup (e.g., race, sex, age), and length of time in care are excellent examples of descriptive research. On a more macro-level, the Centers for Disease Control provides a remarkable amount of descriptive research on mental and physical health conditions. In fact, descriptive research has many useful applications, and you probably rely on such findings without realizing you are reading descriptive research.

Explanatory research

Lastly, social work researchers often aim to explain why particular phenomena operate in the way that they do. Research that answers “why” questions is referred to as explanatory research . Asking “why” means the researcher is trying to identify cause-and-effect relationships in their topic.  For example, explanatory research may try to identify risk and protective factors for parents who neglect their children.  Explanatory research may attempt to understand how religious affiliation impacts views on immigration, for example. All explanatory research tries to study cause-and-effect relationships between two or more variables. A specific offshoot of explanatory research that comes up often is evaluation research , which investigates the impact of an intervention, program, or policy on a group of people.  Evaluation research is commonly practiced in agency-based social work settings, and Chapter 23 discusses some of the basics for conducting a program evaluation.

There are numerous examples of explanatory social scientific investigations. For example, Dominique Simons and Sandy Wurtele (2010) [3] sought to understand whether receiving corporal punishment from parents led children to turn to violence in solving their interpersonal conflicts with other children. In their study of 102 families with children between the ages of 3 and 7, the authors found that experiencing frequent spanking did in fact result in children being more likely to accept aggressive problem-solving techniques. Another example of explanatory research can be seen in Robert Faris and Diane Felmlee’s (2011) [4] research study on the connections between popularity and bullying. From their study of 8th, 9th, and 10th graders in nineteen North Carolina schools, they found that aggression increased as adolescents’ popularity increased. [5]

• Think back to your working question from section 2.1. Which type of research—exploratory, descriptive, or explanatory—best describes your working question?
• Try writing a question about your topic that fits with each type of research.

Important things are more rewarding to do

Another consideration in starting a research project is whether the question is important enough to answer. For the researcher, answering the question should be important enough to put in the effort and time required to complete a research project. As we discussed in section 2.1, you should choose a topic that is important to you—one you wouldn’t mind learning about for at least a few months, if not a few years. Time is your most precious resource as a student. Make sure you dedicate it to topics and projects you consider genuinely important.

Your research question should also be contribute to the larger expanse of research in that area. For example, if your research question is “does cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) effectively treat depression?” you are a few decades late to be asking that question. Hundreds of scientists have published articles demonstrating its effectiveness in treating depression. However, a student interested in learning more about CBT can still find new areas to research. Perhaps there is a new population—for example, older adults in a nursing home—or a new problem—like mobile phone addiction—for which there is little research on the impact of CBT.

Your project contribute something new to social science.  It should address a gap in what we know and what is written in the literature. This can seem intimidating for students whose projects involve learning a totally new topic. How could I add something new when other researchers have studied this for decades? Trust us, by thoroughly reviewing the existing literature, you can find new and unresolved research questions to answer.  Google Scholar’s motto at the bottom of their search page is “stand on the shoulders of giants.” Social science research rests on the work of previous scholars, and builds off of what they discovered to learn more about the social world. Ensure that your question will bring our scientific understanding of your topic to new heights.

Finally, your research question should be of import to the social world. Social workers conduct research on behalf of individuals, groups, and communities to promote change as part of their mission to advance human rights and further social and economic justice. Your research should matter to the people you are trying to help.  Your research project should aim to improve the lives of people in your target population by helping the world understand their needs more holistically.

Research projects, obviously, do not need to address all aspects of a problem. As social workers, our goal in enacting social justice isn’t to accomplish it all in one semester (or even one lifetime). Our goal is to move the world in the right direction and make small, incremental progress.  I encourage all students to think about how they will make their work accessible and relevant to the broader public and use their results to promote change.  

• Research exists in a cycle. Your research project will follow this cycle, beginning from reading literature (where you are now), to proposing a study, to completing a research project, and finally, to publishing the results.
• Social work researchers should identify a target population and understand how their project will impact them.
• Research projects can be exploratory, descriptive, evaluative, or a combination therein. While you are likely still exploring your topic, you may settle on another type of research, particularly if your topic has been previously addressed extensively in the literature.
• Your research project should be important to you, fill a gap or address a controversy in the scientific literature, and make a difference for your target population and broader society.
• State why your working question is an important one to answer, keeping in mind that your statement should address the scientific literature, target population, and the social world.

2.3 Practical and ethical considerations

• Identify potential stakeholders and gatekeepers
• Differentiate between raw data and the results of scientific studies
• Evaluate whether you can feasibly complete your project

Are you interested in better understanding the day-to-day experiences of maximum security prisoners? This sounds fascinating, but unless you plan to commit a crime that lands you in a maximum security prison, gaining access to that particular population would be difficult for a graduate student project. While the topics about which social work questions can be asked may seem limitless, there are limits to which aspects of topics we can study or at least to the ways we can study them.  This is particularly true for student research projects.

Feasibility refers to whether you can practically conduct the study you plan to do, given the resources and ethical obligations you have. In this section, we assume that you will have to actually conduct the research project that you write about in your research proposal. It’s a good time to check with your professor about your program’s expectations for student research projects. For students who do not have to carry out their projects, feasibility is less of a concern because, well, you don’t actually have to carry out your project. Instead, you’ll propose a project that could work in theory. However, for students who have to carry out the projects in their research proposals, feasibility is incredibly important. There are important practical and ethical considerations student researchers should start thinking about from the beginning of a research project.

Access, consent, and ethical obligations

One of the most important feasibility issues is gaining access to your target population. For example, let’s say you wanted to better understand middle-school students who engaged in self-harm behaviors.  That is a topic of social importance, so why might it make for a difficult student project?  Let’s say you proposed to identify students from a local middle school and interview them about self-harm.  Methodologically, that sounds great.  But practically, that sounds challenging. Think about the ethical obligations a social worker has to practice with adolescents who are engaging in self-harm (e.g., competence, respect). In research, we are concerned mostly with the benefits and harms of what you propose to do as well as the openness and honesty you

Gatekeepers

If you were the principal at your local middle school, would you allow an MSW student to interview kids in your schools about self-harm? What if the results of the study showed that self-harm was a big problem that your school was not addressing?  What if the researcher’s interviews led to an increase in self-harming behaviors among the children?  The principal in this situation is a gatekeeper .  Gatekeepers are the individuals or organizations who control access to the population you want to study.  The school board would also likely need to give consent for the research to take place at their institution. Gatekeepers must weigh these ethical questions because they have a responsibility to protect the safety of the people at their organization, just as you have an ethical obligation to protect the people in your research study.

For student projects, it can be a challenge to get consent from gatekeepers to conduct your research project. As a result, students often conduct research projects at their place of employment or field work, as they have established trust with gatekeepers in those locations.  I’m still doubtful an MSW student interning at the middle school would be able to get consent for this study, but they probably have a better chance than a researcher with no relationship to the school.  In the case where the population (children who self-harm) are too vulnerable, student researchers may collect data from people who have secondary knowledge about the topic.  For example, the principal may be more willing to let you talk to teachers, rather than children.  I commonly see student projects that focus on studying practitioners rather than clients for this reason.

Stakeholders

In some cases, researchers and gatekeepers partner on a research project.  When this happens, the gatekeepers become stakeholders .  Stakeholders are individuals or groups who have an interest in the outcome of the study you conduct. As you think about your project, consider whether there are formal advisory groups or boards (like a school board) or advocacy organizations who already serve or work with your target population.  Approach them as experts an ask for their review of your study to see if there are any perspectives or details you missed that would make your project stronger.

There are many advantages to partner your research with stakeholders. As an example, in order to obtain access to interview children at this middle school, you will have to consider other stakeholders’ goals. School administrators also want to help students struggling with self-harm, so they may want to use the results to form new programs. But they may also need to avoid scandal and panic if the results show high levels of self-harm. Most likely, they want to provide support to students without making the problem worse.  By bringing in school administrators as stakeholders, you can better understand what the school is currently doing to address the issue and get an informed perspective on your project’s questions.  Negotiating the boundaries of a stakeholder relationship requires strong meso-level practice skills.

Of course, partnering with administrators probably sounds quite a bit easier than bringing on board the next group of stakeholders—parents.  It’s not ethical to ask children to participate in a study without their parents’ consent.  We will review the parameters of parental and child consent in Chapter 8.  Parents may be understandably skeptical of a researcher who wants to talk to their child about self-harm, and they may fear potential harms to the child and family from your study. Would you let a researcher you didn’t know interview your children about a very sensitive issue?

Social work research must often satisfy multiple stakeholders.  This is especially true if a researcher receives a grant to support the project, as the funder has goals it wants to accomplish by funding the research project.  Your MSW program and university are also stakeholders in your project.  When you conduct research, it reflects on your school.  If you discover something of great importance, your school looks good.  If you harm someone, they may be liable.  Your school also provides you with support through instruction and access to resources like the library and data analysis software.

Target population

So far, we’ve talked about access in terms of gatekeepers and stakeholders.  Let’s assume all of those people agree that your study should proceed.  But what about the people in the target population?  They are the most important stakeholder of all!  Think about the children in your proposed study on self-harm.  How open do you think they would be to talking to you about such a sensitive issue?  Would they consent to talk to you at all?

Maybe you are thinking about simply asking clients on your caseload. As we talked about before, leveraging existing relationships created through field work can help with accessing your target population.  However, they introduce other ethical issues for researchers.  Asking clients on your caseload or at your agency to participate in your project creates a dual relationship between you and your client.  What if you learn something in the research project that you want to share with your clinical team?  More importantly, would your client feel uncomfortable if they do not consent to your study?  Social workers have power over clients, and any dual relationship would require strict supervision in the rare case it was allowed.

Resources and scope

Let’s assume everyone consented to your project and you have adequately addressed any ethical issues with gatekeepers, stakeholders, and your target population. That means everything is ready to go, right? Not quite yet. As a researcher, you will need to carry out the study you propose to do. Depending on how big or how small your proposed project is, you’ll need a little or a lot of resources. Generally, student projects should err on the side of small and simple. We will discuss the limitations of this advice in section 2.5.

One thing that all projects need is raw data . It’s extremely important to note that raw data is not just the information you read in journal articles and books. Every year, I get at least one student research proposal that simply proposes to read articles. It’s a very understandable mistake to make. Most graduate school assignments are simply to read about a topic and write a paper. A research project involves doing the same kind of research that the authors of journal articles do when they conduct quantitative or qualitative studies. The raw data that is often a part of student projects are the results of a survey they give to participants or transcripts of interviews and focus groups.

Some social work researchers do not collect raw data of their own, but instead use secondary data analysis to analyze raw data that has been shared by other researchers. One common source of raw data in student projects from their internship or employer. By looking at client charts or data from previous grant reports or program evaluations, you can use raw data already collected by your agency to answer your research question. Whether a researcher should use secondary data or collect their own raw data is an important choice which we will discuss in greater detail in section 2.4. Nevertheless, without raw data there can be no research project. Reading the literature about your topic is only the first step in a research project.

Time is a student’s most precious resource.  MSW students are overworked and underpaid, so it is important to be upfront with yourself about the time needed to answer your question.  Every hour spent on your research project is not spent doing other things.  Make sure that your proposal won’t require you to spend years collecting and analyzing data.  Think realistically about the timeline for this research project. If you propose to interview fifty mental health professionals in their offices in your community about your topic, make sure you can dedicate fifty hours to conduct those interviews, account for travel time, and think about how long it will take to transcribe and analyze those interviews.

• What is reasonable for you to do over this semester and potentially another semester of advanced research methods?
• How many hours each week can you dedicate to this project considering what you have to do for other MSW courses, your internship and job, as well as family or social responsibilities?

In many cases, focusing your working question on something simple, specific, and clear can help avoid time issues in research projects. Another thing that can delay a research project is receiving approval from the i nstitutional review board (IRB), the research ethics committee at your university. If your study exposes people who participate to potential harm, you may have to formally propose your study to the IRB and get their approval before gathering your data. A well-prepared study is likely to gain IRB approval with minimal revisions needed, but the process can take weeks to complete and must be done before data collection can begin. We will address the ethical obligations of researchers in greater detail in Chapter 8.

