Blueprints for Academic Research Projects
Today's post is written by Dr. Ben Ellway, the founder of www.academic-toolkit.com. Ben completed his Ph.D. at The University of Cambridge and created the Research Design Canvas, a multipurpose tool for learning about academic research and designing a research project.
Based on requests from students for examples of completed research canvases, Ben created the Research Model Builder Canvas.
This canvas modifies the original questions in the nine building blocks to enable students to search for key information in a journal article and then reassemble it on the canvas to form a research model — a single-page visual summary of the journal article which captures how the research was designed and conducted.
Ben’s second book, Building Research Models, explains how to use the Research Model Builder Canvas to become a more confident and competent reader of academic journal articles, while simultaneously building research models to use as blueprints to guide the design of your own project.
Ben has created a template for Stormboard based on this tool and this is his brief guide on how to begin using it.
Starting with a blank page can be daunting
The Research Design Canvas brings together the key building blocks of academic research on a single page and provides targeted questions to help you design your own project. However, starting with a blank page can be a daunting prospect!
Academic research is complex as it involves multiple components, so designing and conducting your own project can be overwhelming, especially if you lack confidence in making decisions or are confused about how the components of a project fit together. It is much easier to start a complex task and long process such as designing a research project when you have an existing research model or ‘blueprint’ to work from.
Starting with a ‘blueprint’ — tailored to your topic area — is much easier
Using the Research Model Builder Canvas, you can transform a journal article in your topic into a research model or blueprint — a single-page visualization of how a project was designed and conducted.
The research model — and equally importantly the process of building it — will improve your understanding of academic research, and will also provide you with a personalized learning resource for your Thesis. You can use the research model as a blueprint to refer to specific decisions and their justification, and how components of research fit together, to help you begin to build your own project.
Obviously, each project is unique so you’ll be using the blueprint as a guide rather than as a ‘cookie cutter’ solution. Seeing the components of a completed research project together on a single page (which you produced from a ten or twenty-page journal article) — is a very powerful learning resource to have on your academic research journey.
Build research models on Stormboard
If you prefer to work digitally rather than with paper and pen, you can use the Research Model Builder Canvas Template in Stormboard.
By using the Stormboard template, you’ll be able to identify key content and points from the journal article and then quickly summarize these on digital sticky notes. You can easily edit the sticky notes to rearrange, delete, or expand upon the ideas and points. You can then refer back to the permanent visual research model you created, share it with fellow students, or discuss it with your supervisors.
What are the building blocks of the research model?
The template has nine building blocks.
The original questions in the building blocks of the research design canvas are modified in the research model builder canvas. They are designed to help you locate the most important points, decisions, and details in a journal article.
A brief introduction to the purpose of each building block is provided below to help you familiarize yourself with the research model you will build.
Phenomenon / Problem
What does the research focus on? What were the main ‘things’ investigated and discussed in the journal article? Did the research involve a real-world problem?
Literature
What area (or areas) of past literature are identified and introduced? Which sources are especially important?
Observations & Arguments
What are the most crucial points made by the authors in their analysis of past research? What evidence, issues, and themes are the focus of the literature review? Is a gap in past research identified?
Research Questions / Hypotheses
What are the research questions and/or hypotheses? How are they justified? If none are stated, what line of investigation is pursued?
Theory & Concepts
Does the research involve a theoretical or conceptual component? If so, what are the key concepts / theory? What role do they play in the research?
Methodology / Design / Methods
What methods and data were used? How are the decisions justified?
Sample / Context
What sampling method is used? Is the research context important?
Contributions
What contribution(s) do the authors claim that their research makes? Is the value-add more academically or practically-oriented? Are real-world stakeholders and the implications for them mentioned?
Philosophical Assumptions / Research Paradigm
These are not usually mentioned or discussed in journal articles. Indeed, this building block can be confusing if you are not familiar with research philosophy or are confused by its seemingly abstract focus. If you understand these ideas, can you identify any implicit assumptions or a research paradigm in the article?
Compare two research models to appreciate the diversity of research
The easiest way to increase your appreciation of the different types and ways of conducting academic research is to build multiple research models.
Start by building two models. Compare and contrast them. Which decisions and aspects are similar and which are different? What can you learn from each research model and how can this help you when designing your own research and Thesis?
Building research models will help you to appreciate the diversity in the different types of research conducted in your topic area.
Conclusion
Transforming a ten or twenty-page journal article into a single-page visual summary is a powerful way to learn about how academic research is designed and conducted — and also what a completed research project looks like.
The Stormboard template makes the process of building research models easy, and the ability to save, edit, and share them ensures that you’ll be able to refer back to these blueprints at various stages throughout your research journey and Thesis writing process.
When you get confused, become stuck, or feel overwhelmed by the complexity of academic research, you can fall back on the research models you created to guide you and get you back on track. Good luck!
Are you interested in trying the Research Model Builder Canvas? Sign up for a free trial now!
Keep Reading
