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RGSV DIGITAL LIBRARY. ACCESS TO RELIABLE ACADEMIC JOURNALS.

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RGSV DIGITAL LIBRARY. ACCESS TO RELIABLE ACADEMIC JOURNALS.

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Here, you can access academic journals in any subject area. It's a school website so just have that information on hand when logging in. Enjoy!

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DATABASES FOR ACADEMIC JOURNAL - BY SUBJECT

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DATABASES FOR ACADEMIC JOURNAL - BY SUBJECT

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Databases for Academic Journals - By Subject

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What is Cultural Awareness? The Importance of Becoming Culturally Sensitive and Aware

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What is Cultural Awareness? The Importance of Becoming Culturally Sensitive and Aware

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Cultural awareness means being sensitive to the differences and similarities between two cultures when communicating or interacting with members of other cultural groups. Cultural sensitivity involves inculcating values, attitudes, and knowledge that display openness and respect for different cultures, religions, languages, manner of dress, and communication styles.

Although language plays a significant role in developing cultural awareness, being fluent in a foreign language doesn't mean that you're culturally aware, as there are nuances and a wide range of contextual meanings for words that native speakers use, which you can't learn from books alone.

Culture is a broad term that refers to the social behaviour, customs, and beliefs of a particular group or society, which develop over time.

Cultural awareness is often used interchangeably with other terms, such as 'cultural safety' and 'cultural competence.' The following definitions will help you understand the meaning of each term. Practical knowledge of these terms will facilitate effective, appropriate, and safe communication with people of different cultures.
If you are interested in our Indigenous Cultural Awareness Training, you can learn more at this link.
A Detailed Definition Of Cultural Awareness

Cultural awareness involves raising people's understanding of the influence our culture has on how we do things , including how we communicate, what foods we eat, or even how we go about our work. Being culturally aware means understanding diversity why cultural diversity is important and recognising that not every person will do things in the same manner as we do. Being mindful of this allows us to be more respectful of the way others operate based on their cultural backgrounds. While you may not be intimately familiar with other cultures, if you at least understand your own culture and how it affects you, you can take the first step in developing a sense of cultural awareness when it comes to interacting with people who may have a different background than yourself.

Cultural awareness helps you understand yourself better, your weaknesses, your psychology, and how to become a better person. It also helps with cognitive flexibility, problem-solving, decision - making, and improved communication skills.

In the professional world, many people, including medical staff, diplomats, teachers, and business professionals, find that being culturally aware has a positive influence on their ability to perform their duties.

Essentially, any person with some form of cultural understanding will benefit because cultural awareness is all about helping people get along without misunderstandings, confusion, or poor decisions getting in the way. So, why is cultural awareness important? If you're interested to learn more about why cultural awareness is so important, we go in - depth on the topic in the article linked above.

Understanding Cultural Safety

Cultural safety refers to an environment that is safe for all people. An environment where there's no denial of or challenge to their identity or to who they are. It is a space that embraces the differences between people and allows for a shared experience of respect, acknowledgement, and understanding. A culturally safe environment allows people from different cultures to come together to work with dignity.

However, the concepts of cultural safety and cultural awareness, while related, differ significantly. Being culturally aware refers to the initial point of creating a better understanding of other people's perspectives so that you're culturally mindful.

Cultural safety encompasses the actions that nurture, respect, and acknowledge the unique cultural identity of another individual to safely meet their needs, expectations, and rights. This involves working from the point of view of the other person, not only from your own.

Embracing Cultural Competence

Cultural competence is the understanding that a person's perspective is shaped by complex personal experiences and their cultural background. It also involves the awareness of your own cultural assumptions when communicating in cross-cultural contexts.

Intercultural competence is comprised of four key components, (knowledge, attitude, awareness, and interpersonal skills). There are also three capabilities, (conflict management, relationship building, and intercultural teamwork), and two supporting skills, (emotional intelligence and critical reflection) that apply across different domains, such as professional, private, and academic, when it comes to cultural competence.

Being culturally aware is the starting point to ultimately reach such levels of competence, where you can fluidly interact with people from different backgrounds and cultures without an issue.

How Do You Become More Culturally Aware Through Training ?

Cross-cultural communication can be prone to misunderstandings on both ends. But that issue can be avoided by considering other people's cultures when interacting and working with them.

While we may prefer not to admit to doing so, most of us have had the experience of forming stereotypes about someone based on our own set of beliefs or preconceived ideas, rather than actually experiencing the person for who they truly are. Uncovering those stereotypes and recognising any explicit or unconscious bias is the key to becoming more culturally aware.

Being culturally aware develops your interpersonal skills, making you more sensitive to other people's emotions. It allows you to improve your interactions and communication with others. Getting to know your colleagues and finding common ground is essential to do this. This process of developing cultural awareness is even more critical today, in the age of digital communication channels, where we often don't interact with others in a face - to - face manner.

Final Thoughts on Cultural Sensitivity and Awareness

Today, communicating and interacting with global communities has become a part of our daily lives, making cultural awareness a valuable skill that can help you advance both your professional and personal relationships.

By comprehending the differences, as well as the similarities in beliefs, ethics, attitudes, and values of people and developing our own sense of cultural awareness, we can create a culturally safe environment where every individual can feel like they belong.

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What is Cultural Awareness? The Importance of Becoming Culturally Sensitive and Aware | Evolve Communities Pty Ltd

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Cultural awareness means being sensitive to the differences and similarities between two cultures when communicating or interacting.

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Infographic: Creating a culturally competent toolkit in research

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Infographic: Creating a culturally competent toolkit in research

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What Is a Project Management Plan and How to Create One?

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What Is a Project Management Plan and How to Create One?

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Many professionals think of a Project Management Plan as a Gantt chart or a Schedule. Professionals who carry this misconception into the PMP® certification exam are the least likely ones to pass the exam. As you will see in this article, a Project Management Plan is a document that defines how a project is executed, monitored, and controlled; it is much more than a schedule chart. A solid understanding of the project plan can pay rich dividends throughout your preparation for the PMP® certification, and also help in managing projects.

What Is a Project Management Plan?

The Project manager creates the project management plan following inputs from the project team and the key stakeholders. A Project management plan is a formal, approved document that defines how the project is executed, monitored, and controlled. It may be a summary or a detailed document and may include baselines, subsidiary management plans, and other planning documents. This document is used to define the approach the project team takes to deliver the intended project management scope of the project.

As the work proceeds, the performance of the project is measured against the performance measurement baseline included in the project management plan. The scope baseline, schedule baseline, and cost baseline are collectively referred to as the performance measurement baseline. If there is a deviation from the baseline while the work is being done, the project manager deals with them by making adjustments to correct the deviation. If these adjustments fail to correct the deviations, then formal change requests to the baselines become necessary.

Project managers spend a substantial amount of time ensuring baselines are achieved, ensuring the project sponsor and the organization get the full benefits of their projects. Besides proper planning, a project manager's abilities also lie in efficiently controlling the project and ensuring project deliverables are on time-and that the project is completed per the project management plan.

What Is a Project Management Plan Used For?

There are no shortcuts to a thorough understanding of your project than through a well-written, well-structured project plan document.

When compared to the project charter, which is a high-level strategy for the program, your project management plan breaks down that high-level perspective into the practical day-to-day operation of your project, addressing everything you must accomplish in order to achieve your project objectives.

Everything from timeframes to budgets, resources to deliverables, and more will be plotted out in a complete project plan, providing you with a roadmap of what needs fixing that you could use to manage and analyze your project.

What are the Components of a Project Management Plan?

A project management plan is a collection of baselines and subsidiary plans that include:

Baselines for scope, schedule, and cost

Management plans for scope, schedule, cost, quality, human resources, communications, risk, and procurement

Requirement management plan

Change management plan

Configuration management plan

Process improvement plan

Find Our PMP Training in Top Cities

The Importance of Project Management Planning

There is a tremendous amount of planning that goes into any successful project. When you're a project manager, you'll have a lot to remember at all times. As a result of your project plan, you will know precisely what to concentrate on at each stage of the project, where to allocate resources and time, as well as what to watch out for in case things run over schedule or over budget.

In order to get the most out of a project, you need to put in a lot of effort upfront to create a project plan that will serve you well throughout the project's lifespan. Here are five reasons why project management planning is essential.

It Serves as a Starting Point for Your Project

Your project plan, based on the agreed-upon scope, timeframe, and budget, will be developed in accordance with the authorized project charter. Having these baselines in place, specified, and authorized by the project owner will allow you to compare the actual progress of your project to how it was expected to be achieved.

This is very beneficial since it allows you to rapidly assess whether or not your project is progressing according to plan and, if it isn't, what needs to be done to fix the situation.

The Project Is More Organized

There are no alarms or surprises when your project is written out in a clear project plan. To make sure there is no space for misunderstanding or miscommunication, your thorough project plan will lay out all of the deadlines and deliverables in great detail so that everyone involved is aware of exactly what is expected of them.

It Lays Down the Project's Scope in Detail

Another advantage of this alignment is that it prevents scope creep. When the project plan document clearly defines the stakeholder's expectations and all agreed-upon deliverables, it's easy to identify when anything is out of scope.

In addition, it makes it simpler to deal with these issues. As a result, everyone can be persuaded of what they initially committed to, and there is no doubt about what is (or isn't) within the scope of the project, owing to a written contract or project planning sheet.

It Provides for More Efficient Project Management

Breaking down the project's work into digestible parts like deliverables, goals, or tasks makes it much simpler to figure out what resources you'll need to get it done.

Once again, you may have begun to explain this in the scope statement at a basic level, but your project management plan would be where you become more specific about how you're going to utilize the resources you have available.

It Instills Confidence in Your Endeavor

Project sponsors, stakeholders, and the project team (and, if you're feeling really down, even yourself) might be comforted by knowing where you're heading and why.

When you have a project plan document, everyone can understand how your expertise as a project manager is advancing the project's and the organization's objectives in unambiguous terms.

Things You Need to Know Before Writing a Project Plan

You need to know these five things before you begin developing a project plan.

Determine the Project's Baselines

The first step in creating a project strategy is to ensure you understand the fundamentals. Start with establishing the project's scope, timeline, and cost baselines, since these restrictions will dictate the remainder of your project planning.

Aside from the project charter, here is the place where you truly begin to map out these baselines and establish reliable estimations. Because you'll be comparing them to other projects to see how well yours does, be as specific as possible.

Determine the Repercussions of Your Project's Failure to Meet Its Goals

Alternatively, you may ask yourself: what must happen first in order for the next step to be possible? Establishing your project's dependencies early on allows you to better manage your timetables, identify possible roadblocks, and minimize delays.

Select Key Players in the Undertaking

There are likely to be additional project stakeholders as you go through the project management plan as well as go through each step in more depth than you identified during your stakeholder analysis.

During this time, you should also consider which stakeholders have to be informed and engaged at which stages of the project in order to create a more thorough stakeholder management plan.

Identify the Project's Key Milestones

What are the most important signs that your project is moving forward? Your project may be broken down into a series of smaller, more manageable parts, each with a clearly stated objective. This keeps the team engaged, enables you to celebrate your successes, and shows how the overall development is moving along.

Establish the Responsibilities of Everyone Involved in the Situation

With a clear picture of the labor and resources required, you can begin choosing who should be doing what. Each item must have a designated owner to ensure that it is completed.

Creating a Project Management Plan

As per the PMBOK® Guide, the project management plan is an output of the Develop Project Management Plan process in the Project Integration Management Knowledge Area.

The Project management plan is not created all at once. It is progressively elaborated, which means it is developed, refined, revisited, and updated. Since the project management plan integrates all the knowledge area management plans into a cohesive whole, it needs to be assembled after all the component plans have been created.

Most of the components of the project management plan are created in various processes defined in the PMBOK® Guide; for instance, the Communications Management Plan is developed in the Plan communications process.

However, the Schedule Management Plan, Cost Management Plan, and Scope Management Plan are created in the Develop Project Management Plan process. When a project charter is created in the initiating process group, it contains a summary of scope, budget, and a summary (milestone) schedule.

Since you already have these things at the time you begin developing the project plan, you can go ahead and develop the scope management plan, cost management plan, and schedule management plan. Later, when you perform the Plan Scope, Estimate Costs, and Develop Schedule processes, you can revise the components of the project plan with more detail to reflect a deeper understanding of the project.

How to Create a Project Management Plan? [ Explained in 6 Steps]

Step 1 - Create a High-Level Template for Project Planning

When it comes to your company, what does a project plan appear like? Starting with any existing resources that you can use as a reference, such as project plan examples or project plan templates, is a good place to start when developing a project strategy.

Make use of whatever resources your company makes available, such as a high-level template for planning projects, a project planning worksheet, model plans, or a calendar for preparing projects

Step 2 - Define Your Project Objective

There are many free templates and examples available to lend a helping hand with your preparation, but remember to choose the proper one for your project type when using one.

Your project management plan should be personalized to your project type, workforce type, and specific demands. IT project plans for new equipment rollouts, for example, are likely to vary from agile project plans, which in turn are likely to differ from more comprehensive strategic project plans.

Gantt charts, task lists, and other project management elements may help you ensure that your plan is effective.

Step 3 - Identify All Stakeholders

Once your project outline is ready, you have to identify the key stakeholders in the project success. Hence, it is important to collect all your requirements. Once you have collected this information, you need to define the scope of the project for each stakeholder and mention clear deliverables. To ace this step of project management good communication skills are required.

Step 4 - Get Feedback From Your Customers, Project Stakeholders, and Team Members

A strategy written in a vacuum is less likely to acquire the support it needs when the time comes. Your stakeholders will feel more involved in the project planning process if you include them, and it sets the stage for an integrated team atmosphere that will benefit your project.

Make sure you gather feedback from the project's leading characters when you establish a project plan, whether it's a planning meeting, a brainstorming session, or a one-on-one interview. Also, as an additional perk? It's an excellent chance for you to continue establishing connections with key stakeholders that you began developing throughout the stakeholder and project charter and analysis.

Step 5 - Any Previous Project Management Planning You've Done Should Be Included

If you've already completed stages 1-5 of project planning, you should include the results of those steps into your project management plan, as well as any research you've done up to this point.