Most research projects cost some amount of money, but for student projects, most of that money is already paid.  You paid for access to a university library that provides you with all of the journals, books, and other sources you might need.  You paid for a computer for homework and may use your car to drive to go to class or collect your data.  You paid for this class.  You are not expected to spend any additional money on your student research project.

However, it is always worth looking to see if there are grant opportunities to support student research in your school or program.  Often, these will cover small expenses like travel or incentives for people who participate in the study. Alternately, you could use university grant funds to travel to academic conferences to present on your findings and network with other students, practitioners, and researchers. Chapter 24 reviews academic conferences relevant to social work practice and education with a focus on the United States.

Knowledge, competence, and skills

Another student resource is knowledge. By engaging with the literature on your topic and learning the content in your research methods class, you will learn how to study your topic using social scientific research methods.  The core social work value of competence is key here.  Here’s an example from my work on one of my former university’s research ethics board.  A student from the design department wanted to study suicide by talking to college students in a suicide prevention campus group.  While meeting with the student researcher, someone on the board asked what she would do if one of the students in her study disclosed that they were currently suicidal.  The researcher responded that she never considered that possibility, and that she envisioned a more “fun” discussion.  I hope this example set off alarm bells for you, as it did for the review board.

Clearly, researchers need to know enough about their target population in order to conduct ethical research. Because students usually have little experience in the research world, their projects should pose fewer potential risks to participants. That means posing few, if any, questions about sensitive issues, such as trauma.  A common way around this challenge is by collecting data from less vulnerable populations such as practitioners or administrators who have second-hand knowledge of target populations based on professional relationships.

Knowledge and the social work value of ethical competence go hand in hand.  I see the issue of competence often in student projects if their question is about whether an intervention, for example dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT), is effective.  A student would have to be certified in DBT in order to gather raw data by practicing it with clients and tracking their progress.  That’s well outside the scope of practice competency for an MSW student and better suited to a licensed practitioner. It would be more ethical and feasible for a student researcher to analyze secondary data from a practitioner certified to use DBT or analyze raw data from another researcher’s study.

If your working question asks about which interventions are effective for a problem, don’t panic.  Often questions about effectiveness are good places to start, but the project will have to shift in order be workable for a student.  Perhaps the student would like to learn more about the cost of getting trained in DBT, which aspects of it practitioners find the most useful, whether insurance companies will reimburse for it, or other topics that require fewer resources to answer.  In the process of investigating a smaller project like this, you will learn about the effectiveness of DBT by reading the scholarly literature but the actual research project will be smaller and more feasible to conduct as a student.

Another idea to keep in mind is the level of data collection and analysis skills you will gain during your MSW program.  Most MSW programs will seek to give you the basics of quantitative and qualitative research. However, there are limits to what your courses will cover just as there are limits to what we could include in this textbook.  If you feel your project may require specific education on data collection or analysis techniques, it’s important to reach out to your professor to see if it is feasible for you to gain that knowledge before conducting your study.  For example, you may need to take an advanced statistics course or an independent study on community-engaged research in order to competently complete your project.

In summary, here are a few questions you should ask yourself about your project to make sure it’s feasible.  While we present them early on in the research process (we’re only in Chapter 2), these are certainly questions you should ask yourself throughout the proposal writing process. We will revisit feasibility again in Chapter 7 when we work on finalizing your research question.

• Do you have access to the data you need or can you collect the data you need?
• Will you be able to get consent from stakeholders, gatekeepers, and your target population?
• Does your project pose risk to individuals through direct harm, dual relationships, or breaches in confidentiality?
• Are you competent enough to complete the study?
• Do you have the resources and time needed to carry out the project?
• People will have to say “yes” to your research project. Evaluate whether your project might have gatekeepers or potential stakeholders. They may control access to data or potential participants.
• Researchers need raw data, which may include raw bits of information such as survey responses, interview transcripts, or client charts. Your research project must involve more than looking at the analyses conducted by other researchers, as the literature review is only the first step of a research project.
• Make sure you have enough resources (time, money, and knowledge) to complete your research project during your MSW program.
• Identify any gatekeepers and stakeholders.
• Do you think it is likely you will get access to the people or records you need for your study?
• Would the benefits of your study outweigh the risks?

2.4 Raw data

• Identify potential sources of available data
• Weigh the challenges and benefits of collecting your own data

In our previous section, we addressed some of the challenges researchers face in collecting and analyzing raw data. Just as a reminder, raw data are unprocessed, unanalyzed data that researchers analyze using social science research methods. It is not just the statistics or qualitative themes provided in journal articles, but the actual data from which those statistics or themes are derived (e.g., interview transcripts or survey responses).

There are two approaches to getting raw data. First, students can analyze data that are publicly available or from agency records. Using secondary data like this can make projects more feasible, but you may not find existing data that are useful for answering your working question. For that reason, many students gather their own raw data. As we discussed in the previous section, potential harms that come from addressing sensitive topics mean that surveys and interviews of practitioners or other less-vulnerable populations may be the most feasible and ethical way to approach data collection.

Using secondary data

Within the agency setting, there are two main sources of raw data.  One option is to examine client charts.  For example, if you wanted to know if substance use was related to parental reunification for youth in foster care, you could look at client files and compare how long it took for families with differing levels of substance use to be reunified.  You will have to negotiate with the agency the degree to which your analysis can be public. Agencies may be okay with you using client files for a class project but less comfortable with you presenting your findings at a city council meeting. When analyzing data from your agency, you will have to manage a stakeholder relationship.

Another great example from my class this year was a student who used existing program evaluations at their agency as raw data in her student research project.  If you are practicing at a grant funded agency, administrators and clinicians are likely producing data for grant reporting.  Your agency may consent to have you look at the raw data and run your own analysis.  Larger agencies may also conduct internal research—for example, surveying employees or clients about new initiatives.  These, too, can be good sources of available data.  Generally, if your agency has already collected the data, you can ask to use them.  Again, it is important to be clear on the boundaries and expectations of your agency.  And don’t be angry if they say no!

Some agencies, usually government agencies, publish their data in formal reports.  You could take a look at some of the websites for county or state agencies to see if there are any publicly available data relevant to your research topic. As an example, perhaps there are annual reports from the state department of education that show how seclusion and restraint is disproportionately applied to black children with disabilities, as students found in Virginia .  In my class last year, one student matched public data from our city’s map of criminal incidents with historically redlined neighborhoods.  For this project, she is using publicly available data from Mapping Inequality , which digitized historical records of redlined housing communities and the Roanoke, VA crime mapping webpage .  By matching historical data on housing redlining with current crime records, she is testing whether redlining still impacts crime to this day.

Not all public data are easily accessible, though.  The student in the previous example was lucky that scholars had digitized the records of how Virginia cities were redlined by race. Sources of historical data are often located in physical archives, rather than digital archives. If your project uses historical data in an archive, it would require you to physically go to the archive in order to review the data.  Unless you have a travel budget, you may be limited to the archival data in your local libraries and government offices.  Similarly, government data may have to be requested from an agency, which can take time.  If the data are particularly sensitive or if the department would have to dedicate a lot of time to your request, you may have to file a Freedom of Information Act request.  This process can be time-consuming, and in some cases, it will add financial cost to your study.

Another source of secondary data is shared by researchers as part of the publication and review process.  There is a growing trend in research to publicly share data so others can verify your results and attempt to replicate your study.  In more recent articles, you may notice links to data provided by the researcher.  Often, these have been de-identified by eliminating some information that could lead to violations of confidentiality.  You can browse through the data repositories in Table 2.1 to find raw data to analyze.  Make sure that you pick a data set with thorough and easy to understand documentation.

Ultimately, you will have to weigh the strengths and limitations of using secondary data on your own. Engel and Schutt (2016, p. 327) [6] propose six questions to ask before using secondary data:

• What were the agency’s or researcher’s goals in collecting the data?
• What data were collected, and what were they intended to measure?
• When was the information collected?
• What methods were used for data collection? Who was responsible for data collection, and what were their qualifications? Are they available to answer questions about the data?
• How is the information organized (by date, individual, family, event, etc.)? Are identifiers used to indicate different types of data available?
• What is known about the success of the data collection effort? How are missing data indicated and treated? What kind of documentation is available? How consistent are the data with data available from other sources?

In this section, we’ve talked about data as though it is always collected by scientists and professionals.  But that’s definitely not the case!  Think more broadly about sources of data that are already out there in the world.  Perhaps you want to examine the different topics mentioned in the past 10 State of the Union addresses by the President.  One of my students this past semester is examining whether the websites and public information about local health and mental health agencies use gender-inclusive language.  People share their experiences through blogs, social media posts, videos, performances, among countless other sources of data.  When you think broadly about data, you’ll be surprised how much you can answer with available data.

Collecting your own raw data

The primary benefit of collecting your own data is that it allows you to collect and analyze the specific data you are looking for, rather than relying on what other people have shared.  You can make sure the right questions are asked to the right people. For a student project, data collection is going to look a little different than what you read in most journal articles.  Established researchers probably have access to more resources than you do, and as a result, are able to conduct more complicated studies.  Student projects tend to be smaller in scope.  This isn’t necessarily a limitation.  Student projects are often the first step in a long research trajectory in which the same topic is studied in increasing detail and sophistication over time.

Students in my class often propose to survey or interview practitioners.  The focus of these projects should be about the practice of social work and the study will uncover how practitioners understand what they do.  Surveys of practitioners often test whether responses to questions are related to each other.  For example, you could propose to examine whether someone’s length of time in practice was related to the type of therapy they use or their level of burnout.  Interviews or focus groups can also illuminate areas of practice.  A student in my class proposed to conduct focus groups of individuals in different helping professions in order to understand how they viewed the process of leaving an abusive partner.  She suspected that people from different disciplines would make unique assumptions about the survivor’s choices.

It’s worth remembering here that you need to have access to practitioners, as we discussed in the previous section. Resourceful students will look at publicly available databases of practitioners, draw from agency and personal contacts, or post in public forums like Facebook groups.  Consent from gatekeepers is important, and as we described earlier, you and your agency may be interested in collaborating on a project.  Bringing your agency on board as a stakeholder in your project may allow you access to company email lists or time at staff meetings as well as access to practitioners.  One of our students last year partnered with her internship placement at a local hospital to measure the burnout of that nurses experienced in their department.  Her project helped the agency identify which departments may need additional support.

Another possible way you could collect data is by partnering with your agency on evaluating an existing program.  Perhaps they want you to evaluate the early stage of a program to see if it’s going as planned and if any changes need to be made.  Maybe there is an aspect of the program they haven’t measured but would like to, and you can fill that gap for them.  Collaborating with agency partners in this way can be a challenge, as you must negotiate roles, get stakeholder buy-in, and manage the conflicting time schedules of field work and research work.  At the same time, it allows you to make your work immediately relevant to your specific practice and client population.

In summary, many student projects fall into one of the following categories. These aren’t your only options!  But they may be helpful in thinking about what students projects can look like.

• Analyzing chart or program evaluations at an agency
• Analyzing existing data from an agency, government body, or other public source
• Analyzing popular media or cultural artifacts
• Surveying or interviewing practitioners, administrators, or other less-vulnerable groups
• Conducting a program evaluation in collaboration with an agency
• All research projects require analyzing raw data.
• Student projects often analyze available data from agencies, government, or public sources. Doing so allows students to avoid the process of recruiting people to participate in their study.  This makes projects more feasible but comes with some limitations based on the data that are available.
• Student projects should avoid potentially harmful or sensitive topics when surveying or interviewing clients and other vulnerable populations. Since many social work topics are sensitive, students often elect to collect data from less-vulnerable populations such as practitioners and administrators.
• Describe the difference between raw data and the results of research articles.
• Consider browsing around the data repositories in Table 2.1.
• Identify one of the common types of student projects (e.g., surveys of practitioners) and how that might help you answer your working question.

