This is an outside chance and Im sorry to ask but I really hope you can help me. Ive got a research proposal to write for a class on research methods, but my professor is super unhelpful in explaining the steps and Im getting so confused in how to do it. He tells me my methodology is wrong, but when I ask for help he just says I need to work it out myself because thats the assignment
I dont know if this is your specialization or not but the deadline is approaching. I dont want you to do it for me obviously but how do I go about this? Im mad stressed and Im stuck. How do you write a good methodology? Is there a system everyone else knows but me?
Well, first of all, your professor is a shit teacher, so jot that down.
Second of all, I'm so sorry you're so stressed. Even through this ask I can FEEL your mental state trying to dissolve. But, I promise you can do this, Anon. You won't enjoy it; but, that's not the same thing. You can do it.
Third of all, there's no universal system; BUT, good news! There's an Elanor System. And I'm about to teach it to you. Take my hand. We've got this.
Step 1 - the Research Questions
Your research questions should be formatted as literal questions, and this is what your study wants to answer. "How many fruit pastilles does it take to choke a kestrel?" "Do dragons breathe hotter fire in the day than the night?" "Are oak trees more effective than beeches at stabilising Welsh soils?"
Have at least one question, and an absolute maximum of three. Crucially, these questions need to be specific. For example:
"What's the link between coastal development and sand lizard conservation?" - too broad. How are we defining "conservation"? How can you measure it?
"Are sand lizard populations higher in undeveloped areas than developed areas?" - much better. Directly actionable (you just count them), easily defined (has the coastal site been built on or not)
For the sake of this tutorial, I shall use that last one.
Step 2 - Anticipate the Data
So, put simply, what data/results would answer this question?
I'm not talking the actual data yet, obviously - you need to carry out the research to get that! But, in broad terms, what sort of thing is needed for you to consider that question answered?
Take a look at our example - Are sand lizard populations higher in undeveloped areas than developed areas?
Some developed (i.e. built up) sites
Some undeveloped (i.e. semi-natural) sites
A head count of the sand lizards in each
Then, sketch out for yourself what this data might look like in a table, graph, map, etc. Whatever format is needed to display the data. Here's our lizards:
The numbers are totally made up, of course. It's not about them. They aren't part of this experience. The TYPE of data, on the other hand, is; because this now leads perfectly into the next step:
This is no longer a broad, vague and terrifying spectre. This is now specific and targeted. Your protocol now is not about testing for "sand lizard conservation". It's about getting the actual numbers to plug into that graph above.
So, I now know I need to do a census of sand lizards in a selection of developed/undeveloped sites. This is the central plank of my methodology.
Firstly: how many sites? Maybe five of each type? How am I defining "developed" and "undeveloped"? What other variables might affect this, e.g. sand dune height/stability, visitation numbers, predator numbers, etc. A little bit of research will let me decide these points, and then I just need to select the sites locally. Do they have public access? Maybe logistics mean this comes down to three of each type.
Secondly, what are the best census techniques for sand lizards? Again, a bit of research will tell me this. Nothing wrong with finding a published paper that's already looked at this, and copying their methodology - it's peer-reviewed, and replicability is important in science.
Thirdly, consider the following:
Is your protocol written out clearly in an easy-to-follow way? Think of baking recipes. Could a third party replicate your work based on your description?
Variables. I've mentioned some already, but what else? An obvious answer here is weather - will that affect sand lizard numbers between sites? What about time of day/year?
Replicability: if you or anyone else wanted to do the same study in five years' time, or on a different selection of sites, etc, could they? They should be able to.
Practicality: are you physically capable of the tasks? Do you have the necessary equipment? Etc
But, fundamentally, your protocol should be able to get you the data you identified in step 2. If instead my plan here was just to count lizards on a single beach, that would be a fail - there's no site comparison. If instead I decided to survey the dune vegetation in both, that might well provide good habitat insights, but it's not getting me the abundance data I need to make that graph.
We have a protocol! So now: the logistics
Can your plans be done in the time you have available?
Maybe I only have three weeks to count my lizards. If so, depending on the weather, that may well be too little time for a full ten sites. Especially if each site requires more than one visit. If so, I need to amend my plans.
My recommendation for this step:
Work out how much time you have available
List the individual jobs needed (e.g. walk 100m transect 5 times)
Estimate how long each job will take, using whatever unit is appropriate (e.g. days)
Evaluate - is there enough time?
Gantt charts are great for this, and you can find free online Gantt chart makers. They also look good in the research proposal
And that, in a nutshell, is it! There's obviously more depth you can add in various ways, but that's your basic protocol construction. The value of a protocol is how well it can answer its research questions - I imagine this is where you're going wrong atm, and currently you're being too broad. So, start with the questions, decide on the needed data, work out the steps needed to get that data, assess logistics.
If you're still struggling, hmu, but hopefully this helps
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