Doing scientific research involves more than just showing up at the lab every day. To produce quality results, you have to put in some effort before coming into work, and again after leaving work.
Research requires time and resources outside of your hours as an employee. Some things that can be expensive include: buying reagents, running experiments, traveling for conferences, etc.
It is important to budget for these costs ahead of time so that you do not run out of money when you are trying to push forward with your career.
In addition to investing in equipment and materials, attending conference and seminars can cost quite a bit! It is very difficult to afford all of this on the side while working full-time, which is why there are many people who use pre-paid cards to finance their professional development.
Make a topic list
Now that you have your notes, it’s time to organize them! Start by creating an index or topic box to store all of your notes. You can use free online tools to do this easily.
Next, make a short, easy-to-understand title for each note. This will help you find what you need later.
Now, using your new organization tool, start putting all of your notes into different categories. For example, if your topic was how to analyze a narrative essay, then you would put under that category “Topic and bullet point analysis.” Then, you could create another folder called “Narrative essays�” and place your notes about narrative essay structure there.
Once everything is in its proper place, you can access and edit every piece easily! And if you ever want to go back and reorganize anything, you can just click ‘save’ and it will keep track of that part of the file.
Read up on scientific research
Doing science requires you to read, so make sure to spend time looking into different areas, studying them, and then putting all of what you have learned together to create an experiment or study!
Reading alone is not enough when it comes to doing science. You must also be able to take what you learn from reading and apply it in your studies if you want to succeed.
There are many ways to get help with this. Some courses and universities offer free resources that can aid you in this process. Looking through YouTube videos may provide you some tips as well.
You do not need to know everything about every field to begin, but by investing time in learning around the area you wish to pursue, you will find yourself more confident and competent in the field.
Create your outline
Now that you have determined what topic you will be researching, it is time to create an outline of each topic! Start by creating an index card for every chapter in your research.
Then, make an internal heading based on the main idea of the topic. For example, if the topic was how to do scientific research presentations, your header could be “What are key parts of a scientific presentation?”
Now, under that header, start writing! Make sure to cover the following points:
The topic and bullet point number
The first few bullets (and their bullet point numbers) – these go under the header “Topic” and “Introduction,” respectively
The main body of the talk — this goes under the header “Body”
The conclusion – This goes under the header “Conclusion”
After writing down the information, organize it into paragraphs and add pictures or diagrams where appropriate. Your audience does not need to see a picture of a dog eating meat to understand why veganism is best, so do not include those. They are not important to the message.
This can all done very quickly depending on how fast you are a writer. Once you have written the content, edit it until you feel it is perfect. Then, take your time and spread out what takes some hours to complete.
After editing, there is one more step before publishing.
Fund your project
Now that you have an idea for your topic and a preliminary plan of action, it is time to start looking into how to do scientific research properly. The first thing you will need to do is determine if this project has already been done or if there are no studies conducted on it.
If nothing close exists, then it’s time to begin brainstorming and thinking about potential strategies. You may also want to look up similar projects to see what worked for them and why.
Get licenses for your materials
It is very important to have a license for any material you are using in an academic setting. This includes pictures, documents, and videos. You must include this information in the citation of the work.
If you do not have a license, or you need a different one, you can often times find free resources online or at your local library.
Choose your location
Doing scientific research involves going somewhere that has adequate resources for you to thrive and focus. You will need an area with easy access to food or snacks, as well as internet connectivity so you can communicate with others and look up new things.
It’s important to know where you want to go before buying furniture or investing in other equipment. For example, if you want to study nutrition, you’ll need a good kitchen equipped with pots and pans. A bed and desk are also must haves!
There is no one best place for every student. But there are some universal tips that anyone who wants to do more academic work should consider. Find a place that you feel comfortable being around consistently and easily.
Some students choose to use their bedroom or another room in their home for this purpose because it does not require much investment. Many people start working out by walking or running on the streets, so why not take advantage of free spaces and health facilities nearby?
What about during winter months? If possible, find a space that is surrounded by lots of windows or have natural light. This would help make studies easier, especially in science when taking notes is very close related to doing experiments.
Prepare your workspace
This starts with having a good computer equipment setup. You want to have enough space for your software programs, as well as an internet connection to refresh your presentations when needed.
You do not need all of the fancy features at first. Starting off with a basic laptop or desktop is sufficient!
At some point you will want to upgrade your computer hardware so look into that now. It is better to do it before research projects become too advanced though, otherwise you could run out of space or speed due to limited resources.
We recommend keeping an eye on Amazon Prime to find coupons and deals on laptops and other gadgets! The service provides one year free access to their website and app, making it worth the cost if you are investing in technology.
Making sure your cables are organized and connected properly can make a big difference on how quickly your computer functions.
Conduct your research
Doing scientific research means more than just having an active social media account and clicking through sponsored posts or buying new products. It includes reading studies that prove their theory, talking with experts in the field, and experimenting with strategies for yourself.
There are many ways to do systematic research. Some people focus exclusively on studying one area, while others shift around and seem to find what works for them.
By being aware of all areas, you’ll know how to use different sources effectively. And even if you don’t fully understand everything, you can at least add to the pool of knowledge.
Start with looking into general theories and then moving onto specific ones. You will also need to look outside of academia for answers. There are many free resources available via YouTube, Facebook, and other mediums.
General tips: remember that no matter who you talk to, nothing is original content.