2.5 Critical considerations

• Critique the traditional role of researchers and identify how action research addresses these issues

So far in this chapter, we have presented the steps of student research projects as follows:

• Find a topic that is important to you and read about it.
• Pose a question that is important to the literature and to your community.
• Propose to use specific research methods to answer your question.
• Carry out your project and report the results.

These were depicted in Figure 2.1 earlier in this chapter. There are important limitations to this approach, and this section examines those problems and how to address them.

Whose knowledge is privileged?

First, let’s critically examine your role as the researcher.  Following along with the steps in a research project, you start studying the literature your topic, find a place where you can add to scientific knowledge, and conduct your study.  But why are you the person who gets to decide what is important?  Just as clients are the experts on their lives, members of your target population are the experts on their lives. What does it mean for a group of people to be researched on, rather than researched with?  How can we better respect the knowledge and self-determination of our community members?

A different way of approaching your research project is to start by talking with members of the target population and those who are knowledgeable about that community.  Perhaps there is a community organization you can partner with on a research project.  The researcher’s role in this case would be more similar to a consultant, someone with specialized knowledge about research who can help communities study problems they consider to be important.  The social worker is a co-investigator, and community members are equal partners in the research project.  Each has a type of knowledge—scientific expertise vs. lived experience—that should inform the research process.

The community focus highlights something important about student projects: they are localized.  Student projects can dedicate themselves to issues at a single agency or within a service area.  With a local scope, student researchers can bring about change in their community.  This is the purpose behind action research.

Action research

Action research   is research that is conducted for the purpose of creating social change. When engaging in action research, scholars collaborate with community stakeholders to conduct research that will be relevant to the community. Social workers who engage in action research don’t just go it alone; instead, they collaborate with the people who are affected by the research at each stage in the process. Stakeholders, particularly those with the least power, should be consulted on the purpose of the research project, research questions, design, and reporting of results.

Action research also distinguishes itself from other research in that its purpose is to create change on an individual and community level. Kristin Esterberg puts it quite eloquently when she says, “At heart, all action researchers are concerned that research not simply contribute to knowledge but also lead to positive changes in people’s lives” (2002, p. 137). [7] Action research has multiple origins across the globe, including Kurt Lewin’s psychological experiments in the US and Paulo Friere’s literacy and education programs (Adelman, 1993; Reason, 1994). [8] Over the years, action research has become increasingly popular among scholars who wish for their work to have tangible outcomes that benefit the groups they study.

A traditional scientist might look at the literature or use their practice wisdom to formulate a question for quantitative or qualitative research, as we suggested earlier in this chapter. An action researcher, on the other hand, would consult with people in target population and community to see what they believe the most pressing issues are and what their proposed solutions may be. In this way, action research flips traditional research on its head. Scientists are not the experts on the research topic. Instead, they are more like consultants who provide the tools and resources necessary for a target population to achieve their goals and to address social problems using social science research.

According to Healy (2001), [9] the assumptions of participatory-action research are that (a) oppression is caused by macro-level structures such as patriarchy and capitalism; (b) research should expose and confront the powerful; (c) researcher and participant relationships should be equal, with equitable distribution of research tasks and roles; and (d) research should result in consciousness-raising and collective action. Consistent with social work values, action research supports the self-determination of oppressed groups and privileges their voice and understanding through the conceptualization, design, data collection, data analysis, and dissemination processes of research. We will return to similar ideas in Part 4 of the textbook when we discuss qualitative research methods, though action research can certainly be used with quantitative research methods, as well.

Student projects can make a difference!

One last thing. We’ve told you all to think small and simple with your projects.  The adage that “a good project is a done project” is true.  At the same time, this advice might unnecessarily limit an ambitious and diligent student who wanted to investigate something more complex.  For example, here is a Vice News article about MSW student Christine Stark’s work on sex trafficking of indigenous women.  Student projects have the potential to address sensitive and politically charged topics.  With support from faculty and community partners, student projects can become more comprehensive.  The results of your project should accomplish something.  Social work research is about creating change, and you will find the work of completing a research project more rewarding and engaging if you can envision the change your project will create.

In addition to broader community and agency impacts, student research projects can have an impact on a university or academic program. Consider this resource on how to research your institution by Rine Vieth. As a student, you are one of the groups on campus with the least power (others include custodial staff, administrative staff, contingent and adjunct faculty). It is often necessary that you organize within your cohort of MSW students for change within the program. Not only is it an excellent learning opportunity to practice your advocacy skills, you can use raw data that is publicly available (such as those linked in the guide) or create your own raw data to inform change. The collaborative and transformative focus of student research projects like these can be impactful learning experiences, and students should consider projects that will lead to some small change in both themselves and their communities.

• Traditionally, researchers did not consult target populations and communities prior to formulating a research question. Action research proposes a more community-engaged model in which researchers are consultants that help communities research topics of import to them.
• Just because we’ve advised you to keep your project simple and small doesn’t mean you must do so! There are excellent examples of student research projects that have created real change in the world.
• Apply the key concepts of action research to your project.  How might you incorporate the perspectives and expertise of community members in your project?
• Blee, K. (2002).  Inside organized racism: Women and men of the hate movement . Berkeley, CA: University of California Press; Blee, K. (1991).  Women of the Klan: Racism and gender in the 1920s . Berkeley, CA: University of California Press. ↵
• The exercises we created for this textbook are designed to break down the research proposal into bite-sized chunks. Completing the exercises as you read the textbook helps you apply the knowledge you've gained right away and remember what you thought about concepts you read about a few weeks ago. ↵
• Simons, D. A., & Wurtele, S. K. (2010). Relationships between parents’ use of corporal punishment and their children’s endorsement of spanking and hitting other children. Child Abuse & Neglect, 34 , 639–646. ↵
• Faris, R., & Felmlee, D. (2011). Status struggles: Network centrality and gender segregation in same- and cross-gender aggression. American Sociological Review, 76 , 48–73. The study has also been covered by several media outlets: Pappas, S. (2011). Popularity increases aggression in kids, study finds. Retrieved from:  http://www.livescience.com/11737-popularity-increases-aggression-kids-study-finds.html ↵
• This pattern was found until adolescents reached the top 2% in the popularity ranks. After that, aggression declined. ↵
• Engel, R. J. & Schutt, R. K. (2016). The practice of research in social work (4th ed.). Washington, DC: SAGE Publishing. ↵
• Esterberg, K. G. (2002).  Qualitative methods in social research . Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill. ↵
• Adelman, C. (1993). Kurt Lewin and the origins of action research.  Educational Action Research, 1,  7-24.; Reason, P. (1994).  Participation in human inquiry . London, UK: Sage. ↵
• Healy, K. (2001). Participatory action research and social work: A critical appraisal.  International Social Work, 44 , 93-105. ↵

a nonlinear process in which the original product is revised over and over again to improve it

a document produced by researchers that reviews the literature relevant to their topic and describes the methods they will use to conduct their study

what a researcher hopes to accomplish with their study

the group of people whose needs your study addresses

conducted during the early stages of a project, usually when a researcher wants to test the feasibility of conducting a more extensive study or if the topic has not been studied in the past

research that describes or defines a particular phenomenon

explains why particular phenomena work in the way that they do; answers “why” questions

research that evaluates the outcomes of a policy or program

whether you can practically and ethically complete the research project you propose

whether you can actually reach people or documents needed to complete your project

the people or organizations who control access to the population you want to study

individuals or groups who have an interest in the outcome of the study you conduct

study publicly available information or data that has been collected by another person

research that is conducted for the purpose of creating social change

Graduate research methods in social work Copyright © 2020 by Matthew DeCarlo, Cory Cummings, Kate Agnelli is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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India Is Working on a Mega Project To Reroute 200 Billion Cubic Meters of Water Around the Country

India is about to launch a mega project that has been in the works for over a century. The massive project aims to link rivers to supply water shortage in other areas of the country.

India To Address Water Shortage Using Massive Engineering Project

In India, major floods frequently occur in one area, as severe water shortages in another. Indians are frequently left longing for a means to even out the injustices-to transform the excess of one region into a remedy for the other-when these twin tragedies transpire.

Because the Himalayan glaciers and rains feed the Indo-Gangetic rivers, they are eternal. Nonetheless, because the Indian Peninsula's rivers are mostly supplied with rain by the southwest monsoon, they are not seasonal. As a result, the states on the peninsula experience droughts and the Indo-Gangetic lowlands experience floods.

Floods and droughts can be largely avoided if this extra water is transferred from the Plains to the Peninsula. Therefore, a fair distribution of river waters throughout India will result from the interconnection of rivers.

Over a century in the making, India is ready to embark on a massive  engineering project  that will link several of the subcontinent's rivers , combining the erratic flows of nearby watersheds to create a mega-water grid that stretches from the Himalayas to the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal.

The National River Linking Project (NRLP), which links 37 rivers in India with a network of about 3000 storage dams, aims to move water from the water-excess basin to the water-deficient basin. This will create an enormous water grid over South Asia.

Under the NRLP, the National Water Development Agency  of India would excavate 30 linkages that are expected to move 200 billion cubic meters of water annually around the nation. That is about twice as much water as the Fraser River in British Columbia receives each year. The objective is to support India's hydroelectric power generation while aiding in the irrigation of tens of millions of hectares of crops. Experts claim that the project, which is expected to cost US $168 billion, is "unique in its unrivaled grandiosity."

The project is currently in progress. Director general of India's water agency, Bhopal Singh, said the government has "awarded its top priority." The first link in the grid, which connects the Ken and Betwa Rivers in central India, has received approval from the government, and Singh predicts that the contract for building it will be issued soon.

ALSO READ: How Many Bodies Have Been Found in Lake Mead? Hundreds Waiting To Be Discovered As Water Level Continues To Drop

National River Linking Project Concern

Sir Arthur Cotton, the Chief Engineer of the Madras Presidency, first proposed the notion of connecting rivers  in 1919. In 1960, KL Rao, who was the State Minister for Energy and Irrigation at the time, resurrected the notion of connecting the Ganga and Cauvery rivers.

Similar projects have already been done in other countries worldwide. China has the South-to-North Water Diversion Project , while Sri Lanka diverts water from the Mahaweli Ganga river basin, and it helps a lot of people. Upali Amarasinghe, a data scientist with the International Water Management Institute in Sri Lanka, believed that a similar project in India could also have financial benefits.

However, specialists in water management and science are skeptical about the scheme's scientific foundation. They fear that the possible unforeseen effects of shifting so much water have not been sufficiently considered by the authorities. For example, a recent study  indicates that the river interlinking project may impact India's monsoon season.

Tejasvi Chauhan, a water engineer and biosphere modeler at Germany's Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry and lead author of the study, said many assumed that river basins are independent systems, so one's output can be used to feed another. However, according to him, rivers are "part of a hydrological system," and changing one can lead to changes in another.

RELATED ARTICLE: Water Shortage: Increased Demand Due to Population Growth, Frequent Extreme Weather Threaten Supply [Study]

Check out more news and information on Water Supply  in Science Times.

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A Closer Look at Building and Permits: What You Need to Know

Property development involves various regulatory requirements, with building permits being one of the most important. Knowing the essentials of building and permits can save you time and prevent costly mistakes. From knowing which projects need them to understanding their validity and costs, this article will provide you with essential information.

Types of Projects Requiring Permits

Building permits are necessary for a wide range of construction activities. One costly mistake is assuming you don’t need a permit for your project. Examples include:

• New Construction: Any new building—commercial or residential—or significant addition to an existing structure.
• Renovations and Remodeling: Major changes to an existing building, including structural modifications, electrical, plumbing, and HVAC systems.
• Demolition: Removing an existing structure, whether partial or complete.
• Accessory Structures: Construction of garages, sheds, decks, and similar structures.
• Change of Use: Altering the purpose of a building, such as converting a residential property into a commercial space.

Smaller projects, such as painting, installing flooring, or minor repairs may not need permits. However, it’s always best to check with your local building department to confirm.

Types of Permits Needed

Building permits are not all-encompassing. Depending on the project, you may need several permits for different aspects of the building.

