Getting start on your research

Getting started on your research

This week I got a research induction class, together with a bunch of postgraduate research students. I only noticed one guy who is a masters student like me. The rest of them are all PhD students. And most of them were young people, probably still at their twenties.

Okay, now forget about the people in the class. What draw much of my attention and made me start to worry much is the presentations of the speakers and the discussions with others.

Let me summarize what i got from the class:

Getting Started

1. SWOT analysis is all about awareness. You should be aware of:
- your weakness, from day one! E.g: better time management
- opportunities; you would never know what one small thing can lead you to something unimaginable :)

2. Understand your transition, from coursework to research, which is a transition from a "reactive" style of learning into a "proactive" study method.

3. Understand the big picture.
Make reference maps. It's a map consisting of:
- project description of TOP institute websites
- TOP conference proceedings announcements
- invited talks in proceedings
- panel sessions in proceedings
It is important to make sure your reference map do not end up like a soup :p You need to categorize the research articles into groups, which may overlap in some papers or so.

4. Read extensively, not intensively. Initially you need a big picture, then eventually as time progress you can get deeper. As a practical suggestion, read only these:

abstract - conclusions - intro - related works

How to make best use of time for research

1. Make a plan.

2. Have a clear research direction.

3. Review and summarize periodically.

4. Make data backups!

5. Sleep enough and stay healthy :)

bonus: regular writing for reflection and to develop ideas

How to improve relations with your supervisor

1. Meet regularly.

2. Discuss problems as soon as they arise.

3. Record meetings, and send it back to your supervisor.

4. Set expectations up front.

5. Exchange ideas

bonus: BE TRUTHFUL AND HONEST

It's very easy to understand and say these stuff. Now what i need to do is... do it :(