Hi all and happy Friday! For your weekend fun, I am linking to a flowchart that will easily help all of us navigate our way to brilliant research. Seriously, this stems from last year’s ABA Section on Dispute Resolution panel on the above topic.
Based on Tim’s original flowchart with additional nuances from the panel conversation and the excellent graphic design of my lovely assistant Carrie, I’ve now updated the chart to highlight key questions to ask along the way to your successful research and publication. Happy to hear comments and suggestions!
Thanks to you, Andrea and Tim, for your useful and fun flowchart.
I will take you up on your request for comments and suggestions.
As I reflect on my motivations for doing empirical research, it feels similar but somewhat different than anger (though perhaps that’s because I generally don’t focus on issues involving a lot of serious injustices). Sometimes I am just curious, but sometimes I feel frustrated about what I see as misconceptions in popular views and I want to see if there is “a better way” to understand things.
Here are a couple of things related to empirical research you might add to the next version of your flowchart.
Do you have a particular question that empirical data would help answer? If not, refine your question or rely on other sources for analysis.
Are you competent to do the research? If you are not sure, the answer is no. If not, consult or collaborate with an experienced researcher.
Are you willing to collect unbiased data* and follow the data wherever it leads, even if it points in directions different from your preconceptions (aka “hypotheses”)? If not, stop.
Have you read What Me–A Social Scientist? If not, do not pass go, do not collect $200.
_____________
* It is impossible to eliminate all biases from social science research. A major purpose of using good research methodology is to minimize potential biases.