Common permits for most construction projects include:

• Building Permit: Covers the overall construction work, including structural integrity, zoning compliance, foundation work, framing and roofing, and exterior finishes.
• Electrical Permit: Required for any electrical work, including wiring and lighting.
• Plumbing Permit: Necessary for all plumbing installations and major modifications.
• Mechanical Permit: Covers HVAC systems and other mechanical installations. Hurricane-prone areas such as Florida might have stricter requirements for HVAC systems.
• Occupancy Permit: Required before a building can be legally occupied.

Other permits you might need include:

• Demolition Permit: For the full or partial removal of existing structures.
• Grading Permit: Required for earthwork and site preparation.
• Sign Permit: Needed for installing signage on commercial properties.
• Tree Work Permit: The City of New York has a special permit that is needed for work happening within 50 feet of a tree on city property.

Take time to research and understand each permit you may require for your development.

Costs of Permits

The cost of building permits varies widely depending on the project’s size, scope, and location. Typically, permit fees are calculated based on the project’s total valuation or square footage . Additional fees might apply for inspections, plan reviews, and ancillary permits. Consult the local building department for a detailed fee schedule, so that you can budget appropriately.

Validity of Permits

Building permits are not indefinite and are typically valid for six months to two years. This period may vary based on the jurisdiction and project complexity. If the construction work does not commence within this timeframe , or if there are significant delays, an extension may be required. You can avoid potential legal and financial repercussions by ensuring all permits you hold remain valid throughout the project.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

With all the work that goes into planning a new development and getting the right permits, it is easy to make mistakes.

Inaccurate Information

Providing incorrect or incomplete information can lead to delays or permit denial. Ensure all application details, including project scope, site plans, and technical specifications , are accurate and complete. Consulting with professionals and the local building department can help.

Relying on Old Regulations

Building codes and regulations frequently change. Relying on outdated information can lead to non-compliance. Stay informed about the latest local building codes and standards to ensure your project meets all requirements. The best source for the latest regulations is often the relevant district’s own website.

Rushing the Application

Submitting a hastily prepared application can lead to errors and omissions. Take the time to thoroughly review all documentation before submission . Use a checklist and ensure you have extra copies of all required documents.

Neglecting To Obtain Necessary Approvals

Research whether your project requires approval from homeowners’ associations, historical preservation boards, or environmental agencies before applying for a building permit.

Failing To Schedule Required Inspections

Regular inspections throughout construction are crucial. Missing these can lead to work stoppages or costly corrections.

Automated Compliance Checks

Automated compliance checks are increasingly used to streamline the permit application process. These systems use software to review plans and documents against current building codes and regulations. Benefits include:

• Speed: Automated checks can quickly identify potential issues, reducing the time needed for manual review.
• Accuracy: These systems minimize human error by ensuring all aspects of the project comply with relevant codes.
• Consistency: Automated checks provide uniform evaluations, reducing the likelihood of discrepancies and subjective interpretations.

While automated systems improve efficiency, they don’t replace human reviewers entirely. Passing automated compliance checks is not the same as being issued a building permit. Your application will still be manually reviewed by the local building department.

Avoiding common mistakes and using automated compliance checks can help keep your projects on track and compliant with all regulations. Stay informed and proactive to successfully manage the complexities of building permits. If they’re not using it, speak to your local building department about requesting a demo of eCheck by Archistar . This will allow them to see how it can streamline the permitting process for the department, the city, and local developers.

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Press Release

ARPA-E Announces $11.5 Million to Support 23 Early-Career Innovators Accelerating Transformative Energy Technologies

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) announced approximately $11.5 million in funding through its new Inspiring Generations of New Innovators to Impact Technologies in Energy 2024 (IGNIITE 2024) program focused on early-career scientists and engineers converting disruptive ideas into impactful energy technologies. Each IGNIITE 2024 selectee will receive approximately $500,000 to advance research projects at universities, national laboratories, and in the private sector that will span the full spectrum of energy applications, including advanced energy storage systems, fusion reactor technology, carbon-negative concrete alternatives, power electronics for grid reliability, critical material recovery, energy-efficient water desalination, plastic depolymerization, and more. The Biden-Harris Administration’s Investing in America agenda is supported by IGNIITE 2024 through its focus on advancing critical research and development that underpins U.S. leadership in energy innovation and global decarbonization.

“We need an infusion of unconventional ideas from the next generation of researchers, entrepreneurs, and technologists to tackle energy challenges of today,” said ARPA-E Director Evelyn N. Wang . “As an engineer who benefited from support early on in my career, I know how instrumental resourcing and expert guidance is to successful innovation. By supporting this cohort of early-career innovators, I am confident that we are one step closer to a sustainable clean energy future.”

The following 23 individuals selected through IGNIITE 2024 are all set to receive approximately $500,000 to support their research efforts:

• Michael Woods, Battelle Energy Alliance (Idaho National Laboratory) (Idaho Falls, ID)
• Adam Uliana, ChemFinity Technologies (Brooklyn, NY)
• Liang Feng, Duke University (Durham, NC)
• Justin Panich, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley, CA)
• Lydia Rachbauer, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley, CA)
• Woongkul Lee, Michigan State University (East Lansing, MI)
• Jinxing Li, Michigan State University (East Lansing, MI)
• Nelson James, National Renewable Energy Laboratory (Golden, CO)
• Katrina Knauer, National Renewable Energy Laboratory (Golden, CO)
• Paul Meyer, National Renewable Energy Laboratory (Golden, CO)
• Andrew Westover, Oak Ridge National Laboratory (Oak Ridge, TN)
• Guang Yang, Oak Ridge National Laboratory (Oak Ridge, TN)
• Rain Mariano, Peregrine Hydrogen (Santa Cruz, CA)
• Fudong Han, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (Troy, NY)
• Craig Cahillane, Syracuse University (Syracuse, NY)
• Zhongyang Wang, University of Alabama (Tuscaloosa, AL)
• Jessica Boles, University of California, Berkeley (Berkeley, CA)
• Xizheng Wang, University of California, Irvine (Irvine, CA)
• Yangying Zhu, University of California, Santa Barbara (Santa Barbara, CA)
• Jun Wang, University of Nebraska-Lincoln (Lincoln, NE)
• Julie Rorrer, University of Washington (Seattle, WA)
• Sebastian Kube, University of Wisconsin-Madison (Madison, WI)
• Luca Mastropasqua, University of Wisconsin-Madison (Madison, WI)

You can access project descriptions outlining the research these innovators will explore on ARPA-E’s website.

IGNIITE 2024 selectees will be honored on July 9, 2024 at the National Academies in Washington, D.C. The National Academies is crucial to the history of ARPA-E. In 2005, leaders from both parties in Congress asked the National Academies to "identify the most urgent challenges the U.S. faces in maintaining leadership in key areas of science and technology," as well as specific steps policymakers could take to help the U.S. compete, prosper, and stay secure in the 21st Century. The report recommended that Congress establish an Advanced Research Projects Agency within the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) modeled after the successful Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).

Now, 15 years into ARPA-E’s mission to secure U.S. technological leadership, the individuals set to be honored on July 9 underscore the Agency’s commitment to fostering American innovation by empowering the next generation of innovators to succeed.

You can learn more about IGNIITE 2024 here .

Press and General Inquiries: 202-287-5440 [email protected]

Research/Study Research/Study

Inside Project 2025's attack on reproductive rights: Mifepristone and alternative abortion pills

Special Programs Abortion Rights & Reproductive Health

Written by Sophie Lawton , Jacina Hollins-Borges & Jack Wheatley

Published 06/24/24 1:30 PM EDT

At least 31 partner organizations of the Project 2025 initiative have published written content, supported legal efforts, or had organizational leadership make comments against the use of safe and effective abortion pills, specifically mifepristone, according to a Media Matters review. 

Project 2025 is organized by conservative think tank The Heritage Foundation, and has laid out a radical plan for governance during the next Republican administration. The initiative's wide-ranging policy proposals, including extreme anti-abortion policies, are laid out in its “ Mandate for Leadership .” 

The policy book includes a chapter on the Department of Health and Human Services written by Roger Severino, husband of anti-abortion figure Carrie Severino. The chapter lays out policies against the use and distribution of abortion pills, advising the next Republican administration to heavily restrict access to mifepristone and so-called “mail-order abortions” through various means. 

Later in the policy book, America First Legal’s Gene Hamilton recommends that the Department of Justice should take steps to enforce the Comstock Act as a way to limit the distribution of abortion pills. In these passages, Project 2025 lays out a plan for the next Republican administration to criminalize the shipment of abortion pills and cut off huge swaths of Americans from accessing this lifeline of reproductive healthcare. 

Anti-choice organizations have been waging a legal battle against mifepristone for years, culminating in the ongoing Supreme Court case, U.S. Food and Drug Administration v. Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine , in which anti-choice groups challenge the FDA’s approval of mifepristone in 2000 and attempt to reinstate stricter rules around prescribing the drug that were in place prior to 2016. 

Project 2025 partner the Alliance for Defending Freedom (ADF) is behind the anti-choice “Alliance” along with Project 2025 partner, the American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists (AAPLOG). A number of other Project 2025 partner organizations have signed letters, filed amicus briefs, or otherwise supported these efforts. The Supreme Court heard oral arguments on the case in March, and reportedly appeared skeptical of the plaintiffs’ right to sue, which would suggest the justices could rule in a way that allows mifepristone to remain broadly available. 

Organizations affiliated with Project 2025 use misinformation and scare tactics to push for restrictions, if not outright bans, of abortion pills despite evidence that they are safe and effective , even after regulations on prescribing the medication were eased in 2021. Some of the organizations argue that expanded access to abortion pills will result in the use of the drug by abusive partners or sex traffickers. Mother Jones recently  debunked the claim that telehealth abortion facilitates intimate partner violence. There has also been pushback against the idea that access to abortion pills negatively impacts victims of trafficking.

At least seven of the organizations partnered with Project 2025 have also promoted and helped advance legislation to force doctors to offer bogus “abortion reversal” treatment. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists states , “Medication abortion ‘reversal’ is not supported by science. 

For the full report on Project 2025's attack on reproductive rights, click here .

Select a Partner Organization

The heritage foundation, 1792 exchange, alliance defending freedom , american association of pro-life obstetricians and gynecologists, aclj action, the american conservative, american family association, america first legal, american principles project, americans united for life, amac action, california family council, center for family and human rights, center for renewing america, concerned women for america, discovery institute, eagle forum, ethics and public policy center, family policy alliance, family research council, first liberty institute, the frederick douglass foundation, the heartland institute, dr. james dobson family institute, media research center, the national center for public policy research and project 21 black leadership network, students for life of america, susan b. anthony pro-life america, texas public policy foundation, turning point usa, young america’s foundation.

