How to Execute A Successful Dissertation Research Plan at PhD Level?
As you are here on this website and reading this article, there is a high chance that you are at a stage of your research where you want to translate your research aims, objectives, and questions into a dissertation research plan. You probably have some idea about how to execute this plan at PhD level. Still, executing this plan right is the most dreadful task that you face. So, in this scenario, you need support in the form of guidelines and today’s article is that guideline.
Constructing and executing a successful dissertation research plan is not an easy task. It requires you to have extraordinary writing and research skills. However, sometimes a spark in the form of guidelines is enough. This is why in this post, I am going to unpack the strategies to execute such a plan successfully. But before anything else, let’s describe what this research plan is and what its importance is in research.
What is a dissertation research plan? Is it really a plan or proposal?
A research plan is an effective division of all the things involved in a research study that guides you about the study. Many people overlap a plan with a proposal. Although they are the same written pieces of information, they differ slightly in their purpose. A proposal serves the purpose of convincing someone, and a plan serves the purpose of explaining your research. Essentially, a dissertation research plan explains what your research is about and how you want to conduct it. It does not answer the question of why because “why” is related to convincing the audience, and convincing is specific to the proposal. So, this is what a research plan is all about.
Why is it important to write a research plan?
Many students ask a question about the importance of a research plan. The answer to their question is that: a plan is a plan. It is important to create a plan because it explains what you intend to do, how to intend to do it, what resources you desire to use, and what results you expect to obtain after the research. Most importantly, a dissertation research plan is the blueprint of your research study. Therefore, it should be executed successfully.
How to execute a successful research plan?
After reading the information above, you have got a good idea of the research plan and its importance. However, still, you do not have an idea of how to execute a plan successfully. Now is the time to explain this. Hence, a brief description of the things that you need to consider all the time to execute a successful research plan is as follows:
- Abstract or summary of your plan
To execute a research plan, you first develop the abstract of your research study. The abstract is the synopsis of your research project. The abstract is one of the things that your audience reads, so craft it carefully. This part of your research plan should include the research rationale, its main objectives and a description of the methods.
- Background of the research problem
After abstract comes the background of a research problem. This is where you contextualise your research and set the scene for upcoming information. You refer briefly to the relevant literature, policy, theory, or practice related to the problem. It is the section where you must highlight why is your research plan important to carry out.
- Literature review
Performing an extensive literature review is the next step that you take to execute a successful dissertation research plan. It means that you critically evaluate the scholarly papers published in your research area. The literature review may also comprise reading in-house reports of an organisation and national or local policy documents. Many students face difficulties in finding this kind of literature. If you are one of them, then do not forget to take a PhD dissertation help.
- Research design and methods
The most important section of all in a research plan is the research design and method section. This is the section which explains your overall approach to the research problem. It explains the research methods you intend to use to collect the data and analyse it. Also, in this section, you discuss the potential reasons why you have opted for a particular research method.
Conclusion
Hence, these are the major things you need to discuss in your research plan to execute it successfully. Do not take these things as the final ones because there are many others. For example, your research plan may include budget, ethical issues, project timetable etc. You can only create a successful dissertation research plan by discussing the above-mentioned 4 things. So, read this article from start to end and craft your research plan.