The Project Management Institute's Project Management Body of Knowledge Guide and Standards recommend the following strategies for your project management plan:

Plan for scope management

Plan for the management of requirements

A strategy for time management

A cost-cutting strategy

Plan for quality control

A strategy for managing resources

A strategy for managing communications.

A strategy for risk management

The procurement strategy

Stakeholder outreach strategy

While the PMBOK suggests implementing these 10 strategies as a baseline, you may discover that various projects need different methods.

Each of these areas should be covered at some point in your project management planning, even if they aren't comprehensively documented.

Step 6 - Choose a Central Location for Your Project Management Strategy

Your project management plan, including your project charter, should be kept centrally so that all parties involved, including stakeholders, the team members, management, and clients, can easily access it.

How to Turn Your Project Management Plan Into a Plan of Action

Using a project management tool, you can bring your defined project management strategy to life, ensuring that you remain on schedule, hold your team responsible, and promote openness throughout the project.

Project Management Plan Approval

Since the project management plan is a formal document that is used to manage the execution of the project, it must receive formal approval. Who grants the approval for the project management plan depends on the organizational structure and a number of other factors.

Usually, the customer or the senior management of an organization does not approve the project management plan document. The customer signs the contract but often leaves the internal workings of the organization delivering the project. Typically the project plan is approved by the project manager, project sponsor, or the functional managers who provide the resources for the project.

It becomes less difficult for a project manager to get the project management plan approved, if:

All the stakeholders are identified along with and their requirements and objectives.

The project manager handles conflicting priorities in advance.

How Is Project Management Different From Financial Management?

Project Management involves all the practices required for managing a project to maintain its activities from its initiation till its termination, ensuring that the organizational goals and stakeholder demands are met.

Financial Management is all about managing resources and financial operations to increase profit while achieving the organization's and stakeholder's objectives as soon as possible in a satisfactory manner.

Characteristics

Project Management

Financial Management

Benefits

Project management benefits include the following:

Increased customer satisfaction

Reduced risk of failure

Improved performance

Maintained time and budget

Financial management benefits include the following:

Preparation and execution of the budget

Cost control

Cash flow management

Profit planning

Types

PRINCE2 project management

Kanban project management

Six sigma project management

Treasury and capital budget management

Working capital management

Insurance and risk management

FAQs

1. How can I write a project management plan?

Writing a project management plan requires you to identify your project baselines. Write an executive summary and create your timeline/ team charts. Next, you will have to perform and write a risk assessment. Note down your communications and resource sub plans. Lastly, present your project management plan to the stakeholders. Collect their insights, feedback, and suggestions. You must try to incorporate the relevant ones before finalizing your plan.

2. What are the six parts of a project management plan?

A project management plan comprises an executive summary, Gantt chart/ timeline, stakeholder or team chart, risk assessment, communication sub-plan, and resource sub-plan.

3. What is the purpose of a project management plan?

With all the details and necessary steps laid, a project management plan reduces confusion, boosts confidence, and prevents obstacles during project execution. It provides a clear outline and value proposition, assigning essential roles, identifying and preventing risks, outlining milestones, and ensuring clear communication and availability of essential resources.

4. What is project management methodology?

A project management methodology comprises a set of principles, processes, and values that gauge how a team will complete a project. It structures several factors that would influence the project competition, including planning, design and documentation, communication methods within and outside of the team, timelines, and assessment modes.

5. How can project planning software help plan projects?

Project planning software lends a helping hand and simplifies project planning from the beginning to the end. It supplies much-needed project management features and transparency in the planning and execution. It facilitates effective communication among and within teams, helps track key performance factors, store data in a central location, generate reports, and overcome any other project management challenges.

To understand how to build a career in project management, and how certification training prepares you for project management job roles in any industry, watch this video on PMP Certification Training.

Learn for free! Subscribe to our YouTube Channel & Be a Part of 400k+ Happy Learners Community.

Choose the Right Program

Unlock your project management potential with Simplilearn's comprehensive training. Gain the skills and knowledge needed to lead successful projects, boost efficiency, and exceed goals. Choose the right project management course today and advance your career with confidence.

Program Name

Geo

All Geos

All Geos

All Geos

University

PMI

Simplilearn

University of Massachusetts Amherst

Course Duration

90 Days of Flexible Access to Online Classes

36 Months

6 Months

Coding experience reqd

No

No

No

Skills you wll learn

8+ PM skills including Work Breakdown Structure, Gantt Charts, Resource Allocation, Leadership and more.

6 courses including Project Management, Agile Scrum Master, Implementing a PMO, and More

9+ skills including
Project Management, Quality Management, Agile Management, Design Thinking and More.

Additional Benefits

Experiential learning through case studies
Global Teaching Assistance
35PDUs

Learn by working on real-world problems
24x7 Learning support from mentors

Earn 60+ PDU's
3 year course access

Cost

$$

$$$$

$$$$

Explore Program

Explore Program

Explore Program

Conclusion

Are you ready to learn how to best handle project schedules, costs, the scope of work, project constraints, market competition, stakeholders, and more? Simplilearn's Post Graduate Program in Project Management will help you jumpstart your career in Project Management.

Followed by PGP, you can also go through some frequently asked Project Manager Interview Questions tutorial so that you can be interview ready.

Are you looking forward to making a mark in the Project Management field? If yes, enroll in the Project Management Certification Program now and get a step closer to your career goal!

PMBOK®, PMP®, and PMI® are registered trademarks of the Project Management Institute, Inc.

What Is a Project Management Plan?

The Project manager creates the project management plan following inputs from the project team and the key stakeholders. A Project management plan is a formal, approved document that defines how the project is executed, monitored, and controlled. It may be a summary or a detailed document and may include baselines, subsidiary management plans, and other planning documents. This document is used to define the approach the project team takes to deliver the intended project management scope of the project.

As the work proceeds, the performance of the project is measured against the performance measurement baseline included in the project management plan. The scope baseline, schedule baseline, and cost baseline are collectively referred to as the performance measurement baseline. If there is a deviation from the baseline while the work is being done, the project manager deals with them by making adjustments to correct the deviation. If these adjustments fail to correct the deviations, then formal change requests to the baselines become necessary.

Project managers spend a substantial amount of time ensuring baselines are achieved, ensuring the project sponsor and the organization get the full benefits of their projects. Besides proper planning, a project manager's abilities also lie in efficiently controlling the project and ensuring project deliverables are on time-and that the project is completed per the project management plan.

What Is a Project Management Plan Used For?

There are no shortcuts to a thorough understanding of your project than through a well-written, well-structured project plan document.

When compared to the project charter, which is a high-level strategy for the program, your project management plan breaks down that high-level perspective into the practical day-to-day operation of your project, addressing everything you must accomplish in order to achieve your project objectives.

Everything from timeframes to budgets, resources to deliverables, and more will be plotted out in a complete project plan, providing you with a roadmap of what needs fixing that you could use to manage and analyze your project.

What are the Components of a Project Management Plan?

A project management plan is a collection of baselines and subsidiary plans that include:

Baselines for scope, schedule, and cost

Management plans for scope, schedule, cost, quality, human resources, communications, risk, and procurement

Requirement management plan

Change management plan

Configuration management plan

Process improvement plan

Find Our PMP Training in Top Cities

The Importance of Project Management Planning

There is a tremendous amount of planning that goes into any successful project. When you're a project manager, you'll have a lot to remember at all times. As a result of your project plan, you will know precisely what to concentrate on at each stage of the project, where to allocate resources and time, as well as what to watch out for in case things run over schedule or over budget.

In order to get the most out of a project, you need to put in a lot of effort upfront to create a project plan that will serve you well throughout the project's lifespan. Here are five reasons why project management planning is essential.

It Serves as a Starting Point for Your Project

Your project plan, based on the agreed-upon scope, timeframe, and budget, will be developed in accordance with the authorized project charter. Having these baselines in place, specified, and authorized by the project owner will allow you to compare the actual progress of your project to how it was expected to be achieved.

This is very beneficial since it allows you to rapidly assess whether or not your project is progressing according to plan and, if it isn't, what needs to be done to fix the situation.

The Project Is More Organized

There are no alarms or surprises when your project is written out in a clear project plan. To make sure there is no space for misunderstanding or miscommunication, your thorough project plan will lay out all of the deadlines and deliverables in great detail so that everyone involved is aware of exactly what is expected of them.

It Lays Down the Project's Scope in Detail

Another advantage of this alignment is that it prevents scope creep. When the project plan document clearly defines the stakeholder's expectations and all agreed-upon deliverables, it's easy to identify when anything is out of scope.

In addition, it makes it simpler to deal with these issues. As a result, everyone can be persuaded of what they initially committed to, and there is no doubt about what is (or isn't) within the scope of the project, owing to a written contract or project planning sheet.

It Provides for More Efficient Project Management

Breaking down the project's work into digestible parts like deliverables, goals, or tasks makes it much simpler to figure out what resources you'll need to get it done.

Once again, you may have begun to explain this in the scope statement at a basic level, but your project management plan would be where you become more specific about how you're going to utilize the resources you have available.

It Instills Confidence in Your Endeavor

Project sponsors, stakeholders, and the project team (and, if you're feeling really down, even yourself) might be comforted by knowing where you're heading and why.

When you have a project plan document, everyone can understand how your expertise as a project manager is advancing the project's and the organization's objectives in unambiguous terms.

Things You Need to Know Before Writing a Project Plan

You need to know these five things before you begin developing a project plan.

Determine the Project's Baselines

The first step in creating a project strategy is to ensure you understand the fundamentals. Start with establishing the project's scope, timeline, and cost baselines, since these restrictions will dictate the remainder of your project planning.

Aside from the project charter, here is the place where you truly begin to map out these baselines and establish reliable estimations. Because you'll be comparing them to other projects to see how well yours does, be as specific as possible.

Determine the Repercussions of Your Project's Failure to Meet Its Goals

Alternatively, you may ask yourself: what must happen first in order for the next step to be possible? Establishing your project's dependencies early on allows you to better manage your timetables, identify possible roadblocks, and minimize delays.

Select Key Players in the Undertaking

There are likely to be additional project stakeholders as you go through the project management plan as well as go through each step in more depth than you identified during your stakeholder analysis.

During this time, you should also consider which stakeholders have to be informed and engaged at which stages of the project in order to create a more thorough stakeholder management plan.

Identify the Project's Key Milestones

What are the most important signs that your project is moving forward? Your project may be broken down into a series of smaller, more manageable parts, each with a clearly stated objective. This keeps the team engaged, enables you to celebrate your successes, and shows how the overall development is moving along.

Establish the Responsibilities of Everyone Involved in the Situation

With a clear picture of the labor and resources required, you can begin choosing who should be doing what. Each item must have a designated owner to ensure that it is completed.

Creating a Project Management Plan

As per the PMBOK® Guide, the project management plan is an output of the Develop Project Management Plan process in the Project Integration Management Knowledge Area.

The Project management plan is not created all at once. It is progressively elaborated, which means it is developed, refined, revisited, and updated. Since the project management plan integrates all the knowledge area management plans into a cohesive whole, it needs to be assembled after all the component plans have been created.

Most of the components of the project management plan are created in various processes defined in the PMBOK® Guide; for instance, the Communications Management Plan is developed in the Plan communications process.

However, the Schedule Management Plan, Cost Management Plan, and Scope Management Plan are created in the Develop Project Management Plan process. When a project charter is created in the initiating process group, it contains a summary of scope, budget, and a summary (milestone) schedule.

Since you already have these things at the time you begin developing the project plan, you can go ahead and develop the scope management plan, cost management plan, and schedule management plan. Later, when you perform the Plan Scope, Estimate Costs, and Develop Schedule processes, you can revise the components of the project plan with more detail to reflect a deeper understanding of the project.

How to Create a Project Management Plan? [ Explained in 6 Steps]

Step 1 - Create a High-Level Template for Project Planning

When it comes to your company, what does a project plan appear like? Starting with any existing resources that you can use as a reference, such as project plan examples or project plan templates, is a good place to start when developing a project strategy.

Make use of whatever resources your company makes available, such as a high-level template for planning projects, a project planning worksheet, model plans, or a calendar for preparing projects

Step 2 - Define Your Project Objective

There are many free templates and examples available to lend a helping hand with your preparation, but remember to choose the proper one for your project type when using one.

Your project management plan should be personalized to your project type, workforce type, and specific demands. IT project plans for new equipment rollouts, for example, are likely to vary from agile project plans, which in turn are likely to differ from more comprehensive strategic project plans.

Gantt charts, task lists, and other project management elements may help you ensure that your plan is effective.

Step 3 - Identify All Stakeholders

Once your project outline is ready, you have to identify the key stakeholders in the project success. Hence, it is important to collect all your requirements. Once you have collected this information, you need to define the scope of the project for each stakeholder and mention clear deliverables. To ace this step of project management good communication skills are required.

Step 4 - Get Feedback From Your Customers, Project Stakeholders, and Team Members

A strategy written in a vacuum is less likely to acquire the support it needs when the time comes. Your stakeholders will feel more involved in the project planning process if you include them, and it sets the stage for an integrated team atmosphere that will benefit your project.

Make sure you gather feedback from the project's leading characters when you establish a project plan, whether it's a planning meeting, a brainstorming session, or a one-on-one interview. Also, as an additional perk? It's an excellent chance for you to continue establishing connections with key stakeholders that you began developing throughout the stakeholder and project charter and analysis.

Step 5 - Any Previous Project Management Planning You've Done Should Be Included

If you've already completed stages 1-5 of project planning, you should include the results of those steps into your project management plan, as well as any research you've done up to this point.

The Project Management Institute's Project Management Body of Knowledge Guide and Standards recommend the following strategies for your project management plan:

Plan for scope management

Plan for the management of requirements

A strategy for time management

A cost-cutting strategy

Plan for quality control

A strategy for managing resources

A strategy for managing communications.

A strategy for risk management

The procurement strategy

Stakeholder outreach strategy

While the PMBOK suggests implementing these 10 strategies as a baseline, you may discover that various projects need different methods.