• In an article about the Supreme Court case on the FDA’s mifepristone regulations, senior legal fellow Thomas Jipping claims abortion pills are “dangerous drugs.” Jipping opened the piece saying that “abortion poisons everything it touches,” and goes on to argue that the FDA violated the Comstock Act, a 19th-century law considered “dead” by some in Congress who support its repeal. [The Heritage Foundation, 1/17/24 ; The Hill, 4/2/24 ]
• In a post on X, The Heritage Foundation wrote, “Think the abortion pill is safe? Think again.”  [Twitter/X, 12/13/23 ]
• The Heritage Foundation hosted a panel on abortion pills moderated by Perry that included Rep. Bob Good (R-VA), ADF senior counsel Erik Baptist, and CEO of AAPLOG Christina Francis. Francis claimed that mifepristone users visit the emergency room more often than those who get surgical abortions, even claiming up to 35% of chemical abortions result in an ER visit. These claims are the same as those from a retracted 2021 study. Francis repeated this claim later in the panel stating abortion drugs have “high complication rates.” [YouTube, 11/13/23 ,  11/13/23 ; Salon, 3/20/24 ]
• In a piece celebrating the U.S. District Court ruling against both the initial approval of the drug and the FDA’s relaxation of mifepristone regulations, Perry called Texas Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk’s opinion a “recognition of the dangers of mifepristone to both mother and child.” [The Heritage Foundation, 8/13/23 ]
• In a 2023 post on X, Heritage stated “FACT: The abortion pill poses serious health risks to women. The FDA should never have authorized it.” [Twitter/X, 3/20/23 ]
• In another article by Perry on the Heritage site, she claimed states can use “police power to restrict or prohibit abortion—including particular methods of abortion, such as by pill.” [The Heritage Foundation, 2/22/23 ]
• Perry wrote in a 2023 article that states should be working to ban abortion drugs, despite the FDA calling them “safe and effective.” She also claimed the Supreme Court overturning Roe means “states can close off chemical abortions altogether.” [The Heritage Foundation, 1/11/23 ]
• In an article on the Heritage site about the Biden administration allowing pharmacies to distribute mifepristone, visiting fellow Melanie Israel wrote that “abortion pills aren’t safe.” [The Heritage Foundation, 1/6/23 ]
• In 2022, The Heritage Foundation published a coalition letter to members of Congress in an effort to “legislate abortion policy at the federal level.” The letter called on the federal government to “limit the interstate flow of dangerous abortion drugs” and falsely claimed abortion pills put “women’s health and safety at risk.” The letter was also signed by other Project 2025 partner organizations including Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, Americans United for Life, the Ethics and Public Policy Center, and Concerned Women for America. [The Heritage Foundation, 12/4/22 ]
• Right-wing nonprofit 1792 Exchange wrote in its corporate bias rating report on CVS Health that the company is “high risk” because it continued to dispense mifepristone at some pharmacies in spite of a related wrongful termination lawsuit from a former employee. 1792 Exchange also criticized CVS Health because it supposedly “pushes for the use of abortion-inducing drugs across the country.” [1792 Exchange, accessed 4/16/24 ]
• Along with other anti-abortion medical groups and doctors, Alliance Defending Freedom is a plaintiff in the lawsuit against the FDA to limit access to mifepristone. [The Guardian, 5/17/23 ]
• ADF has defended plaintiffs in at least 22 cases in 10 states and the District of Columbia which challenged the Obama-era requirement for employers to provide insurance that covers mifepristone and other reproductive care. [ADF, accessed  4/18/24 ]
• ADF intervened to defend a nurse practitioner named Chelsea Mynyk who offered abortion pill reversal in Colorado in spite of a state law barring the protocol, arguing that “by banning Chelsea from providing this care, Colorado is violating her religious freedom.” [ADF, 4/12/24 ]
• In a piece that criticized retail pharmacies dispensing mifepristone, ADF senior counsel Erin Morrow Hawley wrote that looser restrictions on the medication “all but ensure the abortion drug will be unsafe for many women, ubiquitous, and routinely mailed into states where it is unlawful.” She added that CVS and Walgreens have removed “important safeguards on abortion drugs.” [ADF, 3/26/24 ]
• ADF CEO Kristen Waggoner said that the data on mifepristone “suggests that it endangers women.” [Politico, 3/25/24 ,  11/18/22 ]
• In an article titled “The FDA’s Unforgivable Deceptions on Chemical-Abortion Drugs,” Hawley wrote that “no one should be okay with the FDA leaving pregnant women to take these high-risk drugs all alone.” She then urged the Supreme Court to “put the health and well-being of pregnant women first by reinstating necessary safeguards for abortion drugs.” [ADF, 3/15/24 ]
• In a piece titled “What the FDA Hasn’t Told You About Mifepristone,” ADF senior counsel Erik Baptist claimed that “the FDA has ignored” that abortion pills “can cause significant and serious complications.” [ADF, 3/14/23 ]
• The American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists is a plaintiff in the Alliance Defending Freedom’s lawsuit against the FDA to suspend the use of mifepristone. [Washington State Standard, 2/6/24 ]
• AAPLOG runs a program called “Abortion Pill Reversal” that invites “pro-life medical professionals” to “provide urgent care to women who regret starting medication abortions.” The idea of reversing an abortion pill’s effect with progesterone is not supported by science. A 2012 study on the protocol had just six participants and no control group, and was not supervised or reviewed. A later 2020 study was ended early “due to safety concerns among the participants.” In its statement on abortion pill reversal, the organization included statistics on serious complications from abortion medication and referred to reversal as “another reproductive choice for women facing the abortion decision.” It repeatedly emphasizes that abortions are reversed with a “natural hormone.” [AAPLOG, accessed  4/17/24 ,  2019 ; ACOG, accessed 4/19/24 ]
• In response to efforts to ban abortion “reversal” treatments in Colorado, AAPLOG released a statement which said: “Efforts by abortion proponents to outlaw progesterone therapy after mifepristone consumption are not based on science or good medical ethics.” [AAPLOG, 9/27/23 ; Reuters, 10/23/23 ]
• AAPLOG often attacks mifepristone as a way for “abusers and traffickers” to easily coerce patients into abortion. In a response to the Fifth Circuit of Appeals ruling to reinstate restrictions on mifepristone, AAPLOG wrote that the previous “deregulations have placed women and girls at greater risk of life-threatening complications, as well as coerced abortion by abusers and traffickers.” [APPLOG, 8/16/23 ]
• In a “Myth vs. Fact” piece on “maternal medical care,” AAPLOG wrote that “the dangerous push in recent years to dispense abortion pills through the mail or without a doctor’s visit presents a grave threat to women’s health.” [AAPLOG, 8/29/22 ]
• Now-CEO Christina Francis warned in 2021 of “mounting evidence of significant adverse events and maternal deaths” from mifepristone in a piece originally published by Deseret News. [AAPLOG, 5/18/21 ; Salt Lake Tribune, 11/18/23 ]
• Throughout the 2000s and early 2010s, AAPLOG argued through letters, press releases, and articles that mifepristone is dangerous. [AAPLOG, 1/25/10 ]
• ACLJ’s Jay and Jordan Sekulow called mifepristone “deadly abortion pills” while describing the organization’s position in U.S. Food and Drug Administration v. Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine. [ACLJ, 6/22/23 ]
• In a piece explaining why the organization filed an amicus brief in that case, ACLJ senior counsel Walter M. Weber wrote that “mailing abortion pills is an act of racketeering that violates the federal RICO statute.” The ACLJ’s brief asked the court “to uphold an injunction against federal approval of abortion pills and against federal loosening of restrictions on abortion pills.” [ACLJ, 5/12/23 ; U.S. Supreme Court, U.S. Food and Drug Administration v. Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine , Brief of Amicus Curiae, 5/09/23 ]
• The American Conservative celebrated U.S. Food and Drug Administration v. Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine , saying that banning access to mifepristone would be “a major blow to abortion activists’ cause” and would create precedent to change “an untouchable federal agency.” Contributing editor Carmel Richardson wrote that the anti-abortion movement “has been all but apologizing for” overturning Roe v. Wade “at the ballot box ever since,” but the possibility of a mifepristone ban is a “positive step forward.” [The American Conservative, 5/19/23 ]
• After the Supreme Court said that mifepristone should stay broadly available as the case is litigated, Richardson called on Congress to ban abortion, “including a ban on drugs prescribed for the purpose of inducing the death of a pre-born child.” [The American Conservative, 4/28/23 ]
• Richardson has also claimed that mifepristone is dangerous for patients, writing that “the lives of unborn babies, and those of several of their mothers” are at stake in the mifepristone case. [The American Conservative, 4/14/23 ]
• American Family Association’s news outlet, American Family News, published an article on the Louisiana law categorizing mifepristone as a controlled dangerous substance that called the drug “Fetus-killing abortion pills” and failed to include that the law will likely inhibit access to the drug and ensure harsher penalties for people who obtain it without a prescription. The piece misleadingly implies the new law would mainly be used to punish people for “misusing” the drugs by coercing a pregnant person to take them or slipping it unknowingly to a pregnant person. [American Family News, 5/28/24 ; CNN, 5/24/24 ]
• Jordan Chamblee, a writer for American Family Association’s publication The Stand, claimed that the Biden administration paving the way for retail pharmacies to dispense abortion pills is “prioritizing the interests of the abortion industry over women’s health and safety.” He claimed that “chemical abortions are dangerous,” as they “can result in serious complications such as sepsis, hemorrhaging, and even death.” Chamblee also promoted The Abortion Pill Rescue Network (APRN), which offers abortion pill reversal. [American Family Association, 4/10/23 ]
• After the FDA allowed mifepristone to be dispensed by mail, AFA Executive Vice President Ed Vitagliano said that this promoted “an agenda of wanton destruction eliminating tens of thousands of people who would become innovators and creators.” [American Family Association, 12/20/21 ]
• An AFA article criticized abortion clinics for not advertising the existence of abortion reversal, and claimed that they “fail to inform their patients about what to expect after they take the pill and leave the clinic.” [American Family Association, 7/15/19 ]
• Project 2025 contributor and vice president of America First Legal Gene Hamilton, who wrote the section of Mandate for Leadership on the Department of Justice, pushed in that section to enforce the Comstock Act, which could be used to restrict abortion medication nationwide. [Rolling Stone, 12/22/23 ; Teen Vogue, 2/7/24 ]
• The American Principles Project backed the bill of Reps. Diana Harshbarger (R-TN) and Kevin Hern (R-OK) to tighten restrictions on mifepristone, with the APP's President Terry Schilling arguing that easier access to abortion pills means dispensing “dangerous pills online” and “empowering abusers by making it even easier for them to get their hands on abortion drugs.” [Website of Rep. Diana Harshbarger, 1/18/23 ]
• On Twitter, APP shared an article promoting abortion pill reversal: “#Abortion Pill Reversal: When ‘Pro-Choicers’ Don’t Support a Woman’s Choice.” [Twitter/X, 9/14/17 ]
• During the Obama administration, APP celebrated the fight against what it calls “the abortion pill mandate,” the Department of Health and Human Services requirement for employers to provide insurance that covers abortion pills. [Twitter/X, 3/6/13 ,  7/10/12 ]
• Americans United for Life federal policy director Jesse Southerland told Politico that fighting against “chemical abortion” is a “priority” for the organization. [Politico, 3/27/24 ]
• AUL drafted a model law for anti-abortion lawmakers to restrict or ban telehealth prescriptions for abortion pills. [Politico, 3/27/24 ; Stateline, 1/30/23 ]
• In February, AUL filed two amicus briefs in support of the Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine in its case against the FDA. [Americans United for Life, 2/29/24 ]
• AUL listed the court battle to re-restrict mifepristone as one of its “top ten developments in the Life arena of 2023.” [Americans United for Life, 12/20/23 ]
• Chief legal officer and general counsel of AUL Steven H. Aden said that loosening regulations on mifepristone “has been a healthcare disaster for women and has normalized the wholesale destruction of human life.” [Americans United for Life, 12/13/23 ]
• AUL filed multiple amicus briefs to the Fifth Circuit asking the court to uphold the U.S. District Court’s suspension of mifepristone’s approval. Aden, the counsel of record on the brief, explained that abortion pills are “dangerous drugs,” and suspending them “is in the interest of patient welfare.” AUL has made similar arguments in several pieces on its amicus briefs regarding this case. [Americans United for Life, 5/16/23 ,  4/18/23 ,  4/12/23 ]
• Carolyn McDonnell, litigation counsel at AUL, accused the FDA of “promoting its radical abortion agenda at the expense of patient health and safety” by relaxing mifepristone restrictions. [Americans United for Life, 2/13/23 ]
