It is important to monitor your progress continually against your original research plan. There are two reasons for this: To keep focused on the purpose of the research as stated in the research question or hypothesis and to monitor your progress against your action plan, so that you complete the different stages of the project by the deadlines set.

Reading more sources in your literature search, so you will gain better understanding of the issue and the lines of enquiry you choose will enable you to answer your original question. This process may also lead to you returning to sources that you judged to be less relevant initially but which you now realise are indeed relevant to the lines of enquiry you have explored, or support the lines of reasoning you develop. If you have time, you may wish to find new sources to support the lines of reasoning you developed from your research of the issue.

Research rarely proceeds exactly as planned, so monitoring the progress made against the time scale available for your literature search will be important. Professionals will monitor their progress regularly, by providing a progress report to their mangers or publishing it more widely.

Adjusting your lines of inquiry would be unwise to make any significant changes to your lines of enquiry much later than this. Regular monitoring of your progress against your literature search plan should enable you to identify whether you are on target to complete this within your original time frame. Also maintaining an appropriate focus to enable you to meet the objectives you have set for your literature search.

 

Even when researchers set very clear objectives for their research and develop detailed plans, the nature of research is such that they cannot take account of all eventualities. Objectives and planning are based on knowledge and understanding of their issue before they started the research study. 

The new data they generate as a consequence may make it appropriate to modify their initial objectives and plan. Some of the reasons why objectives may need to be modified is: 

·         Revising the order/sequencing of tasks

·         Adjusting the timescales for individual tasks (although you do not have scope to extend the overall time)

·         Adding new tasks, probably reading of new/different sources, to gather more data to support your objectives

·         Modifying/adjusting the exact focus of your objectives 

·         Amending the scope of your literature search to make it more manageable within your time frame (deadline date).

An example of how a target group may be selected is by self-selecting. Within a sub-group a researcher may need to make decisions as to who would be appropriate to participate in the research. Individuals may be excluded for practical / logistic reasons such as they may live a long distance for the research base. This should be made explicit in the research report as it may give bias results because the group is less representative than it could. Examples of research groups may include:

-          Children and young people- for example children in early years, adolescences and looked after children

-          Adults, for example of working age in old age

-          Workers in health and social care, for example, diabetes, mental health issues and strokes. 

Your target group is all driven by the aim of your investigation. Without an aim there can’t be a target group or sample. 

Specific – each objective should be defined as a short, clear sentence.

Measurable – The outcome of an action can be measures in some way such as impact.

Achievable – Each action or plan should be able to be executed efficiently.

Relevant – your objective and following action should relate or help you better understand the aim of the research.

Timely – you should have a reasonable deadline and stick to it.