Each of these areas should be covered at some point in your project management planning, even if they aren't comprehensively documented.

Step 6 - Choose a Central Location for Your Project Management Strategy

Your project management plan, including your project charter, should be kept centrally so that all parties involved, including stakeholders, the team members, management, and clients, can easily access it.

How to Turn Your Project Management Plan Into a Plan of Action

Using a project management tool, you can bring your defined project management strategy to life, ensuring that you remain on schedule, hold your team responsible, and promote openness throughout the project.

Project Management Plan Approval

Since the project management plan is a formal document that is used to manage the execution of the project, it must receive formal approval. Who grants the approval for the project management plan depends on the organizational structure and a number of other factors.

Usually, the customer or the senior management of an organization does not approve the project management plan document. The customer signs the contract but often leaves the internal workings of the organization delivering the project. Typically the project plan is approved by the project manager, project sponsor, or the functional managers who provide the resources for the project.

It becomes less difficult for a project manager to get the project management plan approved, if:

All the stakeholders are identified along with and their requirements and objectives.

The project manager handles conflicting priorities in advance.

How Is Project Management Different From Financial Management?

Project Management involves all the practices required for managing a project to maintain its activities from its initiation till its termination, ensuring that the organizational goals and stakeholder demands are met.

Financial Management is all about managing resources and financial operations to increase profit while achieving the organization's and stakeholder's objectives as soon as possible in a satisfactory manner.

Characteristics

Project Management

Financial Management

Benefits

Project management benefits include the following:

Increased customer satisfaction

Reduced risk of failure

Improved performance

Maintained time and budget

Financial management benefits include the following:

Preparation and execution of the budget

Cost control

Cash flow management

Profit planning

Types

PRINCE2 project management

Kanban project management

Six sigma project management

Treasury and capital budget management

Working capital management

Insurance and risk management

FAQs

1. How can I write a project management plan?

Writing a project management plan requires you to identify your project baselines. Write an executive summary and create your timeline/ team charts. Next, you will have to perform and write a risk assessment. Note down your communications and resource sub plans. Lastly, present your project management plan to the stakeholders. Collect their insights, feedback, and suggestions. You must try to incorporate the relevant ones before finalizing your plan.

2. What are the six parts of a project management plan?

A project management plan comprises an executive summary, Gantt chart/ timeline, stakeholder or team chart, risk assessment, communication sub-plan, and resource sub-plan.

3. What is the purpose of a project management plan?

With all the details and necessary steps laid, a project management plan reduces confusion, boosts confidence, and prevents obstacles during project execution. It provides a clear outline and value proposition, assigning essential roles, identifying and preventing risks, outlining milestones, and ensuring clear communication and availability of essential resources.

4. What is project management methodology?

A project management methodology comprises a set of principles, processes, and values that gauge how a team will complete a project. It structures several factors that would influence the project competition, including planning, design and documentation, communication methods within and outside of the team, timelines, and assessment modes.

5. How can project planning software help plan projects?

Project planning software lends a helping hand and simplifies project planning from the beginning to the end. It supplies much-needed project management features and transparency in the planning and execution. It facilitates effective communication among and within teams, helps track key performance factors, store data in a central location, generate reports, and overcome any other project management challenges.

To understand how to build a career in project management, and how certification training prepares you for project management job roles in any industry, watch this video on PMP Certification Training.

Learn for free! Subscribe to our YouTube Channel & Be a Part of 400k+ Happy Learners Community.

Choose the Right Program

Unlock your project management potential with Simplilearn's comprehensive training. Gain the skills and knowledge needed to lead successful projects, boost efficiency, and exceed goals. Choose the right project management course today and advance your career with confidence.

Program Name

Geo

All Geos

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All Geos

University

PMI

Simplilearn

University of Massachusetts Amherst

Course Duration

90 Days of Flexible Access to Online Classes

36 Months

6 Months

Coding experience reqd

No

No

No

Skills you wll learn

8+ PM skills including Work Breakdown Structure, Gantt Charts, Resource Allocation, Leadership and more.

6 courses including Project Management, Agile Scrum Master, Implementing a PMO, and More

9+ skills including
Project Management, Quality Management, Agile Management, Design Thinking and More.

Additional Benefits

Experiential learning through case studies
Global Teaching Assistance
35PDUs

Learn by working on real-world problems
24x7 Learning support from mentors

Earn 60+ PDU's
3 year course access

Cost

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Explore Program

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Conclusion

Are you ready to learn how to best handle project schedules, costs, the scope of work, project constraints, market competition, stakeholders, and more? Simplilearn's Post Graduate Program in Project Management will help you jumpstart your career in Project Management.

Followed by PGP, you can also go through some frequently asked Project Manager Interview Questions tutorial so that you can be interview ready.

Are you looking forward to making a mark in the Project Management field? If yes, enroll in the Project Management Certification Program now and get a step closer to your career goal!

PMBOK®, PMP®, and PMI® are registered trademarks of the Project Management Institute, Inc.

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What is a Project Management Plan and How to Create One?

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Project Management Plan is all about defining how a project is executed, monitored, and controlled. Read on to clear your doubts on project management plan

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Attending classes, studying for exams, making friends, and taking time to relax and decompress can quickly fill up your schedule. If you often find yourself wishing there were more hours in the day, this guide will offer time management tips for students so you can accomplish what you need to get done, have fun with your friends, and gain back some valuable time for yourself.

1. Create a Calendar

Don't be caught by surprise by an important paper due two days from now or a dinner with your family the same night you planned for a group study session. Create a calendar for yourself with all your upcoming deadlines, exams, social events, and other time commitments well in advance so you can see what's coming up.

Keep your calendar in a place where you can see it every day, such as in your planner or on your wall above your desk. If you prefer a digital calendar, check it first thing every day to keep those important events fresh and top-of-mind. For greater efficiency, make sure you can integrate it with your other tools, such as your email.

Digital calendar options include:

2. Set Reminders

After you've created your calendar, give yourself periodic reminders to stay on track such as to complete a study guide in advance or schedule a meeting for a group project. Knowing deadlines is important; however, staying on top of the micro tasks involved in meeting those deadlines is just as important. You can set an alarm on your phone, write it down in a physical planner, or add an alert to your digital calendar. The reminders will help to prevent things from slipping through the cracks during particularly hectic days.

Make sure you've allotted enough time to study for that big test or write that final paper. Time management is all about setting yourself up for success in advance and giving yourself the tools to accomplish tasks with confidence.

Read our blogs, Your Guide to Conquering College Coursework and Top 10 Study Tips to Study Like a Harvard Student, for more suggestions.

3. Build a Personalized Schedule

Each person's day-to-day is different and unique to them, so make sure your schedule works for you. Once you've accounted for consistent commitments such as classes or your shifts at work, add in study sessions, extracurriculars, chores and errands, and social engagements.

Consider your personal rhythm. If you typically start your day energized, plan to study or accomplish chores then. If you fall into an afternoon slump, give yourself that time to take a guilt-free TV break or see friends.

Having a schedule that works for you will help maximize your time. Plus, knowing exactly when your laundry day is or when your intramural volleyball practice is every week will help you avoid trying to cram everything in one day (or running out of clean socks!)

4. Use Tools That Work For You

Just like your calendar and schedule, the tools you use to keep you organized should be the right fit for you. Some students prefer physical planners and paper, while some prefer going totally digital. Your calendar can help you with long-term planning, but most of these tools are best for prioritizing from day to day.

Explore what best suits your needs with some of the following suggestions:

Planners

Planners can help you keep track of long-term deadlines, such as important essay deadlines, upcoming exams, and appointments and meetings. They often provide a monthly overview each month, as well as day-to-day planning sections, so you can stay ahead.

Scheduling

If your schedule is jam-packed and you have trouble figuring out what to do and when, scheduling day by day-and sometimes even hour by hour-can help you slot in everything you need to do with less stress.

Note Taking

From class to study sessions to errands, keeping track of everything can feel overwhelming. Keeping everything in one place, whether on the go or at your desk, can help keep you organized.

5. Prioritize

Sometimes there really is too much to do with too little time. In these instances, take just a few minutes to evaluate your priorities. Consider which deadlines are most urgent, as well as how much energy you have.

If you are able to complete simple tasks first, try getting them out of the way before moving on to tasks that require a lot of focus. This can help to alleviate some of the pressure by checking a couple things off your to-do list without getting bogged down too early.

If you are struggling to fit everything in your schedule, consider what you can postpone or what you can simply say no to. Your friends will likely understand if you have to meet them for coffee another time in order to get in a final library session before a challenging exam.

6. Make Time to Have Fun - And For Yourself

Time management isn't just about getting work done. It's also about ensuring that you can put yourself and your mental wellbeing first. Consistently including time for yourself in your schedule helps to keep your mental health and your life in balance. It can also be helpful to have things to look forward to when going through stressful periods.

Whether it's going for a bike ride along the river, spending time with your friends and family, or simply sleeping in on a Sunday, knowing you have space to relax and do things you enjoy can provide better peace of mind.

7. Find Support

Preparation and organization can sometimes only get you so far. Luckily, you have plenty of people rooting for your success. Keep yourself and your classmates on task by finding an accountability partner or study buddies. Remind your roommates when you need extra space to work on a paper.

Your school's academic resource center is also there to support you and point you in the right direction if you need additional help. Getting-and staying-organized is a collaborative effort and no one can do it on their own.

8. Be Realistic and Flexible

Sometimes unforeseen circumstances will come up or you simply may not be able to get to everything you set out to do in a given day. Be patient with yourself when things don't go exactly to plan. When building your calendar, schedule, and priorities list, be realistic about what you can accomplish and include buffer time if you're unsure. This can help to reduce obstacles and potential friction.

Time management isn't just about sticking to a rigid schedule-it's also about giving yourself space for change.

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8 Time Management Tips for Students - Harvard Summer School

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If you often find yourself wishing there were more hours in the day, this guide will offer time management tips for students.

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How I Manage My Time - 10 Time Management Tips

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How I Manage My Time - 10 Time Management Tips

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How I Manage My Time - 10 Time Management Tips

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the definitive TIME MANAGEMENT GUIDE for busy but lazy people

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the definitive TIME MANAGEMENT GUIDE for busy but lazy people

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the definitive TIME MANAGEMENT GUIDE for busy but lazy people

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A Guide To The Methods, Benefits & Problems of The Interpretation of Data

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A Guide To The Methods, Benefits & Problems of The Interpretation of Data

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BI Blog | Data Visualization & Analytics Blog | datapine

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Data analysis and interpretation have now taken center stage with the advent of the digital age... and the sheer amount of data can be frightening. In fact, a Digital Universe study found that the total data supply in 2012 was 2.8 trillion gigabytes! Based on that amount of data alone, it is clear the calling card of any successful enterprise in today's global world will be the ability to analyze complex data, produce actionable insights and adapt to new market needs... all at the speed of thought.

Business dashboards are the digital age tools for big data. Capable of displaying key performance indicators (KPIs) for both quantitative and qualitative data analyses, they are ideal for making the fast-paced and data-driven market decisions that push today's industry leaders to sustainable success. Through the art of streamlined visual communication, data dashboards permit businesses to engage in real-time and informed decision-making and are key instruments in data interpretation. First of all, let's find a definition to understand what lies behind data interpretation meaning.

What Is Data Interpretation?

Data interpretation refers to the process of using diverse analytical methods to review data and arrive at relevant conclusions. The interpretation of data helps researchers to categorize, manipulate, and summarize the information in order to answer critical questions.

The importance of data interpretation is evident and this is why it needs to be done properly. Data is very likely to arrive from multiple sources and has a tendency to enter the analysis process with haphazard ordering. Data analysis tends to be extremely subjective. That is to say, the nature and goal of interpretation will vary from business to business, likely correlating to the type of data being analyzed. While there are several different types of processes that are implemented based on individual data nature, the two broadest and most common categories are "quantitative analysis" and "qualitative analysis".

Yet, before any serious data interpretation inquiry can begin, it should be understood that visual presentations of data findings are irrelevant unless a sound decision is made regarding scales of measurement. Before any serious data analysis can begin, the scale of measurement must be decided for the data as this will have a long-term impact on data interpretation ROI. The varying scales include:

Nominal Scale: non-numeric categories that cannot be ranked or compared quantitatively. Variables are exclusive and exhaustive.

Ordinal Scale: exclusive categories that are exclusive and exhaustive but with a logical order. Quality ratings and agreement ratings are examples of ordinal scales (i.e., good, very good, fair, etc., OR agree, strongly agree, disagree, etc.).

Interval: a measurement scale where data is grouped into categories with orderly and equal distances between the categories. There is always an arbitrary zero point.

Ratio: contains features of all three.

For a more in-depth review of scales of measurement, read our article on data analysis questions. Once scales of measurement have been selected, it is time to select which of the two broad interpretation processes will best suit your data needs. Let's take a closer look at those specific data interpretation methods and possible data interpretation problems.

How To Interpret Data?

When interpreting data, an analyst must try to discern the differences between correlation, causation, and coincidences, as well as much other bias - but he also has to consider all the factors involved that may have led to a result. There are various data interpretation methods one can use.

The interpretation of data is designed to help people make sense of numerical data that has been collected, analyzed, and presented. Having a baseline method (or methods) for interpreting data will provide your analyst teams with a structure and consistent foundation. Indeed, if several departments have different approaches to interpret the same data while sharing the same goals, some mismatched objectives can result. Disparate methods will lead to duplicated efforts, inconsistent solutions, wasted energy, and inevitably - time and money. In this part, we will look at the two main methods of interpretation of data: a qualitative and quantitative analysis.

Qualitative Data Interpretation

Qualitative data analysis can be summed up in one word - categorical. With qualitative analysis, data is not described through numerical values or patterns, but through the use of descriptive context (i.e., text). Typically, narrative data is gathered by employing a wide variety of person-to-person techniques. These techniques include:

Observations: detailing behavioral patterns that occur within an observation group. These patterns could be the amount of time spent in an activity, the type of activity, and the method of communication employed.

Focus groups: Group people and ask them relevant questions to generate a collaborative discussion about a research topic.

Secondary Research: much like how patterns of behavior can be observed, different types of documentation resources can be coded and divided based on the type of material they contain.