• AUL submitted testimony in support of Wyoming’s attempt to ban abortion pills partially because it was “consistent with the American legal tradition on abortion.” In its related explainer on mifepristone, AUL emphasized possible complications resulting from consumption of the drug. [Americans United for Life, 2/9/23 ; The Associated Press, 6/22/23 ]
• AUL wrote that receiving mifepristone through the mail is the “new back-alley,” as patients are receiving pills “from a stranger on the internet.” The piece emphasized that “women have died taking chemical abortion pills.” [Americans United for Life, 12/17/21 ]
• In 2021, AUL celebrated South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem’s executive order to ban abortion pills from being prescribed via telemedicine, calling it a measure “to protect South Dakota women from the threat of chemical abortion drugs.” [Americans United for Life, 9/7/21 ]
• In the same piece, the organization attributed relaxed restrictions on mifepristone to “corporate greed.” Similarly, in 2016, AUL said that “abortion industry profits” were the motivator behind the updated guidelines. [Americans United for Life, 9/7/21 ; 11/1/16 ]
• After the FDA loosened restrictions on mifepristone in 2021, AUL accused the agency of “playing politics with women’s health.” In another piece on the issue, it said the FDA was “abandoning women to suffer through the physical and psychological impact of chemical abortion without medical supervision or support.” [Americans United for Life, 4/13/21 ,  1/12/21 ]
• In 2017, AUL’s vice president of legal affairs, Denise Burke, testified in favor of a Colorado law that would require abortion providers to tell patients about abortion reversal, which it calls “informed consent.” According to Burke, because they are not told about so-called abortion reversal, “many women are physically and psychologically harmed by the abortion process.” [Americans United for Life, 2/9/17 ]
• AUL called on state lawmakers to repeal what it called a “discriminatory rule” and an “unconstitutional abuse of power” from the Washington State Board of Pharmacists that required pharmacists to keep abortion pills stocked. The organization joined an amicus brief in support of pharmacists against “drugs misleadingly called ‘emergency contraceptives,’ specifically Plan B and ella.” [Americans United for Life, 6/28/16 ]
• AUL has been involved in multiple cases related to state laws seeking to restrict mifepristone, with AUL's president referring to looser restrictions as “patient abandonment.” In a press release celebrating an Arkansas law restricting mifepristone, AUL wrote that “the abortion industry consistently puts profits over people.” [Americans United for Life, 3/23/15 ,  10/4/13 ]
• The organization filed amicus briefs in support of embattled North Dakota and Oklahoma bills that restricted access to mifepristone. [Americans United for Life, 10/4/13 ,  8/21/13 ,  10/9/12 ]
• In a 2023 article on the Association for Mature American Citizens website, author Ben Solis repeated false claims made by Fox News host Rachel Campos-Duffy that “40 percent of abortions are chemical abortions that are likely to end with complications.”  More than 60% of all abortions are performed with the abortion pill and around 2% of all abortions have complications. [AMAC, 4/8/23 ; Guttmacher Institute, 3/19/24 ; Pew Research Center, 3/25/24 ] 
• AMAC hosted an interview with Jeanne Mancini, president of March for Life, to talk about how chemical abortions are supposedly “dangerous.” In the interview, AMAC CEO Rebecca Weber claimed the expansion of abortion pill access is really pro-abortion activists “taking advantage of frightened young women.” Mancini argued that access to mifepristone is “dangerous in a lot of different ways” claiming the drug is “actually much harder on women's health than surgical abortion.” [YouTube, 11/9/22 ]
• In a story on its site, the California Family Council (CFC) wrote about the recent Supreme Court case regarding mifepristone, saying that “true reproductive freedom includes access to comprehensive information about fertility, pregnancy, and the support available for women experiencing a crisis pregnancy.” CFC Vice President Greg Burt remarked, “This case is not merely about regulatory oversight; it’s about reaffirming the foundational values that respect life and prioritize genuine healthcare that serves both mothers and their children.” [California Family Council, 3/29/24 ] 
• On its Instagram account, the group declared, “The abortion pill is not a form of contraception; rather, it is an exceedingly hazardous drug, particularly when used without medical supervision.” The post added, “The abortion pill leads the death of an unborn baby and potential dangers to the mother.” [Instagram, 12/13/23 ]
• The group fearmongered that “Mifepristone and misoprostol put women at risk for infection, injury, loss of fertility, depression, and other life-threatening complications.” It concludes that “women deserve to know about their options and have access to life-saving medication,” referring to abortion pill reversal. [California Family Council, 9/25/23 ]
• In at least two other publications on its website, the group pushed misleading information about the safety of the abortion pill, calling it “dangerous,” and “highly controversial.” [California Family Council, 11/29/22 ,  2/7/22 ] 
• In a 2023 article on the Center for Family and Human Rights (C-FAM) website, director of research Rebecca Oas wrote that “period pills” or medication used to “induce menstrual bleeding or early pregnancy loss” are used for “the intentional destruction of an unborn life.” [Center for Family and Human Rights, 2/10/23 ; PeriodPills.org, accessed 5/15/24 ]
• In an article complaining about expanding access to abortion pills during the COVID-19 pandemic, Oas called use of mifepristone a “dangerous procedure.” [Center for Family and Human Rights, 5/8/20 ]
• C-FAM published multiple articles condemning the World Health Organization and Doctors Without Borders for supporting the distribution of abortion pills. In one piece C-FAM argues “mail-order abortion pills” put patients at risk of getting an abortion “without [their] consent by abusive partners, parents, or others, such as human traffickers.” [Center for Family and Human Rights, 6/28/19 ; 2/28/20 ]
• In an article for Pacific Standard on the WHO’s endorsement of mifepristone, Oas is quoted repeating her argument that expanding access to abortion pills will result in the use of the drugs by “abusive partners” for nonconsensual abortions. [Pacific Standard, 7/15/19 ]
• In a policy issue primer published on Center for Renewing America’s site, the organization supported the Fifth Circuit's ruling against the FDA’s interpretation of the Comstock Act, and claimed the “weaponized agency is willing to violate the law to advance its abortion agenda.” CRA also suggested Congress attempt to “prohibit chemical abortions at the federal level.” [Center for Renewing America, 5/2/23 ]
• In a piece on its website, Concerned Women for America noted its support for stricter abortion pill regulations alongside other anti-abortion groups, against the FDA in the ongoing Supreme Court case. The piece describes the agency’s actions as “reckless disregard for women’s safety.” [Concerned Women for America, 3/25/24 ] 
• CWA wrote a piece directly focused on the case heading to the Supreme Court, calling mifepristone “dangerous” and the FDA’s approval of it “reckless.” CWA CEO and President Penny Nance said, “Let’s be clear; there is nothing safe or effective about allowing people to perform their own DIY abortion.” [Concerned Women for America, 12/13/23 ]
• On CWA’s podcast, Nance said supporters of the medication “want there to be abortion, as I’ve said before many times, any time, any reason, in any number, all paid for by you.” She continued, “They don’t want a girl to even leave her dorm room to have it. They’re happy for her to struggle for several days to actually miscarry this baby alone and to be traumatized and maybe, you know, have consequences that render her sterile later or maybe even death.” Later on, she added, “This is not nearly over. We have a lot of work to do. We are winning.” [Concerned Women for America, 4/19/23 ,  4/19/23 ] 
• CWA’s Deanna Drogan wrote for the website, “We can see that increasing the ability to perform DIY abortions results in many health risks for mothers (known and unknown) and an increasing number of babies innocently murdered from abortion.” [Concerned Women for America, 4/23/21 ]
• In an opinion piece for Newsmax, Nance wrote that there is “nothing safe about DIY abortion.” She added, concerning the Texas case, “Americans who are concerned for the safety and well-being of young women should be grateful that this judge had the courage to make this decision.” [Newsmax, 5/15/23 ]
• Discovery Institute’s Center on Human Exceptionalism fellow Arina Grossu Agnew appeared on The Lars Larson Show to discuss “How many babies do abortion pills like Mifepristone kill?” In the interview, Grossu claimed the FDA “looked at flawed studies, irrelevant studies” when approving the drug “and there are a lot of complications that can happen.” She went on to call mifepristone “a very dangerous abortion drug.” [KXL, Lars Larson Show , 5/1/23 ]
• Senior fellow of the Discovery Institute’s Center for Natural and Artificial Intelligence Michael Egnor wrote in an article for The Stream that abortion drugs “cause significant physiological and behavioral harm.” Egnor’s article is based on a study by Dr. Stephen Sammut, whose research also pushes the unsupported science of “abortion-pill reversal.” [The Stream, 7/10/19 ; Franciscain, Accessed 5/15/24 ]
• President of Eagle Forum Kristen A. Ullman published an article in March arguing against use of the abortion pill. In the article, Ullman called mifepristone “dangerous” and repeated unverified claims that the abortion pill has a notably high number of documented negative effects. [Eagle Forum, 3/24/24 ]
• Eagle Forum joined a coalition of anti-abortion groups who called on Congress to send cease-and-desist letters to pharmacies mailing abortion pills. [Eagle Forum, 3/12/24 ]
• In an article fearmongering about mifepristone titled “Danger Lurks in Local Drug Stores,” Ullman called the drug a “dangerous pill that not only kills an unborn child but causes serious side effects and even death to countless women.” [Eagle Forum, 3/4/24 ]
• Ethics and Public Policy Center fellows submitted two amicus briefs for the Supreme Court case on mifepristone supporting Alliance of Hippocratic Medicine in its case against the abortion drug. The briefs claimed the FDA and Biden administration are in “violation of federal and state law” by expanding access to mifepristone. [EPPC, 3/1/24 ]
• President of EPPC Ryan T. Anderson, previously a visiting fellow at The Heritage Foundation, published an article with National Review titled “Making Abortion Illegal and Unthinkable,” in which he argued, “We’ll need laws to prevent cross-state transportation of abortion pills.” [National Review, 6/11/22 ; The Heritage Foundation, accessed 4/19/24 ]
• Focus on the Family's lobbying arm, Family Policy Alliance, submitted an amicus brief for the Supreme Court case on mifepristone in which it argued the FDA’s current mifepristone guidance is “dangerous for women” and claimed, “Medical Emergencies Caused by Mifepristone are Increasing” and cites the declaration of Dr. Christina Francis, the AAPLOG CEO. [U.S. Supreme Court, U.S. Food and Drug Administration v. Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine , Brief of Amicus Curiae, 2/28/24 ]
• After Biden supported access to mifepristone in January, FPA called on its audience to push back against the dispensing of abortion pills in pharmacies, seemingly citing a now-retracted study that led FPA to falsely claim that “women who use abortion pills are 50 percent more likely to visit an ER than with a surgical abortion.” [Family Policy Alliance, 1/24/23 ; National Library of Medicine, 11/9/21 ]
• FPA also called on pharmacies to refuse to distribute abortion pills. The FPA director of government affairs claimed in the statement, “Abortion drugs are a health and safety threat to women and their children.” [Family Policy Alliance, 1/6/23 ]
• In an episode of Family Research Council’s Washington Watch with Tony Perkins , Senior Vice President Jody Hice interviewed Louisiana state Sen. Thomas Pressly about his legislation to classify mifepristone as a dangerous substance in Louisiana. Hice called the passing of the law “good news” and called it a “model” for other states. Hice went on to congratulate Pressly and claimed the “abortion industry” is “fearmongering” over the legislation. [Family Research Council, Washington Watch with Tony Perkins , 5/24/24 ]
• FRC’s affiliated blog The Washington Stand published a piece similarly praising the Louisiana law, which claims abortion pills “are not safe.” [The Washington Stand, 5/28/24 ]
• FRC filed an amicus brief in the Supreme Court case over mifepristone claiming that the FDA was “reckless” in approving the drug and that use of mifepristone creates “long-lasting psychological and spiritual distress.” [Family Research Council, 3/5/24 ]
• In 2022 FRC published an issue analysis on medication abortion, which it called “The Next Abortion Battleground.” The analysis summarized FRC’s issues with abortion pills, leveling claims that there are “profound dangers such poorly supervised medical care poses to women’s health” and that “the abortion industry” is pushing abortion pills for “political, ideological, and financial goals.” [Family Research Council, 2/22 ]
