Michael Ogbu

We will never overemphasize the significance of research as a craft, and why we must always have to approach it in a professional and methodical manner, too. While it’s true that it’s not everyone who would want to become a professional researcher, yet, in every once in a while, we are most likely to seek new information; to search for new answers to a host of issues and topics of interest. Research therefore, is the aggregate of such systematic steps and activities which we engage in while trying to unravel some uncertainties or while seeking to acquire knowledge of sorts.

Conversely, research, whether done in a sophisticated scientific laboratory or as an inquiry by an individual, is a serious task that is intended to produce a conclusive evidence. As an academic engagement, therefore, some systematic steps are outlined and expected to be followed; such that are of little or no interest to most students, and in many cases, even to researchers of high repute.

By implication, it doesn’t matter how long you may have been in the business of conducting research; it is hardly a much anticipated or exciting venture for anyone. There are usually a time, even as a seasoned researcher, when you’d wish to discontinue with a particular project. You get worn out by it, and are likely to abandon it with the hope of coming back to it later. But, in most cases we never get to make that desired come back as we lose interest, or are overtaken by other events. In many other times, we are stuck and are merely trying to get by, merely pushing.

This is what some people call a creative block, the sort that hits every artist or creative, every now and then. Creative block, although not peculiar to research, appears to be mostly identified with it, more than most other engagements. Trust me, we all have been there one time or the other, as either professional writers or researchers, or both, as it often is. I too, have been there more times than not – abandoned many projects and got stuck in others, like I was in a dark hole. And being that I consider research to be an irreplaceable facet of scholarship, and of writing; over time, I have come to seek new ways of circumnavigating this reoccurring situation. I sought and found some unassuming but practical approaches with which I have grown more comfortable in carrying out my research projects, with relatable ease and excitement.

Understand the Power of Planning

Planning in research, just like any other venture, is overwhelmingly important. Implicitly, planning is the basic principle of efficiency, the fundamental process with which we circumvent the scores of conflicts that confront us in our daily or organisational lives. Planning by indication is an indispensable tool with which we steady ourselves as we carry out most of our tasks. It is as important in research as it is in most other activities.

A plan is like a compass, a guide that points you to the right and desired destination of your research project. It is true that we may find some research plans unsuitable for a particular project, and would need to make some adjustments along the way, but not having a plan at all would also amount to wandering aimlessly as you go about your research project, or any other result-oriented activity for that matter. It is therefore pertinent that we begin every research with a sort of plan, even if it is an informal one.   

Adopt the Enthusiasm of a Child

The systematic nature of research (especially academic research) bequeaths it with a set of laid down rules. And as we know, the human mind has the propensity to conflict with laws and order. In fact, we mostly obey common laws not because we wish to, but because of the inherent consequences. The laws in research are such that you have to follow certain steps that would lead to a conclusive result. Sounds amazing, right? However, that in most cases is what makes research tiresome and unexciting for most people, including me. To overcome that, in my years as a researcher, I have come to master the ability to inject a good measure of enthusiasm into the process. I’d imagined the length we went as kids to unravel puzzles, or construct our kites. Thinking about the things that had kept us glued to those projects no matter how long it took, without losing an ounce of interest, you would agree that it was nothing short of the infectious enthusiasm we had towards them. The satisfaction in flying our newly constructed kites at the end was quite rewarding, such that we didn’t pay attention to the pains of the process. Same can be true of the results of every successful research project. Keeping our minds on the results should be the ultimate provenance of our commitment to start and conclude our research projects, doing so efficiently.

Also, what hinders the successful and smooth conduct of research most of the time is the data collection process which in some types of research has to do with asking questions from people. It could be while sourcing information from the library or even conducting interviews with the research subjects. Either ways, you need a good dose of enthusiasm to be able to objectively approach your librarian or your research subjects while you glean resources/responses for your research project.

Be Flexible with your approach

As expected, every type of research requires a certain design and approach, and the rule of thumb entails that we must follow through with the right design, or a combination of them to achieve the desired result. However, we get caught in the web sometimes when we realise that we had adopted a wrong research approach. That could be frustrating, causing us to probably back out of such project. This may not occur too often, but it is advisable that we should always anticipate the possibility of such situations and prepare our minds for it. This calls for our ability to readjust our minds at will, in case of such eventualities. In this sense, we ought to reinvent our approach towards research to expect and accept that setbacks are inevitable. Such approach is what would spur you to detour when necessary and carry on with your research project, ensuring that you complete and produce resourceful result at the end.

In summary, having a plan before embarking on a research is the surest guaranty to an organised, smooth and effective outcome. Furthermore, being flexible, having your mind on the goal, and being enthusiastic about the process will ensure that you don’t only start, but would finish your research project excitedly.