Interviews: one of the best collection methods for narrative data. Inquiry responses can be grouped by theme, topic, or category. The interview approach allows for highly-focused data segmentation.

A key difference between qualitative and quantitative analysis is clearly noticeable in the interpretation stage. Qualitative data, as it is widely open to interpretation, must be "coded" so as to facilitate the grouping and labeling of data into identifiable themes. As person-to-person data collection techniques can often result in disputes pertaining to proper analysis, qualitative data analysis is often summarized through three basic principles: notice things, collect things, think about things.

Quantitative Data Interpretation

If quantitative data interpretation could be summed up in one word (and it really can't) that word would be "numerical." There are few certainties when it comes to data analysis, but you can be sure that if the research you are engaging in has no numbers involved, it is not quantitative research. Quantitative analysis refers to a set of processes by which numerical data is analyzed. More often than not, it involves the use of statistical modeling such as standard deviation, mean and median. Let's quickly review the most common statistical terms:

Mean: a mean represents a numerical average for a set of responses. When dealing with a data set (or multiple data sets), a mean will represent a central value of a specific set of numbers. It is the sum of the values divided by the number of values within the data set. Other terms that can be used to describe the concept are arithmetic mean, average and mathematical expectation.

Standard deviation: this is another statistical term commonly appearing in quantitative analysis. Standard deviation reveals the distribution of the responses around the mean. It describes the degree of consistency within the responses; together with the mean, it provides insight into data sets.

Frequency distribution: this is a measurement gauging the rate of a response appearance within a data set. When using a survey, for example, frequency distribution has the capability of determining the number of times a specific ordinal scale response appears (i.e., agree, strongly agree, disagree, etc.). Frequency distribution is extremely keen in determining the degree of consensus among data points.

Typically, quantitative data is measured by visually presenting correlation tests between two or more variables of significance. Different processes can be used together or separately, and comparisons can be made to ultimately arrive at a conclusion. Other signature interpretation processes of quantitative data include:

Regression analysis: Essentially, regression analysis uses historical data to understand the relationship between a dependent variable and one or more independent variables. Knowing which variables are related and how they developed in the past allows you to anticipate possible outcomes and make better decisions going forward. For example, if you want to predict your sales for next month you can use regression analysis to understand what factors will affect them such as products on sale, the launch of a new campaign, among many others.

Cohort analysis: This method identifies groups of users who share common characteristics during a particular time period. In a business scenario, cohort analysis is commonly used to understand different customer behaviors. For example, a cohort could be all users who have signed up for a free trial on a given day. An analysis would be carried out to see how these users behave, what actions they carry out, and how their behavior differs from other user groups.

Predictive analysis: As its name suggests, the predictive analysis method aims to predict future developments by analyzing historical and current data. Powered by technologies such as artificial intelligence and machine learning, predictive analytics practices enable businesses to spot trends or potential issues and plan informed strategies in advance.

Prescriptive analysis: Also powered by predictions, the prescriptive analysis method uses techniques such as graph analysis, complex event processing, neural networks, among others, to try to unravel the effect that future decisions will have in order to adjust them before they are actually made. This helps businesses to develop responsive, practical business strategies.

Conjoint analysis: Typically applied to survey analysis, the conjoint approach is used to analyze how individuals value different attributes of a product or service. This helps researchers and businesses to define pricing, product features, packaging, and many other attributes. A common use is menu-based conjoint analysis in which individuals are given a "menu" of options from which they can build their ideal concept or product. Like this analysts can understand which attributes they would pick above others and drive conclusions.

Cluster analysis: Last but not least, cluster analysis is a method used to group objects into categories. Since there is no target variable when using cluster analysis, it is a useful method to find hidden trends and patterns in the data. In a business context clustering is used for audience segmentation to create targeted experiences, and in market research, it is often used to identify age groups, geographical information, earnings, among others.

Now that we have seen how to interpret data, let's move on and ask ourselves some questions: what are some data interpretation benefits? Why do all industries engage in data research and analysis? These are basic questions, but they often don't receive adequate attention.

Why Data Interpretation Is Important

The purpose of collection and interpretation is to acquire useful and usable information and to make the most informed decisions possible. From businesses to newlyweds researching their first home, data collection and interpretation provides limitless benefits for a wide range of institutions and individuals.

Data analysis and interpretation, regardless of the method and qualitative/quantitative status, may include the following characteristics:

Data identification and explanation

Comparing and contrasting of data

Identification of data outliers

Future predictions

Data analysis and interpretation, in the end, help improve processes and identify problems. It is difficult to grow and make dependable improvements without, at the very least, minimal data collection and interpretation. What is the keyword? Dependable. Vague ideas regarding performance enhancement exist within all institutions and industries. Yet, without proper research and analysis, an idea is likely to remain in a stagnant state forever (i.e., minimal growth). So... what are a few of the business benefits of digital age data analysis and interpretation? Let's take a look!

1) Informed decision-making: A decision is only as good as the knowledge that formed it. Informed data decision-making has the potential to set industry leaders apart from the rest of the market pack. Studies have shown that companies in the top third of their industries are, on average, 5% more productive and 6% more profitable when implementing informed data decision-making processes. Most decisive actions will arise only after a problem has been identified or a goal defined. Data analysis should include identification, thesis development, and data collection followed by data communication.

If institutions only follow that simple order, one that we should all be familiar with from grade school science fairs, then they will be able to solve issues as they emerge in real-time. Informed decision-making has a tendency to be cyclical. This means there is really no end, and eventually, new questions and conditions arise within the process that needs to be studied further. The monitoring of data results will inevitably return the process to the start with new data and sights.

2) Anticipating needs with trends identification: data insights provide knowledge, and knowledge is power. The insights obtained from market and consumer data analyses have the ability to set trends for peers within similar market segments. A perfect example of how data analysis can impact trend prediction can be evidenced in the music identification application, Shazam. The application allows users to upload an audio clip of a song they like, but can't seem to identify. Users make 15 million song identifications a day. With this data, Shazam has been instrumental in predicting future popular artists.

When industry trends are identified, they can then serve a greater industry purpose. For example, the insights from Shazam's monitoring benefits not only Shazam in understanding how to meet consumer needs, but it grants music executives and record label companies an insight into the pop-culture scene of the day. Data gathering and interpretation processes can allow for industry-wide climate prediction and result in greater revenue streams across the market. For this reason, all institutions should follow the basic data cycle of collection, interpretation, decision making, and monitoring.

3) Cost efficiency: Proper implementation of data analysis processes can provide businesses with profound cost advantages within their industries. A recent data study performed by Deloitte vividly demonstrates this in finding that data analysis ROI is driven by efficient cost reductions. Often, this benefit is overlooked because making money is typically viewed as "sexier" than saving money. Yet, sound data analyses have the ability to alert management to cost-reduction opportunities without any significant exertion of effort on the part of human capital.

A great example of the potential for cost efficiency through data analysis is Intel. Prior to 2012, Intel would conduct over 19,000 manufacturing function tests on their chips before they could be deemed acceptable for release. To cut costs and reduce test time, Intel implemented predictive data analyses. By using historic and current data, Intel now avoids testing each chip 19,000 times by focusing on specific and individual chip tests. After its implementation in 2012, Intel saved over $3 million in manufacturing costs. Cost reduction may not be as "sexy" as data profit, but as Intel proves, it is a benefit of data analysis that should not be neglected.

4) Clear foresight: companies that collect and analyze their data gain better knowledge about themselves, their processes, and performance. They can identify performance challenges when they arise and take action to overcome them. Data interpretation through visual representations lets them process their findings faster and make better-informed decisions on the future of the company.

Common Data Analysis And Interpretation Problems

The oft-repeated mantra of those who fear data advancements in the digital age is "big data equals big trouble." While that statement is not accurate, it is safe to say that certain data interpretation problems or "pitfalls" exist and can occur when analyzing data, especially at the speed of thought. Let's identify some of the most common data misinterpretation risks and shed some light on how they can be avoided:

1) Correlation mistaken for causation: our first misinterpretation of data refers to the tendency of data analysts to mix the cause of a phenomenon with correlation. It is the assumption that because two actions occurred together, one caused the other. This is not accurate as actions can occur together absent a cause and effect relationship.

Digital age example:assuming that increased revenue is the result of increased social media followers... there might be a definitive correlation between the two, especially with today's multi-channel purchasing experiences. But, that does not mean an increase in followers is the direct cause of increased revenue. There could be both a common cause or an indirect causality.

Remedy: attempt to eliminate the variable you believe to be causing the phenomenon.

2) Confirmation bias: our second data interpretation problem occurs when you have a theory or hypothesis in mind but are intent on only discovering data patterns that provide support to it while rejecting those that do not.

Digital age example: your boss asks you to analyze the success of a recent multi-platform social media marketing campaign. While analyzing the potential data variables from the campaign (one that you ran and believe performed well), you see that the share rate for Facebook posts was great, while the share rate for Twitter Tweets was not. Using only the Facebook posts to prove your hypothesis that the campaign was successful would be a perfect manifestation of confirmation bias.

Remedy:as this pitfall is often based on subjective desires, one remedy would be to analyze data with a team of objective individuals. If this is not possible, another solution is to resist the urge to make a conclusion before data exploration has been completed. Remember to always try to disprove a hypothesis, not prove it.

3) Irrelevant data: the third data misinterpretation pitfall is especially important in the digital age. As large data is no longer centrally stored, and as it continues to be analyzed at the speed of thought, it is inevitable that analysts will focus on data that is irrelevant to the problem they are trying to correct.

Digital age example:in attempting to gauge the success of an email lead generation campaign, you notice that the number of homepage views directly resulting from the campaign increased, but the number of monthly newsletter subscribers did not. Based on the number of homepage views, you decide the campaign was a success when really it generated zero leads.

Remedy:proactively and clearly frame any data analysis variables and KPIs prior to engaging in a data review. If the metric you are using to measure the success of a lead generation campaign is newsletter subscribers, there is no need to review the number of homepage visits. Be sure to focus on the data variable that answers your question or solves your problem and not on irrelevant data.

4) Truncating an Axes: When creating a graph to start interpreting the results of your analysis it is important to keep the axes truthful and avoid generating misleading visualizations. Starting the axes in a value that doesn't portray the actual truth about the data can lead to false conclusions.

Digital age example: In the image below we can see a graph from Fox News in which the Y-axes start at 34%, making it seem that the difference between 35% and 39.6% is way higher than it actually is. This could lead to a misinterpretation of the tax rate changes.

Remedy: Be careful with the way your data is visualized. Be respectful and realistic with axes to avoid misinterpretation of your data. See below how the Fox News chart looks when using the correct axes values. This chart was created with datapine's modern online data visualization tool.

5) (Small) sample size: Another common data analysis and interpretation problem is the use of a small sample size. Logically, the bigger the sample size the most accurate and reliable are the results. However, this also depends on the size of the effect of the study. For example, the sample size in a survey about the quality of education will not be the same as for one about people doing outdoor sports in a specific area.

Digital age example: Imagine you ask 30 people a question and 29 answer "yes" resulting in 95% of the total. Now imagine you ask the same question to 1000 and 950 of them answer "yes", which is again 95%. While these percentages might look the same, they certainly do not mean the same thing as a 30 people sample size is not a significant number to establish a truthful conclusion.

Remedy: Researchers say that in order to determine the correct sample size to get truthful and meaningful results it is necessary to define a margin of error that will represent the maximum amount they want the results to deviate from the statistical mean. Paired to this, they need to define a confidence level that should be between 90 and 99%. With these two values in hand, researchers can calculate an accurate sample size for their studies.

6) Reliability, subjectivity, and generalizability: When performing qualitative analysis, researchers must consider practical and theoretical limitations when interpreting the data. In some cases, qualitative research can be considered unreliable because of uncontrolled factors that might or might not affect the results. This is paired with the fact that the researcher has a primary role in the interpretation process, meaning he or she decides what is relevant and what is not, and as we know, interpretations can be very subjective.

Generalizability is also an issue that researchers face when dealing with qualitative analysis. As mentioned in the point about small sample size, it is difficult to draw conclusions that are 100% representative because the results might be biased or unrepresentative of a wider population.

While these factors are mostly present in qualitative research, they can also affect quantitative analysis. For example, when choosing which KPIs to portray and how to portray them, analysts can also be biased and represent them in a way that benefits their analysis.

Digital age example: Biased questions in a survey are a great example of reliability and subjectivity issues. Imagine you are sending a survey to your clients to see how satisfied they are with your customer service with this question: "how amazing was your experience with our customer service team?". Here we can see that this question is clearly influencing the response of the individual by putting the word "amazing" on it.

Remedy: A solution to avoid these issues is to keep your research honest and neutral. Keep the wording of the questions as objective as possible. For example: "on a scale of 1-10 how satisfied were you with our customer service team". This is not leading the respondent to any specific answer, meaning the results of your survey will be reliable.

Data Interpretation Techniques and Methods

Data analysis and interpretation are critical to developing sound conclusions and making better-informed decisions. As we have seen with this article, there is an art and science to the interpretation of data. To help you with this purpose here we will list a few relevant data interpretation techniques, methods, and tricks you can implement for a successful data management process.

As mentioned at the beginning of this post, the first step to interpret data in a successful way is to identify the type of analysis you will perform and apply the methods respectively. Clearly differentiate between qualitative analysis (observe, document, and interview notice, collect and think about things) and quantitative analysis (you lead research with a lot of numerical data to be analyzed through various statistical methods).

1) Ask the right data interpretation questions

The first data interpretation technique is to define a clear baseline for your work. This can be done by answering some critical questions that will serve as a useful guideline to start. Some of them include: what are the goals and objectives from my analysis? What type of data interpretation method will I use? Who will use this data in the future? And most importantly, what general question am I trying to answer?

Once all this information has been defined, you will be ready to collect your data. As mentioned at the beginning of the post, your methods for data collection will vary depending on what type of analysis you use (qualitative or quantitative). With all the needed information in hand, you are ready to start the interpretation process, but first, you need to visualize your data.