• Also in its analysis on abortion pills, FRC argued that easing regulations of mifepristone would “complicate the detection of sexual abuse and sex trafficking.” In a section on “Sexual Abuse and Sex Trafficking” FRC claimed, “Abusers, along with those in the sexual exploitation industry ... would love an environment in which they can compel women to repeatedly have abortions.” The section also claimed that Planned Parenthood is aiding sex traffickers by providing abortions. [Family Research Council, 2/22 ]
• The analysis also laid out policy suggestions, such as “complete removal of the chemical abortion regimen from the market,” forcing manufacturers of the drug to “report all adverse events” from mifepristone, and prohibiting the prescription of abortion pills over telehealth. FRC claims its final goal is “to see the sale and the approval of drugs meant to intentionally kill life in the womb eliminated from our society.” [Family Research Council, 2/22 ]
• In a 2021 report, legislative assistant Chantel Hoyt claimed expansion of access to mifepristone means “the abortion industry seems willing to gamble with women's lives and health” in order to expand access to abortion. [Family Research Council, 7/19/21 ; FRC, accessed 5/15/24 ]
• Starting in 2013 First Liberty Institute represented Joe Holland in a case against the federal government challenging the so-called  “Abortion Pill Mandate.” First Liberty argued he should not have to provide insurance coverage for abortion pills because of his faith. [First Liberty Institute, accessed, 4/16/24 ]
• ForAmerica president David Bozell joined a Washington Times podcast to attack the use of mifepristone, calling it “unfathomable.” He went on to claim, “The left will not stop until there is abortion on demand funded by the United States taxpayer up to and perhaps even including the moment of birth." [The Washington Times, 3/29/24 ]
• Liberty Counsel, an anti-abortion legal organization, filed an amicus brief on behalf of the Frederick Douglass Foundation to the Supreme Court asking it to uphold the Fifth Circuit’s decision to reinstate restrictions on mifepristone. [World News Group, 3/12/24 ]
• Ashley Bateman, a policy writer for the Heartland Institute, wrote a piece for The Federalist regarding anti-abortion activists protesting at the Supreme Court about the FDA case, describing mifepristone as a “high-risk drug.” [The Federalist, 3/27/24 ]
• Heartland Daily News, a publication affiliated with the Institute, has been attacking abortion medication for years. Recently Bateman published an article where she labeled mifepristone a “high-risk drug” and a different piece by Harry Painter attempted to raise concerns about the safety of telemedicine prescriptions for mifepristone while conflating the use of the medication with “back-alley abortions.” [The Heartland Daily News, 4/15/24 ,  3/27/24 ,  12/6/22 ,  9/18/21 ]
• The James Dobson Family Institute in a piece titled “Baby-Killing Pills” claimed the Biden Administration wants to distribute mifepristone “like candy,” and said it continues to “use every tool it has to keep the number of abortions in America as high as possible.” Later on, the author describes the medication as a “killer abortion pill.” [Dr. James Dobson Family Institute, 4/14/23 ]
• The institute was one of many organizations to sign an amicus brief to the Supreme Court on the FDA battle over the drug. [U.S. Supreme Court, U.S. Food and Drug Administration v. Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine , Brief of Amicus Curiae, 2/29/2024 ]
• A commentary piece for the organization described mifepristone described as “death by mail,” and attacked pro-choice organizations, writing, “See you in court, NARAL! JDFI proudly signed onto an amicus brief in the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, and we look forward to making the case for life before the U.S. Supreme Court.” [Dr. James Dobson Family Institute, 8/30/23 ] 
• A 2021 piece by Dobson himself endorsed a bill that aimed to strip universities of their federal funding if they distribute reproductive medication to students. [Dr. James Dobson Family Institute, 8/3/21 ]
• Media Research Center’s affiliated news outlet, NewsBusters, published an article claiming NBC “fear mongers” about Louisiana’s new law classifying mifepristone and misoprostol as dangerous substances. The piece said an NBC correspondent stating the new law will create confusion around the safety of the drugs is “fear-mongering” and tries to rebut the idea by claiming the law “isn’t banning the drugs.” [NewsBusters, 5/22/24 ]
• The right-wing “media watchdog” organization has been releasing content railing against abortion and mifepristone for years. In many pieces, the titles refer to the drugs as “harmful,” dangerous”, and “deadly.” [NewsBusters, 3/20/24 ,  4/24/23 ,  4/22/23 ,  3/24/23 ,  11/18/22 ]
• The organization has also cherry-picked stories to bolster its fearmongering about the pill. In one example, it describes a “chemical abortion nightmare” where a woman on YouTube described witnessing the heartbeat of the fetus and the health issues she faced afterward. The Media Research Center used the story as an opportunity to attack Planned Parenthood for what it describes as “its prioritization of killing babies over keeping women out of harm's way.” [Media Research Center, 1/5/24 ]
• In a commentary piece for its parent organization, the National Center for Public Policy Research, Project 21 member Patrina Mosley described mifepristone as a “lethal regime,” and compared the fight to end abortion with the fight to end slavery. She went on to claim the medication “has led to untold physical and psychological harm” to patients. Mosley also went on to claim drugs like mifepristone are an easy way for pharmaceutical organizations to make quick profits, and allow for “sexual abusers and partners who are unwilling fathers” to coerce people into taking the drug. [The National Center for Public Policy Research, 4/20/23 ] 
• Both groups also signed an amicus brief to the Supreme Court asking it to reverse the approval of the drug. In a concurring statement, Project 21 chairman Horace Cooper said, “Project 21 supports ending the FDA’s attempt to radically expand the use of mifepristone into some sort of ‘morning after’ abortion pill.” He went on to call the medicine “dangerous” and claimed that pro-life doctors should be exempt from prescribing the medication as it would make them “an accessory to an evil act.” [The National Center for Public Policy Research, 3/26/24 ]
• Students for Life of America has been a leading force behind a push to prohibit reproductive medication — the organization’s website even has a “chemical abortion” landing page, which fearmongers about the safety of mifepristone. [Students for Life of America, accessed 5/15/24 ; Politico, 4/19/23 ] 
• Students for Life Action, the political arm of the organization, released a statement praising Louisiana’s new law categorizing mifepristone and misoprostol as controlled dangerous substances. The statement called the drugs “dangerous” and repeated claims that chemical abortions result in significantly more complications and death than surgical ones. [Students for Life Action, 5/23/24 ]
• Students for Life president Kristan Hawkins posted on X praising the Louisiana law and calling abortion pills “dangerous” and, in another post, claimed Vice President Kamala Harris was “protecting sexual predators” by speaking out against the law.  [Twitter/X, 5/22/24 , 5/23/24 ]
• I n a press call reported on by NPR, Hawkins described the process as tantamount to “death by mail delivered to your doorstep.” [NPR, 12/16/21 ]
• The group has spread debunked claims about medication abortion having a harmful impact on wildlife and the environment, and filed a petition with the FDA to require providers of the medication to be responsible for the disposal of fetal tissue similar to medical waste. Hawkins was quoted in an organization blog saying that “tainted blood, tissue, and human remains have been flushed away, without any hard look at what happens next, or what happens to us and the environment.” [Media Matters, 3/12/24 ; USA Today, 12/12/22 ; Students for Life for America, 11/23/22 ] 
• A different blog post focused on the supposed dangers of using abortion medicine and the “abortion pill myths perpetuated by the abortion industry.” It argued that it is a “myth” that the majority of patients who take the medication don’t experience “serious complications,” and claimed that it is illegal and unsafe for the medication to be sent through the mail. Additionally, the group said abortion medicine is “uniquely traumatic” to patients. [Students for Life for America, 4/26/23 ] 
• Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America released a statement congratulating Louisiana for the The Catherine and Josephine Herring Act categorizing abortion drugs as controlled substances. The statement, by Southern Regional Director Caitlin Connors, claims “pro-abortion Democrats have enabled abusers to coerce and poison mothers with dangerous abortion drugs,” seemingly referencing the FDA easing restrictions on the drugs. The organization repeated these claims in a blog posted to Substack. [Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, 5/21/24 ; Substack, Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, 5/23/24 ]
• In March of 2024, SBA published a piece on its site titled “Five big lies about the Supreme Court mail-order abortion drug case” in which it focuses on potential harmful side effects of the drug and the effects on patients. [Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, 3/25/24 ]
• Notably, two publications cited as key studies in the Texas lawsuit against the drug, produced by the research arm of SBA, the Charlotte Lozier Institute, were retracted from a medical journal for issues regarding flaws and conflict of interest. [The Associated Press, 2/7/24 ]
• The SBA was also one of several organizations to sign an amicus brief in support of reinstating the rule requiring an in-person visit to be prescribed mifepristone. [ U.S. Supreme Court, U.S. Food and Drug Administration v. Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine , Brief of Amicus Curiae, 2/24 ]
• According to Vox, SBA has been reaching out to right-wing governors in numerous states to discuss restrictions on the shipment of abortion medication. The organization’s state director of affairs told Vox that she expects states to be “creative” in finding ways to enforce restrictions against reproductive rights. [Vox, 1/9/23 ]
• SBA has released numerous press releases following the litigation of abortion medication, in many cases describing the pills and their distribution as “dangerous” and “reckless.” [The Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, 4/13/23 ,  2/8/23 ,  1/25/23 ,  1/19/23 , 1/3/23 ,  11/18/22 ]
• In January 2022, SBA, alongside a coalition of other organizations, released a letter to the Senate arguing against the nomination of Dr. Robert Califf for commissioner of the FDA due to his support of abortion pills. The letter claimed Califf approved “unsafe mail-order abortion.” The letter was also signed by other Project 2025 partners such as Concerned Women for America, Americans United for Life, Family Policy Alliance, and The Ethics and Public Policy Center. [Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, 1/12/22 ,  2/14/22 ]
• In 2023, The Texas Public Policy Foundation filed an amicus brief in  U.S. Food and Drug Administration v. Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine, defending other Project 2025 partners' effort to limit access to mifepristone.  [ U.S. Supreme Court, U.S. Food and Drug Administration v. Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine , Brief of Amicus Curiae, 2/29/24 ]
• Turning Point USA has published several opinion pieces from contributors attacking mifepristone. In one piece titled “NY Passes Law Requiring Public Universities to Provide the Abortion Pill to Students,” Turning Point USA contributor Morgan Zegers highlighted mail-ordered pills, writing, “Recently, some states have approved the sale of these abortion drugs via online order and mail delivery, a move that has been called reckless as it endangers not just the pre-born child, but also the life of the mother.” [Turning Point USA, 5/3/23 ]
• Turning Point USA contributor Erin Elmore took aim at mifepristone again in a piece asking, “Did the FDA Classify Pregnancy as an Illness to Approve ‘Abortion Pill?’” Elmore said the drug is “has several side effects, doesn’t always work as intended, is linked to the deaths of nearly 30 women, and has caused life-threatening illnesses in hundreds of women.” [Turning Point USA, 4/20/23 ]
• In another blog, Morgonn McMichael wrote about FDA regulations allowing for mifepristone to be sold at retail pharmacies, heavily accentuating the negative side effects of the medication. She writes, “Despite the innumerable side effects, some tolerable, others life-threatening, Plan C, a medical abortion pill provider, still claims that abortion is ‘safer than continuing a pregnancy and having a baby.’” She goes on to add, “Making the abortion pill more accessible is not the win for women that the left is branding it as.” [Turning Point USA, 1/4/23 ]
• Young America’s Foundation published a blog on its website in July 2023 attacking a seminar at Texas A&M University which included information about mifepristone, titled “Pregnant Woman Teaches Texas A&M Students How to Perform Illegal Abortions.” YAF wrote, “Universities should never allow students or guest speakers to use official resources to promote illegal activity. Hopefully, the investigation will result in consequences for the leftist student organization as well as the administrators who approved the all-school invitation.” [Young America’s Foundation, 7/19/23 ]
• In April 2023, YAF filed an amicus brief alongside several other right-wing organizations, which argued that the “FDA abused its own regulation in approving mifepristone in 2000.”  [ U.S. Supreme Court, U.S. Food and Drug Administration v. Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine , Brief of Amicus Curiae, 4/18/23 ]

