We explain what a research project is and the parts that make it up. Also, the steps to make one and examples.
What is a research project?
It is understood as a research project a methodological document, often academicin which the set of procedures that will be undertaken, the hypothesis that is pursued with them and the bibliographic support that is available are explained and described in detail, for an exploration to come in a specific area of knowledge: sciences, sciences social, humanities, etc. This is a specialized report prior to carrying out the experiments or documentary reviews.
Research projects are usually used in the academic and scientific-technological fields, given that they are areas that basically train researchers and that have funded projects to develop a particular area of human knowledge.
Research projects typically They are evaluated by a specialized and impartial jurywhich must decide whether the researcher or group of them is proposing research that is possible, valuable, and worthy of conferring a university degree or a funding quota (or even both).
Degree theses, in this sense, are usually preceded by a research project where it is clear what you intend to do and how.
Parts of a research project
Typically, a research project contains most of the following items:
- Tentative title. A working name of the research, tentatively summarizing the topic to be addressed and the approach.
- Statement of the Problem. An introduction to the research topic, emphasizing the most relevant aspects for it and the questions to which we will try to solve.
- Background. A review of previous research on the same or similar topics, explaining how it differs and what aspects are inherited from them.
- Justification. Closely linked to the above, it gives a perspective on how much the research will contribute to the field of knowledge in which it is inserted and why it should be financed or taken into account.
- Theoretical framework. A relationship between the theoretical content and the steps of the research, detailing the axes on which it will be based, the theoretical sources that will be used and why.
- Goals. Here the general objective of the research will be explained, its primary and central task, and then also the specific, that is, secondary, objectives linked to each stage of the research.
- Methodological framework. A list of the procedures and practical steps to follow during the research, provided with explanations regarding the procedures themselves: why choose one type of experiment instead of another, detailing a work schedule, a budget relationship, etc.
- Bibliographic references. It details the bibliographic content consulted, whether it provided key quotes and texts, or whether it only served to create a framework of reference for the research.
Steps to prepare a research project
Broadly speaking, the steps to develop a project should be:
- Define the topic. You cannot begin to investigate without having at least some coordinates regarding what interests us and why. At this point personal passions come into play.
- Make a bibliographical survey. Review everything that has been said on the subject, the main authors, compile material, refine the sources that will be used and give them a first reading.
- Define the objectives. Once you know what has been said about it, you can choose your own path, a series of questions that trigger the investigation.
- Define the method. It refers to choosing which authors to work with, in what way, with what experiments, what type of research to carry out, etc.
- Prepare the report. Write the sections of the project and check that they express the desired points of view.
Example of a research project
- Tentative title of the research
The figure of the beggar in 19th century French literature
- Problem statement
French literature of the 19th century is heir to the Enlightenment and therefore adheres to the realist school, trying to reflect the problems of the real, everyday world. In this context, the beggar emerges as a figure freed from social pressure and capable of making judgments, in which the author's own thoughts could be reflected.
- Background
In most approaches to literary realism, attention is paid to the figure of the social marginalized: beggars and prostitutes. This is what the critic Pinkster (1992) does in his book on Baudelaire's poems dedicated to poverty, among other interesting critics.
- Justification
Understanding the correlation between the beggar and the 19th century French author will give us clues regarding the history of the notion of “author” in the West and its entry into crisis at the beginning of the 20th century, which could explain the emergence of the avant-garde. among them surrealism, born in France itself.
- Theoretical framework
The works of Pinkster (1992) et. al., as well as books The beggar as a universal archetype (Fourier, 2007) and the works of Charles Baudelaire, Jean Barnaby Amé and Alphonse Allais, which will be our corpus of study.
- Goals
– General objective: Verify the discursive meaning of the character of the beggar in three French authors of the 19th century.
– Specific objectives:
a.- Demonstrate the recurrence of the figure of the beggar.
b.- Review the speech put in the beggar's mouth taking into account the political context of the time.
c.- Compare what was found with the opinions expressed by the authors.
- Methodological framework
The works will be read and the findings will be critically compared. An explanatory monograph will then be written.
- Literature
– Pinkster, E. (1992). 19th century French literature.
– Fourier, M. (2007). The beggar as a universal archetype.
