Research Project Planning
Establish your research question
- A preliminary literature search will help you to situate your research in the broader research landscape related to the issue of interest. You can then identify gaps and opportunities for your own research.
- The question establishes the nature and scope of the research which will then inform key concepts and methods.
Draft research process or protocol that includes
- Problem statement and/or rationale
- Research question and objective(s)
- Search strategy (determined by the type of research and output)
- Inclusion/exclusion criteria as needed
- Quality assessment method(s) as needed
- Data creation/extraction method(s)
- Outline specifics for data management (file naming, folder & file structure, etc.)
- Date synthesis method(s)
- Data Outputs
- Timeline
Search the literature
- Select databases
- Identify key concepts, terms and controlled vocabulary as needed (MeSH terms for PubMed for example)
- Perform searches
Manage results
- Implement Bibliographic Management
- Implement Data collection software and processes
Analyze data
- Screen (Implement inclusion/exclusion criteria)
- Assess quality
- Analyze, code, interpret
Write
Reearch Management Tools
- Open Science FrameworkCloud-based management for your projects. Manage projects; share files; archive data; control access and collaboration; track workflow. Free and open source.
- Research Tools BoxDr. Nader Ale Ebrahim has collected these sporadic tools under one roof in a collection named “Research Tool Box”. The toolbox contains over 720 tools so far, classified in 4 main categories: Literature-review, Writing a paper, Targeting suitable journals, as well as Enhancing visibility and impact factor.
- GoHyGoal-directed Hypothesis-driven (GoHy) workflow for Applied Science. This workflow is designed for applied science, that is, science that aims to cause a direct improvement in the world.
- Equator NetworkEnhancing the QUAlity and Transparency Of health Research. Your one-stop-shop for writing and publishing high-impact health research find reporting guidelines | improve your writing | join our courses | run your own training course | enhance your peer review | implement guidelines
Campus Resources
- Institutional Animal Care and Use CommitteeThe USDA Animal Welfare Act and the NIH Public Health Service Policy on the Humane Care and Use of Animals require that institutions conducting research with animals establish an Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC). The IACUC provides oversight and helps ensure compliance with all laws, regulations, and policies governing the care and use of research and teaching animals.
- Research Software Collaborative ServicesResearchers can request support from the Research Software Collaborative Services Group. Our experts provide access to deeper expertise in the areas of supporting diverse research applications and research software development through successful, meaningful collaborations between the developer and the researcher.
- Research Supuport CommunityThis community is a way to bring all of those experts together, creating a wide support network for one another. All in an effort to streamline the support experience of our campus researchers – getting people to the experts and solutions they need more quickly and easily by working together.
- Campus Research BoardThe Illinois Campus Research Board was established in 1932 to serve the campus as a conduit for the distribution of funding to support full-time tenured/tenure-track faculty members’ research projects and creative activities.
- Illinois ExpertsIllinois Experts provides access to over 2,000 Illinois researcher profiles through an online, searchable portal, updated weekly from the Scopus abstract and citation database.
- OPRS - Office for the Protection of Research SubjectsThe Office for the Protection of Research Subjects (OPRS), while performing administrative functions of the Institutional Review Board (IRB), serves as the official oversight office for human subject research at Illinois. The office is the central point of contact for investigators, research subjects, and regulatory agencies.
- OVCR - Office of the Vice Chancellor for ReserachThe Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research (OVCR) leads, enables, and supports research initiatives, technology commercialization and knowledge transfer at the University of Illinois. The OVCR has policymaking and oversight responsibility for the research mission and works collaboratively with the academic colleges and other administrative units to lead new research initiatives and to facilitate the ongoing scholarly endeavors of faculty, staff, and students.
- Office of Technology ManagementOffice of Technology Management provides responsive, professional services to ensure the results of research are successfully transferred outside the university to drive economic growth in the State of Illinois and benefit the general public.