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Section 1: GETTING IT RIGHT UP FRONT: THE BIG QUESTIONS
Step One: What do I need to know?
Before embarking on your research project you need to have clear answers to the following questions:
Q What do I need to know?
Q How will I use that knowledge?
If you cannot answer these questions clearly you may need to refine the scope of your project or scrutinise your motives for doing it in the first place.
"Make sure the research is independent and not self-interested."
Consultant
Most research projects that fail to meet their objectives do so because the question or the hypothesis they are trying to address is unclear both to the commissioner and the researcher.
As part of your answer to the second question you should identify both who will benefit from your project and how you are going to disseminate the project’s findings. You should also be able to identify how you will know whether or not your project has achieved its aims. Evaluation and dissemination, while considered in the final section of this guide, are both aspects that need to be planned for, and started, at the beginning of the process.
Health warning: Keep the question simple and do not try to address too much at once. Multiple questions will often require different skill sets and approaches. This may mean undertaking additional research projects.
"We tried to do too much and ended up doing nothing properly"
Commissioner
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