2) Use the right data visualization type

Data visualizations such as business graphs, charts, and tables are fundamental to successfully interpreting data. This is because the visualization of data via interactive charts and graphs makes the information more understandable and accessible. As you might be aware, there are different types of visualizations you can use but not all of them are suitable for any analysis purpose. Using the wrong graph can lead to misinterpretation of your data so it's very important to carefully pick the right visual for it. Let's look at some use cases of common data visualizations.

Bar chart: One of the most used chart types, the bar chart uses rectangular bars to show the relationship between 2 or more variables. There are different types of bar charts for different interpretations this includes the horizontal bar chart, column bar chart, and stacked bar chart.

Line chart: Most commonly used to show trends, acceleration or decelerations, and volatility, the line chart aims to show how data changes over a period of time for example sales over a year. A few tips to keep this chart ready for interpretation is to not use many variables that can overcrowd the graph and keep your axis scale close to the highest data point to avoid making the information hard to read.

Pie chart: Although it doesn't do a lot in terms of analysis due to its uncomplex nature, pie charts are widely used to show the proportional composition of a variable. Visually speaking, showing a percentage in a bar chart is way more complicated than showing it in a pie chart. However, this also depends on the number of variables you are comparing. If your pie chart would need to be divided into 10 portions then it is better to use a bar chart instead.

Tables: While they are not a specific type of chart, tables are wildly used when interpreting data. Tables are especially useful when you want to portray data in its raw format. They give you the freedom to easily look up or compare individual values while also displaying grand totals.

With the use of data visualizations becoming more and more critical for businesses' analytical success, many tools have emerged to help users visualize their data in a cohesive and interactive way. One of the most popular ones is the use of BI dashboards. These visual tools provide a centralized view of various graphs and charts that paint a bigger picture about a topic. We will discuss more the power of dashboards for an efficient data interpretation practice in the next portion of this post. If you want to learn more about different types of data visualizations take a look at our complete guide on the topic.

3) Keep your interpretation objective

As mentioned above, keeping your interpretation objective is a fundamental part of the process. Being the person closest to the investigation, it is easy to become subjective when looking for answers in the data. Some good ways to stay objective is to show the information to other people related to the study, for example, research partners or even the people that will use your findings once they are done. This can help avoid confirmation bias and any reliability issues with your interpretation.

4) Mark your findings and draw conclusions

Findings are the observations you extracted out of your data. They are the facts that will help you drive deeper conclusions about your research. For example, findings can be trends and patterns that you found during your interpretation process. To put your findings into perspective you can compare them with other resources that used similar methods and use them as benchmarks.

Reflect on your own thinking and reasoning and be aware of the many pitfalls data analysis and interpretation carries. Correlation versus causation, subjective bias, false information, and inaccurate data, etc. Once you are comfortable with your interpretation of the data you will be ready to develop conclusions, see if your initial question were answered, and suggest recommendations based on them.

Interpretation of Data: The Use of Dashboards Bridging The Gap

As we have seen, quantitative and qualitative methods are distinct types of data analyses. Both offer a varying degree of return on investment (ROI) regarding data investigation, testing, and decision-making. Because of their differences, it is important to understand how dashboards can be implemented to bridge the quantitative and qualitative information gap. How are digital data dashboard solutions playing a key role in merging the data disconnect? Here are a few of the ways:

1) Connecting and blending data. With today's pace of innovation, it is no longer feasible (nor desirable) to have bulk data centrally located. As businesses continue to globalize and borders continue to dissolve, it will become increasingly important for businesses to possess the capability to run diverse data analyses absent the limitations of location. Data dashboards decentralize data without compromising on the necessary speed of thought while blending both quantitative and qualitative data. Whether you want to measure customer trends or organizational performance, you now have the capability to do both without the need for a singular selection.

2) Mobile Data. Related to the notion of "connected and blended data" is that of mobile data. In today's digital world, employees are spending less time at their desks and simultaneously increasing production. This is made possible by the fact that mobile solutions for analytical tools are no longer standalone. Today, mobile analysis applications seamlessly integrate with everyday business tools. In turn, both quantitative and qualitative data are now available on-demand where they're needed, when they're needed, and how they're needed via interactive online dashboards.

3) Visualization. Data dashboards are merging the data gap between qualitative and quantitative methods of interpretation of data, through the science of visualization. Dashboard solutions come "out of the box" well-equipped to create easy-to-understand data demonstrations. Modern online data visualization tools provide a variety of color and filter patterns, encourage user interaction, and are engineered to help enhance future trend predictability. All of these visual characteristics make for an easy transition among data methods - you only need to find the right types of data visualization to tell your data story the best way possible.

To give you an idea of how a market research dashboard fulfills the need of bridging quantitative and qualitative analysis and helps in understanding how to interpret data in research thanks to visualization, have a look at the following one. It brings together both qualitative and quantitative data knowledgeably analyzed and visualizes it in a meaningful way that everyone can understand, thus empowering any viewer to interpret it:

**click to enlarge**
To see more data analysis and interpretation examples, visit our library of business dashboards.

To Conclude...

As we reach the end of this insightful post about data interpretation and analysis we hope you have a clear understanding of the topic. We've covered the data interpretation definition, given some examples and methods to perform a successful interpretation process.

The importance of data interpretation is undeniable. Dashboards not only bridge the information gap between traditional data interpretation methods and technology, but they can help remedy and prevent the major pitfalls of interpretation. As a digital age solution, they combine the best of the past and the present to allow for informed decision-making with maximum data interpretation ROI.

To start visualizing your insights in a meaningful and actionable way, test our online reporting software for free with our 14-day trial!

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What Is Data Interpretation? Meaning, Methods & Examples

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Data analysis and interpretation have now taken center stage with the advent of the digital age... and the sheer amount of data can be frightening. In fact, a Digital Universe study found that the total data supply in 2012 was 2.8 trillion gigabytes!

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Qualitative + Quantitative Research Procedures

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Qualitative + Quantitative Research Procedures

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Playlist: Qualitative Research + Data Analysis

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Playlist: Qualitative Research + Data Analysis

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Qualitative Data Analysis 101 Tutorial: 6 Analysis Methods + Examples

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Playlist: Quantitative Research Design Analysis

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Playlist: Quantitative Research Design Analysis

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Quantitative Data Analysis 101 Tutorial: Descriptive vs Inferential Statistics (With Examples)

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Research Design: Decide on your Data Analysis Strategy | Scribbr 🎓

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Research Design: Decide on your Data Analysis Strategy | Scribbr 🎓

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Research Design: Decide on your Data Analysis Strategy | Scribbr 🎓

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Infographic: Critical and Analytical Thinking

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Infographic: Critical and Analytical Thinking

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The Role of Critical Thinking in Research and Academic Writing

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The Role of Critical Thinking in Research and Academic Writing

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The Role of Critical Thinking in Research and Academic Writing - DevOpsSchool.com

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In the modern world, where knowledge is easy to find, being able to think critically is becoming more and more important. Critical thinking is a mental skill that enables people…

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CRITICAL THINKING - Fundamentals Playlist

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CRITICAL THINKING - Fundamentals Playlist

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CRITICAL THINKING - Fundamentals: Introduction to Critical Thinking [HD]

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The concept of responsible conduct of research entails the critical evaluation of sources and respecting the rights of the creators of any sources used in the research.

When you have found the publications that you think will be useful to you, it is time for their critical evaluation. The purpose of source analysis is to draw conclusions about the reliability of the author of the information and the information itself, as well as their worth as source material.

The level of reliability varies according to the type of source; the level is high in doctoral theses and articles that have been refereed for academic publication, while the level is not very high in e.g. articles in popular magazines and web pages. Scientific journals use peer review to ensure the scientific quality of articles. Peer review consists of several steps where independent experts assess whether the manuscript is fit for publication, provide suggestions for improvements, and support the journal in deciding whether to publish or not.

You can consider how reliable the material is and how valuable the source by answering the following questions:

What information does the author give about him/herself?

Has the author published other works on the same subject?

What is the author's background organisation and what are its views on the subject?

Who has funded or sponsored the research or publication?

When was the material published / is it up to date?

To whom is the material directed / does the material have a specific target audience?

Does the material list sources used?

Why has the material been made; what was the purpose of producing it and its academic goal?

Is the material well-written and does the language contain the terminology appropriate for the subject?

is the material comparable with other material on the same subject and to what you already know about the subject?

You need to be especially careful when analysing sources on the open web; since the Internet is a channel that is open for everyone, the contents and their reliability are not necessarily checked at all. Take at least the following points into consideration when evaluating information from the open web:

Reliability of the contents: how are the statements in the material argued and are any sources or links presented for checking the facts?

Objectivity: where is the page located and who is in charge of the web site (a company, a government body, or e.g. a private individual). Keep in mind that the information on e.g. company web sites often contains advertising.

Timeliness: find out at least when the page has been created and when it has last been updated.

In addition, it is preferable to use primary sources rather than secondary ones for e.g. theses.

AI literacy

AI applications based on large language models have taken huge leaps in recent years and are able to produce text with a couple of clicks. In university studies, ChatGPT and other similar applications must be used with extreme care and critical approach, as the artificial intelligence output may contain errors or entirely invented claims. AI does not understand the text it produces like humans do, and the responsibility for learning lies with you, not with AI. Artificial intelligence is also not a search engine and cannot go through sources for you.

Always remember to follow the instructions provided by the teacher when using AI applications. Teachers may also prohibit the use of large language models in their courses. Unauthorised use of language models may be considered cheating. If you use the language model in writing, you must be specific and indicate in writing which model (e.g. ChatGPT, DeepL) you have used and in what way. Read the University of Helsinki's guidelines on how AI applications can be used to support learning.

Read more: Information for students on the use of artificial intelligence at the University (the Studies service)

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The concept of responsible conduct of research entails the critical evaluation of sources and respecting the rights of the creators of any sources used in the research. When you have found the publications that you think will be useful to you, it is time for their critical evaluation.

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What’s the Difference Between Source Analysis and Evaluation?

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What’s the Difference Between Source Analysis and Evaluation?

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What's the Difference Between Source Analysis and Evaluation?

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Understanding the difference between source analysis and source evaluation is crucial in the History classroom. Both students and teachers stand to benefit from having an awareness of how these two sets of skills differ.

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What Is Ethics in Research & Why Is It Important?

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What Is Ethics in Research & Why Is It Important?

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National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences

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by David B. Resnik, J.D., Ph.D.

December 23, 2020
The ideas and opinions expressed in this essay are the author's own and do not necessarily represent those of the NIH, NIEHS, or US government.
When most people think of ethics (or morals), they think of rules for distinguishing between right and wrong, such as the Golden Rule ("Do unto others as you would have them do unto you"), a code of professional conduct like the Hippocratic Oath ("First of all, do no harm"), a religious creed like the Ten Commandments ("Thou Shalt not kill..."), or a wise aphorisms like the sayings of Confucius. This is the most common way of defining "ethics": norms for conduct that distinguish between acceptable and unacceptable behavior.

Most people learn ethical norms at home, at school, in church, or in other social settings. Although most people acquire their sense of right and wrong during childhood, moral development occurs throughout life and human beings pass through different stages of growth as they mature. Ethical norms are so ubiquitous that one might be tempted to regard them as simple commonsense. On the other hand, if morality were nothing more than commonsense, then why are there so many ethical disputes and issues in our society?

One plausible explanation of these disagreements is that all people recognize some common ethical norms but interpret, apply, and balance them in different ways in light of their own values and life experiences. For example, two people could agree that murder is wrong but disagree about the morality of abortion because they have different understandings of what it means to be a human being.

Most societies also have legal rules that govern behavior, but ethical norms tend to be broader and more informal than laws. Although most societies use laws to enforce widely accepted moral standards and ethical and legal rules use similar concepts, ethics and law are not the same. An action may be legal but unethical or illegal but ethical. We can also use ethical concepts and principles to criticize, evaluate, propose, or interpret laws. Indeed, in the last century, many social reformers have urged citizens to disobey laws they regarded as immoral or unjust laws. Peaceful civil disobedience is an ethical way of protesting laws or expressing political viewpoints.

Another way of defining 'ethics' focuses on the disciplines that study standards of conduct, such as philosophy, theology, law, psychology, or sociology. For example, a "medical ethicist" is someone who studies ethical standards in medicine. One may also define ethics as a method, procedure, or perspective for deciding how to act and for analyzing complex problems and issues. For instance, in considering a complex issue like global warming , one may take an economic, ecological, political, or ethical perspective on the problem. While an economist might examine the cost and benefits of various policies related to global warming, an environmental ethicist could examine the ethical values and principles at stake.

Many different disciplines, institutions , and professions have standards for behavior that suit their particular aims and goals. These standards also help members of the discipline to coordinate their actions or activities and to establish the public's trust of the discipline. For instance, ethical standards govern conduct in medicine, law, engineering, and business. Ethical norms also serve the aims or goals of research and apply to people who conduct scientific research or other scholarly or creative activities. There is even a specialized discipline, research ethics, which studies these norms. See Glossary of Commonly Used Terms in Research Ethics and Research Ethics Timeline.

There are several reasons why it is important to adhere to ethical norms in research. First, norms promote the aims of research , such as knowledge, truth, and avoidance of error. For example, prohibitions against fabricating , falsifying, or misrepresenting research data promote the truth and minimize error.

Second, since research often involves a great deal of cooperation and coordination among many different people in different disciplines and institutions, ethical standards promote the values that are essential to collaborative work, such as trust, accountability, mutual respect, and fairness. For example, many ethical norms in research, such as guidelines for authorship , copyright and patenting policies , data sharing policies, and confidentiality rules in peer review, are designed to protect intellectual property interests while encouraging collaboration. Most researchers want to receive credit for their contributions and do not want to have their ideas stolen or disclosed prematurely.

Third, many of the ethical norms help to ensure that researchers can be held accountable to the public. For instance, federal policies on research misconduct, conflicts of interest, the human subjects protections, and animal care and use are necessary in order to make sure that researchers who are funded by public money can be held accountable to the public.

Fourth, ethical norms in research also help to build public support for research. People are more likely to fund a research project if they can trust the quality and integrity of research.