Securing women’s lives: examining system interactions and perpetrator risk in intimate femicide sentencing judgments over a decade in Australia.

In Australia, at least one woman a week is murdered by her current or former partner. According to Destroy the Joint, this equated to the killing of at least 57 women in 2022 and at least 64 women in 2023 allegedly as a result of men’s violence. At the time of finalising this report, an unusually high number of killings allegedly by men’s violence in the first four months of 2024 in Australia has reignited national attention over the need to better address women’s risk of fatal violence (see, inter alia, AAP, 2024; Priestley, 2024; Tuohy, 2024).

Intimate partner homicides are recognised as the most preventable type of homicide because it is assumed that histories of abuse can provide clear indicators of risk (see, inter alia, Bugeja et al., 2013; Dearden & Jones, 2008; Virueda & Payne, 2010). While intimate partner homicides are monitored and examined in Australia via the work of the Australian Institute of Criminology and state-based death review teams, there is no fully funded, multi-systems approach to the prevention of men’s lethal violence against women (McPhedran & Baker, 2012). As in Australia, international efforts to review and count such deaths are carried out in different ways and are often fraught with difficulties (see, inter alia, Walklate et al., 2020; Dawson & Vega, 2023).

In Australia and comparable international jurisdictions, a range of provisions, measures, laws and programs are designed to assess and address the risk of intimate partner violence. These include civil orders alongside programs that provide increased levels of protection and monitoring for women deemed at high risk of repeat victimisation. These instruments include the development of various risk assessment and management frameworks (Walklate et al., 2020). While magistrates, police and specialist support services use these instruments to identify and respond to risk (Boxall et al., 2015; Robinson & Moloney, 2010; Wakefield & Taylor, 2015), there is evidence that these approaches are limited by their conceptualisations of risk and in their scale of implementation and inconsistency in application.

This project sought to contribute new evidence to inform the further development of whole-of-systems preventive approaches to repeat violence and intimate femicide. Specifically, the project aimed to build evidence based on the following touchpoints:

• Places where an intervention between the initial emergence of family violence and the fatal outcomes had occurred.
• What could potentially be known about those points of intervention.
• If/how the pathway from intervention to safety could be better supported.

This report presents findings from the collection of over 250 intimate femicide sentencing judgments and the in-depth analyses of 235 of these. These judgements were used, in part, to identify potential points of intervention that might have provided an opportunity to prevent such killings. Sentencing judgments typically include narrative accounts from a judge, who describes how and where the crime took place as well as the circumstances that led to it.

This project builds current understandings of the potential points of intervention prior to the killing of women by their male intimate partners. In doing so, this project has contributed to building understanding of who perpetrates intimate femicide.

Australian Research Council (ARC) Discovery Project (1701000706)

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2024 Pathfinder Innovation Project Awardees

Congratulations to the 2024 PIPs Winners!

Pathfinder Innovation Projects (PIPs) challenge EPA scientists to answer the question, "Wouldn't it be amazing if we could ... ?" The internal competition provides staff time and seed funding in pursuit of high-risk, high-reward research ideas. The 15 selected 2024 Pathfinder Innovation Projects cover a range or topics including environmental justice, PFAS, 6PPD-Q, and others. Over the past 11 years EPA has funded 153 PIPs, many of which have led the Agency in new, transformational directions.   Please find the 2024 awardees and projects listed below.

Air Quality Understanding Through Next-gen Local Observations with Communities (AQ-UNLOC) 

Current efforts to monitor volatile organic compounds (VOCs) use either low-cost sensors with little-to-no ability to speciate between chemical classes/compounds (and therefore source), or high-cost, intensive measurements that can identify specific compounds, but do not provide real-time data. This PIP aims to develop a VOC sensing technology that would be an intermediate approach, classifying chemicals and sources while being cheap enough to expand monitoring coverage in communities with environmental justice concerns. The new technology would be especially useful for fenceline communities who could characterize pollution classes and sources from nearby facilities with a suite of sensors at intermediate cost. Upon success, information derived from these sensors would be used to develop communication/educational materials to inform impacted communities.

Bioinformatic Prediction of the Trophic Impacts of Cyanotoxins (BioPTIC) 

Toxins produced by cyanobacteria (cyanotoxins) can be harmful to humans and other organisms, yet the effects of most are poorly characterized. Even what we know of the effects of well-studied cyanotoxins are mostly restricted to standard indicator species, which can make extrapolation tenuous when dealing with “real-world” ecological communities. This PIP aims to use EPA’s ECOTOXicology Knowledgebase (ECOTOX) and Sequence Alignment to Predict Across Species Susceptibility (SeqAPASS) to create a next-generation bioinformatics pipeline that predicts the susceptibility of individual aquatic species to cyanotoxins and anticipates cyanotoxin effects on whole aquatic ecological communities. This next-generation sequencing and bioinformatics technology might allow for rapid, non-intrusive, cost-effective predictions of sensitivity that would complement and enhance existing indices of biotic integrity as well as inform risk assessment. 

Breathe It In – Let It Out: Building a Workflow to Fill Data Gaps in Biotransformation for In Vitro Respiratory Tract Models 

As the toxicology community moves away from animal models towards in vitro methods, it is important to determine which new in vitro methods best represent natural systems. This PIP aims to assess how newer sophisticated cell culture approaches at the air-liquid interface represent biotransformation in respiratory tract models, particularly in the tracheobronchial region of the respiratory tract. Upon success, findings will set parameters for model applicability to represent biotransformation potential for the respiratory tract and provide a foundation to explore the interaction of potential toxicants in vitro for better prediction of human health impacts.

Comprehensive Approaches for Calculating Ambient Inhalation Risk 

EPA routinely quantifies ambient inhalation risk associated with designated hazardous air pollutants (HAPs). This PIP seeks to accomplish two tasks using the Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ) regional air quality model with the new Community Regional Atmospheric Chemistry Multiphase Mechanism (CRACMM). One is to compare toxicity and dosimetry of HAPs from this model to other existing new approach methods, and the second is to evaluate the potential impacts of non-HAP pollutants on overall health risks. Results from this work could build confidence in the use of new toxicity estimation approaches and/or identify limitations. 

Emissions Measurements Plus Odor Wheel Electronic Reports (EMPOWER) 

Fenceline communities can be impacted by local sources of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), hazardous air pollutants (HAPs), and odorous chemicals that enhance exposure risk and exacerbate quality of life issues. Communities that live near these sources have the right to know what is in the air they breathe every day. This PIP aims to develop an air quality dashboard that synthesizes near-source air quality measurements, participatory science odor observations, and online meteorological data into a unique data analysis and visualization framework that can be used by both fenceline communities and air quality researchers.

Enhancing Biothreat Detection in Water Supply Systems Using a Novel High-throughput Identification and Quantification Approach 

In the event of a bioterrorism attack that contaminates the US water supply, it is critical to quickly identify the infectious agent that has been released. However, current high-throughput sequencing methods for identifying unknow agents are poorly suited to the organism (single cell) level and lack the capability to quickly and accurately quantify the number of pathogenic cells present. This PIP aims to develop a high-throughput method using droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) to precisely detect and quantify individual bacteria in drinking water systems. These outcomes will provide a solid basis for future studies and potential uses in handling bioterrorism threats.

Event Triggered Passive Aerosol Sampler (ETPAS) 

Intermittent hazardous air pollution events are episodes of elevated air pollution characterized by high levels of harmful contaminants. They can be anthropogenic, natural, or sometimes both. These intermittent events present challenges for traditional sampling systems, which are optimized for longer collection periods at lower concentrations. This PIP aims to engineer a passive sampling system that is triggered by intermittent hazardous air pollution events. The system will use a PM10 passive aerosol sampler with a mechanical cover that can be opened upon a triggering threshold event and sealed at the end of this intermittent hazardous air pollution event to capture the event specific contamination. These samples will then be analyzed by computer-controlled electron microscopy (CCSEM) to analyze the size, concentration, and elemental constituents of the aerosol particles transported during intermittent air pollution events. If successful, this PIP could empower impacted communities and decision-makers with actionable information about intermittent pollution events reducing or mitigating their potential harm.

maskynet: A Python Package Leveraging EPA’s Stormwater Management Model for Geoprivacy Tools in Wastewater Surveillance 

Wastewater surveillance is an increasingly important public health tool, but the spatial resolution of this method raises questions about data privacy. This PIP aims to develop a Python package to anonymize (or “mask”) the locations of sewer sampling sites. The package will use EPA’s Stormwater Management Model to incorporate sewer network travel times to avoid revealing fine-scale information about individuals near sampling points. Upon success, the final product will modify existing sewer network data to align with desired privacy levels and ensure minimal disruption to disease hotspot identification or targeted intervention models while addressing ethical concerns about privacy, biases, economic, and social harm upon public data release.

Molecular Networking and Modeling for Non-targeted Analysis (MNAMNA) 

Non-targeted analysis (NTA) has promise to greatly increase detection of contaminants of emerging concern, but current approaches rely on limited libraries of spectra and known chemical transformations. This PIP aims to use molecular modeling and molecular networking tools linking a priori environmental transformation pathway to a priori mass spectral fragmentation pattern through molecular networking in a bottom-up approach. Successful implementation would provide EPA with another tool to employ during NTA studies increasing the rate of identification for unknown chemicals that lack specific reference information.

Protecting Salmon with Green Infrastructure: An Ecological Approach to Capturing and Attenuating the Tire Additive 6PPD in Stormwater 

6PPD—a chemical additive commonly found in tires—and 6PPD-quinone (6PPD-Q)—a degradation byproduct of 6PPD—enters stormwater, threatening salmonoid species, other aquatic wildlife, and potentially human health. This PIP aims to evaluate various green infrastructure medium designs for filtering 6PPD and 6PPD-Q from stormwater runoff. The researchers will test various substrate/biochar matrixes to determine optimal bioretention filtration systems for 6PPD/6PPD-Q, protecting both human health, aquatic resources, and culturally significant salmon populations for Pacific Northwest Tribes.

Quantifying Impacts of Microplastics on Blue Carbon 

Mangrove forests are important reservoirs of blue carbon (carbon stored by the ocean and coastal ecosystems), but microplastics are an under-researched threat to the carbon storage potential of these ecosystems. This PIP aims to combine remote sensing with in situ sampling methods to map the distribution of microplastics in Everglades National Park. The researchers will then develop a model to quantify the impact of these microplastics on carbon storage potential. This model will be used to identify “hot spots” that can be targeted for future monitoring and mitigation.

Quantum Enhanced Matrix Factorization Algorithms for Source Apportionment 

EPA is currently in the process of developing an open-source replacement for its Positive Matrix Factorization (PMF) tool, which is used for estimating source apportionment of air and water quality data. This PIP aims to explore quantum and quantum hybrid algorithms that could improve this tool. The researchers will evaluate existing quantum-based matrix factorization algorithms and determine which algorithms could be adapted for an environmental science context to optimize PMF workflows. Quantum-based algorithms have the potential to provide improved computational runtimes and/or more optimal solutions with a lower loss value. 

Revitalizing Forest Modeling: Unleashing Molecular Biomarkers for Precision in Climate Change Predictions 

Forests, vital for ecosystem services and climate change mitigation, face challenges from evolving environmental changes. Existing climate change mathematic models often focus on whole organisms, such as trees, when characterizing and predicting climate change effects on forest development. However, whole organism models do not incorporate that trees may adapt to rising temperatures and increased drought by modifying the quantity and composition of proteins (proteome) in their tissues. This PIP aims to identify predictive region-specific protein biomarkers for temperature and drought adaptation that can be used to assess, predict, and manage forests amid changing climatic conditions. Capturing the interplay between genetic factors, biochemical processes, and environmental stressors enhances predictive accuracy for informed decision-making. 

The Role of Viruses in Fish Tumors and Deformities Within the Great Lakes Areas of Concern 

EPA is responsible for developing and implementing remediation plans to protect beneficial uses at chemically contaminated areas of concern (AOC) throughout the Great Lakes Region. The prevalence of fish tumors is one of the impairments of beneficial use that determine whether an area is considered an AOC. While high levels of fish tumors have been associated with exposure to environmental contaminants, there is a knowledge gap in the role viruses play in fish tumor development within these AOCs. This PIP aims to examine the connection between viral infection and fish tumors, creating a reference database of fish viruses in the Great Lakes that can be used for future metagenomic analysis and ideally a model addressing the potentially causative relationship between viral infection and fish neoplasia.

Tunable Photonic Activation for Optimized Electrochemical PFAS Mineralization 

As PFAS treatment becomes an increasingly important priority, there remains a significant need to investigate technologies for PFAS destruction. This PIP aims to develop stable and robust photoelectrodes, prioritizing abundant materials that can be used to destroy PFAS by mineralization using a photo-enabled electrochemistry approach. This new process could result in rapid, energy-efficient, and cost-effective destruction of PFAS.

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