Queen's Learning Commons
Queen's University- Understanding Expectations
- Identifying Your Research Questions
- Developing a Methodology or Methodological Framework
- Reviewing the literature in your field
- Establishing a dissertation committee
- Writing a dissertation proposal
- Creating a Work Plan
- Creating a Disseration Support Network
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Conducting Research
- Research in the Humanities
- Research in the Social Sciences
- Research in the Natural Sciences
- Conducting a comprehensive literature review
- Outlining and drafting chapters
- Taking care of visual details
- Reviewing, revising & submitting your text
- Creating defense draft & defending dissertation
- Writing the Abstract
- Finalizing Revisions
- Submitting Dissertation
- Getting Closure
Research in the Social Sciences
Social science projects may involve quantitative, qualitative, or a combined methodology for investigating your research question(s). Regardless of your methodology, you are typically expected to gather, organize, and analyze a fair amount of data before you begin writing.
- Create a Budget
- You may want to write a grant to get funds for your study for things such as transcribing, computer software, and running statistical data.
- Determine possible expenses and calculate costs.
- Submit application for use of human subjects from GREB (General Research Ethics Board).
- This is necessary if you are working with human research subjects in any way.
- Download and submit forms in a timely manner.
- Establish an information database or filing system.
- Organize your files, contacts, observations, field notes, and bibliographic information.
- Consult resources from the bibliographic link in this Dissertation Calculator for tips.
- Develop a research checklist or timetable.
- Break your work down by week, hour, and day, including tasks to be accomplished.
- Design a visible calendar or checklist.
- Refer back to stage 7 for tips.
- Proceed with data collection and input.
- Follow your checklist to make sure you cover each step such as running test groups, or doing interviews.
- Input data as you go along and keep up to date on notes.
- Complete your tasks from the timetable.
- Writing and theory-building are part of research in the social sciences, and you need to complete each task systematically.
- Monitor your checklist (literally marking each step accomplished) and assess what additional steps need to be taken or documented.
Based on the original Dissertation Calculator from the University of Minnesota Libraries.