Finally, many of the norms of research promote a variety of other important moral and social values, such as social responsibility, human rights, animal welfare, compliance with the law, and public health and safety. Ethical lapses in research can significantly harm human and animal subjects, students, and the public. For example, a researcher who fabricates data in a clinical trial may harm or even kill patients, and a researcher who fails to abide by regulations and guidelines relating to radiation or biological safety may jeopardize his health and safety or the health and safety of staff and students.

Codes and Policies for Research Ethics

Given the importance of ethics for the conduct of research, it should come as no surprise that many different professional associations, government agencies, and universities have adopted specific codes, rules, and policies relating to research ethics. Many government agencies have ethics rules for funded researchers.

Ethical Principles

The following is a rough and general summary of some ethical principles that various codes address*:

Ethical Decision Making in Research

Although codes, policies, and principles are very important and useful, like any set of rules, they do not cover every situation, they often conflict, and they require interpretation. It is therefore important for researchers to learn how to interpret, assess, and apply various research rules and how to make decisions and act ethically in various situations. The vast majority of decisions involve the straightforward application of ethical rules. For example, consider the following case:

Promoting Ethical Conduct in Science

Most academic institutions in the US require undergraduate, graduate, or postgraduate students to have some education in the responsible conduct of research (RCR) . The and have both mandated training in research ethics for students and trainees. Many academic institutions outside of the US have also developed educational curricula in research ethics

Those of you who are taking or have taken courses in research ethics may be wondering why you are required to have education in research ethics. You may believe that you are highly ethical and know the difference between right and wrong. You would never fabricate or falsify data or plagiarize. Indeed, you also may believe that most of your colleagues are highly ethical and that there is no ethics problem in research..

If you feel this way, relax. No one is accusing you of acting unethically. Indeed, the evidence produced so far shows that misconduct is a very rare occurrence in research, although there is considerable variation among various estimates. The rate of misconduct has been estimated to be as low as 0.01% of researchers per year (based on confirmed cases of misconduct in federally funded research) to as high as 1% of researchers per year (based on self-reports of misconduct on anonymous surveys). See Shamoo and Resnik (2015), cited above.

Clearly, it would be useful to have more data on this topic, but so far there is no evidence that science has become ethically corrupt, despite some highly publicized scandals. Even if misconduct is only a rare occurrence, it can still have a tremendous impact on science and society because it can compromise the integrity of research, erode the public's trust in science, and waste time and resources. Will education in research ethics help reduce the rate of misconduct in science? It is too early to tell. The answer to this question depends, in part, on how one understands the causes of misconduct. There are two main theories about why researchers commit misconduct. According to the "bad apple" theory, most scientists are highly ethical. Only researchers who are morally corrupt, economically desperate, or psychologically disturbed commit misconduct. Moreover, only a fool would commit misconduct because science's peer review system and self-correcting mechanisms will eventually catch those who try to cheat the system. In any case, a course in research ethics will have little impact on "bad apples," one might argue.

According to the "stressful" or "imperfect" environment theory, misconduct occurs because various institutional pressures, incentives, and constraints encourage people to commit misconduct, such as pressures to publish or obtain grants or contracts, career ambitions, the pursuit of profit or fame, poor supervision of students and trainees, and poor oversight of researchers (see Shamoo and Resnik 2015). Moreover, defenders of the stressful environment theory point out that science's peer review system is far from perfect and that it is relatively easy to cheat the system. Erroneous or fraudulent research often enters the public record without being detected for years. Misconduct probably results from environmental and individual causes, i.e. when people who are morally weak, ignorant, or insensitive are placed in stressful or imperfect environments. In any case, a course in research ethics can be useful in helping to prevent deviations from norms even if it does not prevent misconduct. Education in research ethics is can help people get a better understanding of ethical standards, policies, and issues and improve ethical judgment and decision making. Many of the deviations that occur in research may occur because researchers simply do not know or have never thought seriously about some of the ethical norms of research. For example, some unethical authorship practices probably reflect traditions and practices that have not been questioned seriously until recently. If the director of a lab is named as an author on every paper that comes from his lab, even if he does not make a significant contribution, what could be wrong with that? That's just the way it's done, one might argue. Another example where there may be some ignorance or mistaken traditions is conflicts of interest in research. A researcher may think that a "normal" or "traditional" financial relationship, such as accepting stock or a consulting fee from a drug company that sponsors her research, raises no serious ethical issues. Or perhaps a university administrator sees no ethical problem in taking a large gift with strings attached from a pharmaceutical company. Maybe a physician thinks that it is perfectly appropriate to receive a $300 finder's fee for referring patients into a clinical trial.

If "deviations" from ethical conduct occur in research as a result of ignorance or a failure to reflect critically on problematic traditions, then a course in research ethics may help reduce the rate of serious deviations by improving the researcher's understanding of ethics and by sensitizing him or her to the issues.

Finally, education in research ethics should be able to help researchers grapple with the ethical dilemmas they are likely to encounter by introducing them to important concepts, tools, principles, and methods that can be useful in resolving these dilemmas. Scientists must deal with a number of different controversial topics, such as human embryonic stem cell research, cloning, genetic engineering, and research involving animal or human subjects, which require ethical reflection and deliberation.

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What Is Ethics in Research and Why Is It Important?

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David B. Resnik, J.D., Ph.D. explores the history and importance of ethics.

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5 Tips on Communicating Your Research Effectively

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5 Tips on Communicating Your Research Effectively

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One valuable skill to acquire during graduate studies is effective communication of your research to audiences within and outside your field of study. There are many instances in your graduate school experience when effective communication will be important such as presentations (PowerPoint, poster, oral), grant writing, and general communications with peers/colleagues.

[ Image Description: Kris Jenner looks at the camera and states "It's all about communication."]

Pictured: Communication is a key skill in grad school and beyond!

These tips will help you communicate your work clearly while conveying the significance and relevance of your research.

1. Reduce Jargon

In general talks with diverse audiences and grant applications where you have reviewers from other fields scoring your work, jargon can stand in the way of presenting your work clearly. Some field specific terms are okay to use, when necessary, but be sure to define these terms early on and keep written abbreviations to a minimum in your materials.

2. State the Purpose of Your Research Early

It is important to let your audience know early on what the purpose of your research is. This helps define the direction of your work and to keep your audience engaged. A research project that is unfocused or does not have a clear purpose may not be engaging and can lose the attention and focus of the audience.

3. Communicate Your Research with Clarity and Focus

It is important to communicate your work clearly and with focus. Most people viewing or reading about your work will be doing it for the first time. If you don't break it down for them to understand in clear chunks, they can easily become lost. Have a clear pattern and logical progression of ideas to your talk or writing and present it to different people to see if they understand your logic and flow. Not sure where you can get feedback? Try making an appointment at the Graduate Writing Center!

4. Highlight the Relevance of Your Research

One important point that will be of interest to your audience is the novelty and/or relevancy of your work. For example, if you are trying to develop assistive technology to help patients, it is important to know what's already been done to either improve on the existing technology or develop something entirely new. Also, it is important to let the audience know that your work is relevant with the times. Can you find some current issues where your research fits in? For instance, research looking at therapies for respiratory illnesses are important, especially in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. It would be important to communicate this to audiences to show how a research project takes into account how the work can benefit COVID patients, for example.

5. Make the Impact of Your Work Clear

In all research, it's important to communicate the impact of your work. Scholarly research is valuable in many facets of everyday life-whether it involves creating new vaccines to reduce illness severity or public policy research that leads to enhancements in regulatory practices, it is critical to convey how your work will help improve society, etc. Emphasizing the impact of your research will keep audiences engaged and is a critical component of funding applications.

Keep these tips in mind for effective communication of your research! To learn more about effective communication, check out the Graduate Writing Center's resource page.

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5 Tips on Communicating Your Research Effectively

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Credible Source: Five tips to determine if your source is credible

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Credible Source: Five tips to determine if your source is credible

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Credible Source: Five tips to determine if your source is credible

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Communicating Research Findings [Video 7]

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A Complete Guide to Effective Written Communication

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A Complete Guide to Effective Written Communication

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How to Write a Good Literature Review // Playlist!

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How to Write a Good Literature Review // Playlist!

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Literature review takes up a pretty big part of your paper, that’s why we dedicated this playlist entirely for it! This playlist covers A-Z of literature rev…

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LITERATURE REVIEW: Step by Step Guide for Writing an Effective Literature Review

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LITERATURE REVIEW: Step by Step Guide for Writing an Effective Literature Review

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LITERATURE REVIEW: Step by Step Guide for Writing an Effective Literature Review

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A literature review is a document or section of a document that collects key sources on a topic and discusses those sources in conversation with each other (also called synthesis). The lit review is an important genre in many disciplines, not just literature (i.e., the study of works of literature such as novels and plays). When we say "literature review" or refer to "the literature," we are talking about the research ( scholarship) in a given field. You will often see the terms "the research," "the scholarship," and "the literature" used mostly interchangeably.

Where, when, and why would I write a lit review?

There are a number of different situations where you might write a literature review, each with slightly different expectations; different disciplines, too, have field-specific expectations for what a literature review is and does. For instance, in the humanities, authors might include more overt argumentation and interpretation of source material in their literature reviews, whereas in the sciences, authors are more likely to report study designs and results in their literature reviews; these differences reflect these disciplines' purposes and conventions in scholarship. You should always look at examples from your own discipline and talk to professors or mentors in your field to be sure you understand your discipline's conventions, for literature reviews as well as for any other genre.

A literature review can be a part of a research paper or scholarly article, usually falling after the introduction and before the research methods sections. In these cases, the lit review just needs to cover scholarship that is important to the issue you are writing about; sometimes it will also cover key sources that informed your research methodology.

Lit reviews can also be standalone pieces, either as assignments in a class or as publications. In a class, a lit review may be assigned to help students familiarize themselves with a topic and with scholarship in their field, get an idea of the other researchers working on the topic they're interested in, find gaps in existing research in order to propose new projects, and/or develop a theoretical framework and methodology for later research. As a publication, a lit review usually is meant to help make other scholars' lives easier by collecting and summarizing, synthesizing, and analyzing existing research on a topic. This can be especially helpful for students or scholars getting into a new research area, or for directing an entire community of scholars toward questions that have not yet been answered.

What are the parts of a lit review?

Most lit reviews use a basic introduction-body-conclusion structure; if your lit review is part of a larger paper, the introduction and conclusion pieces may be just a few sentences while you focus most of your attention on the body. If your lit review is a standalone piece, the introduction and conclusion take up more space and give you a place to discuss your goals, research methods, and conclusions separately from where you discuss the literature itself.
Introduction:

An introductory paragraph that explains what your working topic and thesis is

A forecast of key topics or texts that will appear in the review

Potentially, a description of how you found sources and how you analyzed them for inclusion and discussion in the review (more often found in published, standalone literature reviews than in lit review sections in an article or research paper)

Body:

Summarize and synthesize: Give an overview of the main points of each source and combine them into a coherent whole

Analyze and interpret: Don't just paraphrase other researchers - add your own interpretations where possible, discussing the significance of findings in relation to the literature as a whole

Critically Evaluate: Mention the strengths and weaknesses of your sources

Write in well-structured paragraphs: Use transition words and topic sentence to draw connections, comparisons, and contrasts.

Conclusion:

Summarize the key findings you have taken from the literature and emphasize their significance

Connect it back to your primary research question

How should I organize my lit review?

Lit reviews can take many different organizational patterns depending on what you are trying to accomplish with the review. Here are some examples:

Chronological: The simplest approach is to trace the development of the topic over time, which helps familiarize the audience with the topic (for instance if you are introducing something that is not commonly known in your field). If you choose this strategy, be careful to avoid simply listing and summarizing sources in order. Try to analyze the patterns, turning points, and key debates that have shaped the direction of the field. Give your interpretation of how and why certain developments occurred (as mentioned previously, this may not be appropriate in your discipline - check with a teacher or mentor if you're unsure).

Thematic: If you have found some recurring central themes that you will continue working with throughout your piece, you can organize your literature review into subsections that address different aspects of the topic. For example, if you are reviewing literature about women and religion, key themes can include the role of women in churches and the religious attitude towards women.

Methodological: If you draw your sources from different disciplines or fields that use a variety of research methods, you can compare the results and conclusions that emerge from different approaches. For example:

Qualitative versus quantitative research

Empirical versus theoretical scholarship

Divide the research by sociological, historical, or cultural sources

Theoretical: In many humanities articles, the literature review is the foundation for the theoretical framework. You can use it to discuss various theories, models, and definitions of key concepts. You can argue for the relevance of a specific theoretical approach or combine various theorical concepts to create a framework for your research.

What are some strategies or tips I can use while writing my lit review?

Any lit review is only as good as the research it discusses; make sure your sources are well-chosen and your research is thorough. Don't be afraid to do more research if you discover a new thread as you're writing. More info on the research process is available in our "Conducting Research" resources.

As you're doing your research, create an annotated bibliography ( see our page on the this type of document). Much of the information used in an annotated bibliography can be used also in a literature review, so you'll be not only partially drafting your lit review as you research, but also developing your sense of the larger conversation going on among scholars, professionals, and any other stakeholders in your topic.

Usually you will need to synthesize research rather than just summarizing it. This means drawing connections between sources to create a picture of the scholarly conversation on a topic over time. Many student writers struggle to synthesize because they feel they don't have anything to add to the scholars they are citing; here are some strategies to help you:

It often helps to remember that the point of these kinds of syntheses is to show your readers how you understand your research, to help them read the rest of your paper.

Writing teachers often say synthesis is like hosting a dinner party: imagine all your sources are together in a room, discussing your topic. What are they saying to each other?

Look at the in-text citations in each paragraph. Are you citing just one source for each paragraph? This usually indicates summary only. When you have multiple sources cited in a paragraph, you are more likely to be synthesizing them (not always, but often

Read more about synthesis here.

