Plan your work and work your plan

Various factors have to be borne in mind when one firms up one's research plans. Here are some of them.

  CRUCIAL FACTOR: In research, time is of vital importance.   

Every honest researcher I know admits he's just a professional amateur. He's doing whatever he's doing for the first time. That makes him an amateur. He has sense enough to know that he's going to have a lot of trouble, so that makes him a professional.

Charles Franklin

Kettering,

U.S. engineer and inventor.

Once you have chosen the institution for your research work, it is essential that you find a place nearby for your stay. Travelling long distances every day for a few years will prove to be a waste of valuable time. Again, you have to make sure of the facilities for communication offered by the research centre - phone, e-mail, post, etc.

These days almost every institution provides free access to the Internet. Facilities for photocopying and computer scanning may have to be confirmed.

House style

Each institution may have its own style of relationship between research scholars and supervisors, with regard to the mode of consultation, frequency of meetings, panel approach, extent of guidance offered, time given to the supervisor to read the scholar's notes, appointment of a mentor, etc. The supervisor may offer you easy and regular access, and take you to academic seminars or symposia. You will have to fall in line with the house styles.

Certain institutions hold an induction programme for the benefit of new entrants, leaving nothing to conjecture. In the preparation of the dissertation or thesis, there may be a house style to be followed.

Maintaining ties

Relations with the supervisor will greatly influence the quality and speed of your work. Remember that maintaining an excellent relationship with another person and working closely over a very long period is not easy. You have to maintain a fine relation with him/her throughout your period of association. It is in your own interest to avoid backbiting and unwholesome arguments. Negatives have to be handled diplomatically. Of course, you can have academic discussions regarding the diverse aspects of the problem at hand.

The supervisor will have a thorough knowledge of the subject. You may reach a stage when you know more than the supervisor in certain areas. But this is no reason to show-off. In the long history of mankind, none has ever lost anything through politeness and courtesy; but many have lost out through arrogance and egotism.

Professional etiquette has to be followed. If you are consulting another expert on some aspect of your work, it should necessarily be with the knowledge of your supervisor.

Time management

An important thing often neglected in the beginning that leads to regret in the final stages is lack of proper time management. You should have a fixed time schedule for every stage. You plan your work and work your plan.

To borrow a renowned axiom from Edison - research is 1 per cent inspiration and 99 per cent perspiration. This implies sustained hard work, where time is of vital importance.

If you do not make an account of time, you may repent in the end. You never know how time flies. There may be occasions when you fall behind time. But you quickly realise the slippage, since you have the schedule written clearly.

However, if you have not made a schedule in the beginning, you will never realise where you are in the scheme of things and you may run out of time.

This is something like the need for a railway timetable, which invariably tells you how late your train runs.

Avoidable delays are often caused by reasons such as too slow a start, lack of specific definition of the problem to be addressed, lack of proper scheduling, perfectionism, or too much of analysis leading to paralysis.

Perfectionism

In the matter of perfectionism, it would help if you remember how Tagore dreamt of the heaven of freedom into which his country should awake - "Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection." Even in his dream, the great visionary did not want to hold perfection, but only referred to striving to stretch one's arms towards it.

We ordinary mortals should keep in mind that there is always room for improvement in any human endeavour, and research is no exception. Do a fine job with maximum care. If you go for endless fine-tuning, you will never finish the job on time. You have to be pragmatic in your approach and execution.

Keeping notes

Anyone may have a high opinion of his/her memory. But he/she may not be able to tell you what he/she had for breakfast last Thursday, unless of course he/she has the same menu all seven days of the week.

This reminds you of the need for keeping detailed notes on everything related to your work. It is also necessary that you submit substantial written work, including the topics to be discussed when you meet your supervisor. Whereas you may suggest the course and approach you have in mind, you will have to follow any different procedure advised by the supervisor.

You should take his/her criticism in the right spirit and respond appropriately; there should be no room for emotional outbursts.

It is essential to keep a clear record of your meeting with the supervisor.

B.S. WARRIER