The most interesting literature reviews are often written as arguments (again, as mentioned at the beginning of the page, this is discipline-specific and doesn't work for all situations). Often, the literature review is where you can establish your research as filling a particular gap or as relevant in a particular way. You have some chance to do this in your introduction in an article, but the literature review section gives a more extended opportunity to establish the conversation in the way you would like your readers to see it. You can choose the intellectual lineage you would like to be part of and whose definitions matter most to your thinking (mostly humanities-specific, but this goes for sciences as well). In addressing these points, you argue for your place in the conversation, which tends to make the lit review more compelling than a simple reporting of other sources.

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A literature review is a document or section of a document that collects key sources on a topic and discusses those sources in conversation with each other (also called synthesis). The lit review is an important genre in many disciplines, not just literature (i.e., the study of works of literature such as novels and plays). When we say "literature review" or refer to "the literature," we are talking about the research ( scholarship) in a given field. You will often see the terms "the research," "the scholarship," and "the literature" used mostly interchangeably.

Where, when, and why would I write a lit review?

There are a number of different situations where you might write a literature review, each with slightly different expectations; different disciplines, too, have field-specific expectations for what a literature review is and does. For instance, in the humanities, authors might include more overt argumentation and interpretation of source material in their literature reviews, whereas in the sciences, authors are more likely to report study designs and results in their literature reviews; these differences reflect these disciplines' purposes and conventions in scholarship. You should always look at examples from your own discipline and talk to professors or mentors in your field to be sure you understand your discipline's conventions, for literature reviews as well as for any other genre.

A literature review can be a part of a research paper or scholarly article, usually falling after the introduction and before the research methods sections. In these cases, the lit review just needs to cover scholarship that is important to the issue you are writing about; sometimes it will also cover key sources that informed your research methodology.

Lit reviews can also be standalone pieces, either as assignments in a class or as publications. In a class, a lit review may be assigned to help students familiarize themselves with a topic and with scholarship in their field, get an idea of the other researchers working on the topic they're interested in, find gaps in existing research in order to propose new projects, and/or develop a theoretical framework and methodology for later research. As a publication, a lit review usually is meant to help make other scholars' lives easier by collecting and summarizing, synthesizing, and analyzing existing research on a topic. This can be especially helpful for students or scholars getting into a new research area, or for directing an entire community of scholars toward questions that have not yet been answered.

What are the parts of a lit review?

Most lit reviews use a basic introduction-body-conclusion structure; if your lit review is part of a larger paper, the introduction and conclusion pieces may be just a few sentences while you focus most of your attention on the body. If your lit review is a standalone piece, the introduction and conclusion take up more space and give you a place to discuss your goals, research methods, and conclusions separately from where you discuss the literature itself.
Introduction:

An introductory paragraph that explains what your working topic and thesis is

A forecast of key topics or texts that will appear in the review

Potentially, a description of how you found sources and how you analyzed them for inclusion and discussion in the review (more often found in published, standalone literature reviews than in lit review sections in an article or research paper)

Body:

Summarize and synthesize: Give an overview of the main points of each source and combine them into a coherent whole

Analyze and interpret: Don't just paraphrase other researchers - add your own interpretations where possible, discussing the significance of findings in relation to the literature as a whole

Critically Evaluate: Mention the strengths and weaknesses of your sources

Write in well-structured paragraphs: Use transition words and topic sentence to draw connections, comparisons, and contrasts.

Conclusion:

Summarize the key findings you have taken from the literature and emphasize their significance

Connect it back to your primary research question

How should I organize my lit review?

Lit reviews can take many different organizational patterns depending on what you are trying to accomplish with the review. Here are some examples:

Chronological: The simplest approach is to trace the development of the topic over time, which helps familiarize the audience with the topic (for instance if you are introducing something that is not commonly known in your field). If you choose this strategy, be careful to avoid simply listing and summarizing sources in order. Try to analyze the patterns, turning points, and key debates that have shaped the direction of the field. Give your interpretation of how and why certain developments occurred (as mentioned previously, this may not be appropriate in your discipline - check with a teacher or mentor if you're unsure).

Thematic: If you have found some recurring central themes that you will continue working with throughout your piece, you can organize your literature review into subsections that address different aspects of the topic. For example, if you are reviewing literature about women and religion, key themes can include the role of women in churches and the religious attitude towards women.

Methodological: If you draw your sources from different disciplines or fields that use a variety of research methods, you can compare the results and conclusions that emerge from different approaches. For example:

Qualitative versus quantitative research

Empirical versus theoretical scholarship

Divide the research by sociological, historical, or cultural sources

Theoretical: In many humanities articles, the literature review is the foundation for the theoretical framework. You can use it to discuss various theories, models, and definitions of key concepts. You can argue for the relevance of a specific theoretical approach or combine various theorical concepts to create a framework for your research.

What are some strategies or tips I can use while writing my lit review?

Any lit review is only as good as the research it discusses; make sure your sources are well-chosen and your research is thorough. Don't be afraid to do more research if you discover a new thread as you're writing. More info on the research process is available in our "Conducting Research" resources.

As you're doing your research, create an annotated bibliography ( see our page on the this type of document). Much of the information used in an annotated bibliography can be used also in a literature review, so you'll be not only partially drafting your lit review as you research, but also developing your sense of the larger conversation going on among scholars, professionals, and any other stakeholders in your topic.

Usually you will need to synthesize research rather than just summarizing it. This means drawing connections between sources to create a picture of the scholarly conversation on a topic over time. Many student writers struggle to synthesize because they feel they don't have anything to add to the scholars they are citing; here are some strategies to help you:

It often helps to remember that the point of these kinds of syntheses is to show your readers how you understand your research, to help them read the rest of your paper.

Writing teachers often say synthesis is like hosting a dinner party: imagine all your sources are together in a room, discussing your topic. What are they saying to each other?

Look at the in-text citations in each paragraph. Are you citing just one source for each paragraph? This usually indicates summary only. When you have multiple sources cited in a paragraph, you are more likely to be synthesizing them (not always, but often

Read more about synthesis here.

The most interesting literature reviews are often written as arguments (again, as mentioned at the beginning of the page, this is discipline-specific and doesn't work for all situations). Often, the literature review is where you can establish your research as filling a particular gap or as relevant in a particular way. You have some chance to do this in your introduction in an article, but the literature review section gives a more extended opportunity to establish the conversation in the way you would like your readers to see it. You can choose the intellectual lineage you would like to be part of and whose definitions matter most to your thinking (mostly humanities-specific, but this goes for sciences as well). In addressing these points, you argue for your place in the conversation, which tends to make the lit review more compelling than a simple reporting of other sources.

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Style Guide Overview MLA Guide APA Guide Chicago Guide OWL Exercises This page is brought to you by the OWL at Purdue University. When printing this page, you must include the entire legal notice. Copyright ©1995-2018 by The Writing Lab & The OWL at Purdue and Purdue University. All rights reserved.

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HOW STUDENTS CAN SET GOALS & ACHIEVE DEADLINES

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HOW STUDENTS CAN SET GOALS & ACHIEVE DEADLINES

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byAlyssa Austin
5 min to read

When Emmitt Smith was in high school, his coach, Dwight Thomas, made everyone on the football team write down their academic and personal goals. "It's only a dream until you write it down, and then it becomes a goal," Thomas said.

Smith later played for the NFL and became one of the best running backs in history. "I know that writing down my goals was an essential strategy," he said, thanking Thomas while delivering his speech at the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Read more to learn about how setting deadlines and becoming deadline-driven can help students achieve personal and academic goals.

Why Are Deadlines Important?

If you want to achieve goals, writing them down is only the first step.

The next step is to identify specific tasks that will help you achieve this goal and set deadlines to meet those tasks. This is exactly why to-do lists are so effective-because they make large projects or goals more manageable by breaking out specific tasks and steps that need to be completed. Breaking up projects into a series of smaller tasks and learning how to add in deadlines makes these projects easier to complete and prevents you from waiting until the last minute to finish your work.

This type of planning can help students finish school projects, follow New Year's resolutions, or achieve goals, whether short-term or long-term. Goal setting also helps to build intrinsic motivation.

When students learn to work with deadlines, they can become highly effective at not just setting goals, but also completing those goals. Deadlines are important because they are key to completion. As the famous saying goes, goals without deadlines are just dreams.

Why Are Due Dates Important in School?

Even though getting the due date for an upcoming homework assignment may elicit a groan or two, it's important to realize that due dates are important for school in the same way they are important for setting goals. Teachers and learning partners want students to reach specific learning goals, so due dates for assignments serve as deadlines to make sure students are consistently progressing towards these goals on schedule.

How to Set Deadlines and Achieve Your Goals

Ready to put these ideas to work and become more deadline-driven? Use these tips to help you map out your goals and set deadlines:

1. Come up with your big goal or determine your project. Maybe it's a school project, like a book report, or a personal project, like making the basketball team.

2. Figure out the tasks that you need to complete to make this goal or project happen. Once you figure out these tasks, organize them into ordered steps. What do you need to do first? Second? Third? And so on.

3. Schedule each step on your calendar. Assign deadlines to these steps to ensure everything is completed before the final due date. This will prevent you from procrastinating and missing deadlines.

4. Write down your deadlines. Writing down your academic goals, your steps, and your deadlines helps you analyze your thoughts and turn them into actions. Writing down your goals helps you commit to them because it makes them feel more concrete.

5. Figure out the right time limit. If you give yourself an hour to do your homework, you'll spend an hour on it, but if you give yourself 30 minutes, you can probably get it done faster. Try not to make the time limit so short that it's impossible to reach.

6. Use a timer. Keep track of time and prevent you from working too slowly.

7. Do the difficult parts first. Getting the tougher tasks over with can spur your motivation and make the rest of the project go more quickly.

8. Anticipate mistakes or delays. If you miss a deadline, what will you do? Figure out a plan ahead of time for dealing with problems so you don't get discouraged or lose sight of your academic goal if something happens.

9. Determine your priorities. Start by figuring out which steps are most important in achieving your academic goal and seeing if there are any ways you can save time. If you run out of time, know which parts you can skip or do quickly.

10. Work ahead when possible. Once you've set your deadline, you know exactly what you need to know and when to do it to be successful. But challenge yourself to beat a deadline from time to time! It will build your confidence and your momentum to keep going.

11. Find support. Ask a parent, teacher, or your Learning Coach for feedback or help when needed. Sharing your deadlines is important because it holds you accountable, making you less likely to miss or change deadlines.

12. Get creative. Find ways to make setting deadlines fun. Make a chart, create a calendar, or draw a picture to visualize the process of finishing your project.

Want even more goal-planning tips? Check out our article on 6 Simple Tips to Help Your Teen With Goal Planning.

Learning How to Set Deadlines Is an Important Career Skill

Goal setting and creating a step-by-step plan for achieving goals, complete with deadlines, are skills that are valuable not just in online school, but also in college and the workforce. Applying these skills to personal, academic, and career goals is a great way to motivate yourself to achieve them. And with a goalsetting focus and a track record of achievement, you're well on your way to a bright future!

To learn how you can enjoy the benefits of personalized online learning, including access to many honors and Advanced Placement®* courses, plus expert college and career counseling, visit the website for Connections Academy® online public school. Or, to learn about online private school, visit  Pearson Online Academy's website.

* Advanced Placement® is a registered trademark of the College Board. Used with permission.

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In 2006, I launched "the wolves project" with my students at New Tech High School in Napa, California. The project required students to determine whether the gray wolf should be reintroduced into Yellowstone National Park. Students were tasked with presenting their findings to a panel of experts on land rights, state and national parks, and biology.

I provided students approximately four weeks to prepare for their solution. During this time, they worked in groups to research the issue and engage in lessons on ecosystems, energy pyramids, land rights, and national parks. In the final days of the project, students put together a presentation. On the day of the presentation, the students shared their findings, answered questions from the panel, and reflected on the key learning from the project.

The project appeared to be a success. Not only were students engaged with the project, but they did well on the unit test. But I still wondered, "How would my students perform on a new task if I gave them a different situation other than wolves?"

Teaching for Transfer

Project design often starts with identifying a situation for students to investigate. On the surface, the intent makes sense. Let's get students to apply key content to a real-world problem. This idea, however, narrows students' focus on one situation or one problem.

Transfer is about broadening our focus. Students need to engage with multiple problems or situations, not just one. In the aforementioned example, students needed to look beyond wolf reintroduction and consider other situations pertaining to ecosystems.

More generally, when teachers create a project, they need to generate multiple situations for students to review and develop an understanding of how core content applies in each context. For example, if students are learning how to count, they should review situations that involve money or the amount of liquid in a cup.

Solutions

Modified jigsaw launch: One way to broaden a student's focus and ensure that they don't fixate on a singular context is to provide them with multiple situations at the beginning of the project. In one class, instead of starting with the gray wolves, I started the project by placing students into four groups of three to five students each and having students review one of four problems in different situations:

Decline of a species: Golden eagle population decline

Invasive species: Bamboo in California

Invasive species: Ferrets in New Zealand

Desirable exotic: Horses of Assateague

The student groups reviewed each situation and determined the problem, how the problem came to be, how it persisted, and why it persisted.

Next, I had students form into new groups with one student from each of the original groups present. After each student shared their problem, the group discussed the similarities and differences between the various situations. Specifically, they addressed the following questions:

To what extent do these problems relate to one another?

What appear to be the underlying principles that connect these situations to one another?

Where do these problems differ?

This activity led to students' having a greater understanding of the underlying principles and patterns of ecosystems and a heightened level of engagement throughout the project because they were solving multiple problems rather than just one problem. This led to an array of presentations, discussions, and development of new problem situations.

Sequels

A sequel is an activity at the end of a project where students are presented with a new problem in a new context that's related to the same core content in the original problem. For example, in one of my classes, I had students go through the wolf project as I had originally planned. However, the day after students presented their solutions, I gave students a brand-new problem (i.e., golden eagle, bamboo in California, ferrets in New Zealand) and told them that they needed to compare and contrast the new problem with the wolf project. In addition, they needed to propose a solution and determine why that solution was similar to or different from the one they had created originally for the wolf project.

I gave the students two class periods to solve these problems and prepare to share their ideas with the rest of the class. This short time frame allowed them to focus on thinking about connections between the problems and situations rather than building new products. Therefore, the students engaged in a discussion with their classmates. We conducted a Harkness protocol to structure our conversation in a way that ensured that everyone was heard and to ensure that all students would have the opportunity to answer the following questions:

To what extent do these problems relate to one another?

What appear to be the underlying principles that connect these situations to one another?

Where do these solutions differ? Why does your solution differ?

Create and Investigate Student-Constructed Problems

In another class, I walked through the wolf problem with students. I reviewed the various aspects of the problem, such as the changes in animal populations and competing stakeholder groups (farmers/ranchers, scientists). Next, I asked students to brainstorm different problems that were analogous to the wolf problem. For many students, this required scaffolding, including providing students a few websites that offered examples.

Students generated several problems that involved changing animal populations and competing stakeholder groups, such as whooping crane migratory patterns and the Keystone XL pipeline infrastructure. Questions were created around each of these contexts, including, "To what extent can we successfully engage with competing interests to create a healthy ecosystem, economy, and community?"

Once a number of problems had been created, I asked students to form into small groups and pick a problem to go after. As a result, the class began solving multiple problems. At the end of the unit, students presented their problem and solution, and the rest of the class was tasked with comparing and contrasting their problems and solutions with what was being presented.

Problem-based and project-based learning are designed for students to transfer their learning across multiple situations. Therefore, teachers must ensure that students review and evaluate multiple situations in a project to get the most out of these experiences.

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Qualitative vs Quantitative vs Mixed Methods Research: How To Choose Research Methodology

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What Is a Research Methodology? | Steps & Tips

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Your research methodology discusses and explains the data collection and analysis methods you used in your research. A key part of your thesis, dissertation, or research paper, the methodology chapter explains what you did and how you did it, allowing readers to evaluate the reliability and validity of your research and your dissertation topic.

It should include:

The type of research you conducted

How you collected and analyzed your data

Any tools or materials you used in the research

How you mitigated or avoided research biases

Why you chose these methods

Tips

Your methodology section should generally be written in the past tense.

Academic style guides in your field may provide detailed guidelines on what to include for different types of studies.

Your citation style might provide guidelines for your methodology section (e.g., an APA Style methods section).

How to write a research methodology

Why is a methods section important?

Your methods section is your opportunity to share how you conducted your research and why you chose the methods you chose. It's also the place to show that your research was rigorously conducted and can be replicated.

It gives your research legitimacy and situates it within your field, and also gives your readers a place to refer to if they have any questions or critiques in other sections.

Step 1: Explain your methodological approach

You can start by introducing your overall approach to your research. You have two options here.

Option 1: Start with your "what"

What research problem or question did you investigate?

Aim to describe the characteristics of something?

Explore an under-researched topic?

Establish a causal relationship?

And what type of data did you need to achieve this aim?

Option 2: Start with your "why"

Depending on your discipline, you can also start with a discussion of the rationale and assumptions underpinning your methodology. In other words, why did you choose these methods for your study?

Why is this the best way to answer your research question?

Is this a standard methodology in your field, or does it require justification?

Were there any ethical considerations involved in your choices?

What are the criteria for validity and reliability in this type of research? How did you prevent bias from affecting your data?

Quantitative example
In a quantitative experimental study, you may aim to produce generalizable knowledge about the causes of a phenomenon. This requires a carefully designed study under controlled conditions that can be replicated by other researchers.

Qualitative example
In a qualitative ethnography, you may aim to produce contextual, real-world knowledge about the behaviors, social structures, or shared beliefs of a specific group of people. This methodology is less controlled and more interpretive, so you will need to reflect on your position as a researcher.

Step 2: Describe your data collection methods

Once you have introduced your reader to your methodological approach, you should share full details about your data collection methods.

Quantitative methods

In order to be considered generalizable, you should describe quantitative research methods in enough detail for another researcher to replicate your study.

Here, explain how you operationalized your concepts and measured your variables. Discuss your sampling method or inclusion and exclusion criteria, as well as any tools, procedures, and materials you used to gather your data.

Surveys
Describe where, when, and how the survey was conducted.

How did you design the questionnaire?

What form did your questions take (e.g., multiple choice, Likert scale)?

Were your surveys conducted in-person or virtually?

What sampling method did you use to select participants?

What was your sample size and response rate?

Tip
You may also want to include the full questionnaire as an appendix. This way, your readers can see exactly how your questions and data align.

Experiments
Share full details of the tools, techniques, and procedures you used to conduct your experiment.

Existing data
Explain how you gathered and selected the material (such as datasets or archival data) that you used in your analysis.

Where did you source the material?

How was the data originally produced?

What criteria did you use to select material (e.g., date range)?

Example: Quantitative methods

The survey consisted of 5 multiple-choice questions and 10 questions measured on a 7-point Likert scale.

The goal was to collect survey responses from 350 customers visiting the fitness apparel company's brick-and-mortar location in Boston on July 4-8, 2022, between 11:00 and 15:00.

Here, a customer was defined as a person who had purchased a product from the company on the day they took the survey. Participants were given 5 minutes to fill in the survey anonymously. In total, 408 customers responded, but not all surveys were fully completed. Due to this, 371 survey results were included in the analysis.

Note
Keep in mind that quantitative methods are at risk for a few types of research bias arising from data collection and statistical analysis in research settings. These include:

Qualitative methods

In qualitative research, methods are often more flexible and subjective. For this reason, it's crucial to robustly explain the methodology choices you made.

Be sure to discuss the criteria you used to select your data, the context in which your research was conducted, and the role you played in collecting your data (e.g., were you an active participant, or a passive observer?)

Interviews or focus groups
Describe where, when, and how the interviews were conducted.

How did you find and select participants?

How many participants took part?

What form did the interviews take (structured, semi-structured, or unstructured)?

How long were the interviews?

How were they recorded?

Participant observation
Describe where, when, and how you conducted the observation or ethnography.

What group or community did you observe? How long did you spend there?

How did you gain access to this group? What role did you play in the community?

How long did you spend conducting the research? Where was it located?

How did you record your data (e.g., audiovisual recordings, note-taking)?

Existing data
Explain how you selected case study materials for your analysis.

What type of materials did you analyze?

How did you select them?

Example: Qualitative methods

In order to gain better insight into possibilities for future improvement of the fitness store's product range, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 8 returning customers.

Here, a returning customer was defined as someone who usually bought products at least twice a week from the store.

Surveys were used to select participants. Interviews were conducted in a small office next to the cash register and lasted approximately 20 minutes each. Answers were recorded by note-taking, and seven interviews were also filmed with consent. One interviewee preferred not to be filmed.

Note
Keep in mind that qualitative methods are at risk for a few types of research bias and demand characteristics arising from human behavior and interactions in research settings. These include:

Mixed methods

Mixed methods research combines quantitative and qualitative approaches. If a standalone quantitative or qualitative study is insufficient to answer your research question, mixed methods may be a good fit for you.

NoteKeep in mind that mixed methods research doesn't just mean collecting both types of data. Rather, it encompasses careful consideration and integration of both types of data into robust and strong conclusions.

Mixed methods are less common than standalone analyses, largely because they require a great deal of effort to pull off successfully. If you choose to pursue mixed methods, it's especially important to robustly justify your methods.

Example: Mixed methods

Quantitative and qualitative methods were combined to see if there was a statistically significant relationship between the speed with which the fitness store shelved new releases from popular brands and the likelihood that customers would return. Quantitative research involved running analyses in R on purchase data, while qualitative research focused on the likelihood that interviewed participants mentioned new releases.

Step 3: Describe your analysis method

Next, you should indicate how you processed and analyzed your data. Avoid going into too much detail: you should not start introducing or discussing any of your results at this stage.

Quantitative methods

In quantitative research, your analysis will be based on numbers. In your methods section, you can include:

Example: Quantitative methods

Before analysis, the gathered data was prepared. The dataset was checked for missing data and outliers. For this, the "outlier labeling rule" was used. All values outside the calculated range were considered outliers (Hoaglin & Iglewicz, 1987). The data were then analyzed using a two-way ANOVA with statistical software SPSS.

Qualitative methods

In qualitative research, your analysis will be based on language, images, and observations (often involving some form of textual analysis).

Specific methods might include:

Content analysis: Categorizing and discussing the meaning of words, phrases and sentences

Thematic analysis: Coding and closely examining the data to identify broad themes and patterns

Discourse analysis: Studying communication and meaning in relation to their social context

Example: Qualitative methods

The interviews were transcribed and thematic analysis was conducted. This involved coding all the data before identifying and reviewing six key themes. Each theme was examined to gain an understanding of participants' perceptions and motivations.

Mixed methods

Mixed methods combine the above two research methods, integrating both qualitative and quantitative approaches into one coherent analytical process.

Step 4: Evaluate and justify the methodological choices you made

Above all, your methodology section should clearly make the case for why you chose the methods you did. This is especially true if you did not take the most standard approach to your topic. In this case, discuss why other methods were not suitable for your objectives, and show how this approach contributes new knowledge or understanding.

In any case, it should be overwhelmingly clear to your reader that you set yourself up for success in terms of your methodology's design. Show how your methods should lead to results that are valid and reliable, while leaving the analysis of the meaning, importance, and relevance of your results for your discussion section.

Tip
You can acknowledge limitations or weaknesses in the approach you chose, but justify why these were outweighed by the strengths. Here are a few examples:

Quantitative: Lab-based experiments cannot always accurately simulate real-life situations and behaviors, but they are effective for testing causal relationships between variables.

Qualitative: Unstructured interviews usually produce results that cannot be generalized beyond the sample group, but they provide a more in-depth understanding of participants' perceptions, motivations, and emotions.

Mixed methods: Despite issues systematically comparing differing types of data, a solely quantitative study would not sufficiently incorporate the lived experience of each participant, while a solely qualitative study would be insufficiently generalizable.

Tips for writing a strong methodology chapter

Remember that your aim is not just to describe your methods, but to show how and why you applied them. Again, it's critical to demonstrate that your research was rigorously conducted and can be replicated.

1. Focus on your objectives and research questions

The methodology section should clearly show why your methods suit your objectives and convince the reader that you chose the best possible approach to answering your problem statement and research questions.

2. Cite relevant sources

Your methodology can be strengthened by referencing existing research in your field. This can help you to:

Show that you followed established practice for your type of research

Discuss how you decided on your approach by evaluating existing research

Present a novel methodological approach to address a gap in the literature

Tip
Our free citation generators can help you create MLA citations and APA citations.

3. Write for your audience

Consider how much information you need to give, and avoid getting too lengthy. If you are using methods that are standard for your discipline, you probably don't need to give a lot of background or justification.

Regardless, your methodology should be a clear, well-structured text that makes an argument for your approach, not just a list of technical details and procedures.

Other interesting articles

If you want to know more about statistics, methodology, or research bias, make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples.

Frequently asked questions about methodology

A sample is a subset of individuals from a larger population. Sampling means selecting the group that you will actually collect data from in your research. For example, if you are researching the opinions of students in your university, you could survey a sample of 100 students.

In statistics, sampling allows you to test a hypothesis about the characteristics of a population.

Cite this Scribbr article

If you want to cite this source, you can copy and paste the citation or click the "Cite this Scribbr article" button to automatically add the citation to our free Citation Generator.

McCombes, S. & George, T. (2023, June 22). What Is a Research Methodology? | Steps & Tips. Scribbr. Retrieved November 14, 2023, from https://www.scribbr.com/dissertation/methodology/

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What Is a Research Methodology? | Steps & Tips

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Your research methodology discusses and explains the data collection and analysis methods you used in your research. A key part of your thesis,

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WATCH THIS VIDEO ON PLANNING YOUR SCHOOL PROJECT. 

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WATCH THIS VIDEO ON PLANNING YOUR SCHOOL PROJECT. 

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Project Planning for Beginners - Project Management Training

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EVALUATING SOURCES USING THE CRAAP METHOD

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EVALUATING SOURCES USING THE CRAAP METHOD

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EVALUATING SOURCES WITH THE CRAAP METHOD. 

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EVALUATING SOURCES WITH THE CRAAP METHOD. 

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Use this method with your sources. See if your sources pass the test. If so, they're strong enough to add to your reference and works cited list!

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Examples of primary sources include :

Diary of Anne Frank - Experiences of a Jewish family during WWII

The Constitution of Canada - Canadian History

A journal article reporting NEW research or findings

Weavings and pottery - Native American history

Plato's Republic - Women in Ancient Greece

Examples of secondary sources include :

A journal/magazine article which interprets or reviews previous findings

A history textbook

A book about the effects of WWI

text from Princeton Libraries website: http://www.princeton.edu/~refdesk/primary2.html

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Subject & Course Guides: College Readiness Skills and Resources: Primary vs. Secondary Sources

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Examples of primary sources include : Diary of Anne Frank - Experiences of a Jewish family during WWII The Constitution of Canada - Canadian History A journal article reporting NEW research or findings Weavings and pottery - Native American history Plato's Republic - Women in Ancient Greece Examples of secondary sources include : A journal/magazine article which interprets or reviews previous findings A history textbook A book about the effects of WWI text from Princeton Libraries website: http://www.princeton.edu/~refdesk/primary2.html

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PRIMARY VS SECONDARY SOURCES WITH THE MOVIE JAWS

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PRIMARY VS SECONDARY SOURCES WITH THE MOVIE JAWS

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Teaching Primary and Secondary Sources using a scene from JAWS

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HISTORIAN DISCUSSES PRIMARY VS SECONDARY SOURCES

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HISTORIAN DISCUSSES PRIMARY VS SECONDARY SOURCES

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What's the difference between Primary and Secondary Sources in History?

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PRIMARY VS SECONDARY SOURCES...STAR WARS EDITION!

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PRIMARY VS SECONDARY SOURCES...STAR WARS EDITION!

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About APA Style

American Psychological Association (APA) style is commonly used for citing references in science and social science courses, such as Nursing, Psychology, Education, and Social Work. This guide is based on the 6th edition published in 2010.

This edition is shelved in the Ready Reference area behind the Library's Circulation Desk and may be used in the library (it can't be checked out).

The call number is READY REF WZ 345 P976 2010

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SOM Library: APA Citation Style Guide (6th Ed.): Overview

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This guide contains examples of common citation formats in APA (American Psychological Association) Style