There are many factors to take into account when planning a research project as these are extensive and complex. Time spent on the planning stage will streamline activities, ensure appropriate communications and facilitate decision making later on.

The planning stage incorporates two periods; firstly developing your research proposal then secondly preparing the project itself, once approved.. 

Many of the ideas and plans within the research proposal will be tweaked or enhanced as the project progresses, sometimes due to the project development itself but also due to other factors, e.g. external circumstances or implementation of new policies or procedures. 

A concise definition of a research proposal is "a detailed description of the nature of the proposed research, its significance and how it will be conducted" (Methods Map, Sage Research Methods)

This detailed description is your advertisement to internal decision makers, commissioning organisations or other external funding bodies and should indicate:

• Your area of interest and justification for the project
• Aims and objectives
• Suggested methodology and search strategy
• Ethical issues and steps to be taken, including a data management plan
• Timeline for the project, incorporating periods for decision making outwith your control, e.g. ethical approval
• Resources required, including costings
• Suggested dissemination options
• Fit with the UN's Sustainable Development Goals and any other criteria specified by the commissioning body 

The specific contents, formatting and other elements of the proposal submission will vary according to the requirements of the committee or organisation being approached.

A research data management plan (RDMP) is considered essential to comply with data protection and other legal guidance. in addition, the resulting transparency and visibility or outputs support the aims of open research.

Your plan should indicate the data you expect to gather over the lifetime of the project and how you intend to use and save that data, both during the project itself and afterwards. 

You will be working with large number of literature sources from initial planning throughout your project lifespan. We therefore recommend that you make a decision early on as to your method for reference management.   

There are many software packages available for this purpose, including EndNote, RefWorks, Mendeley, Zotero and Excel. The choice of product is a personal one but there is a preference among supervisors for Excel and EndNote.  UWS subscribes to, and offers support with using EndNote, one of the most versatile packages available.  

Once your project is approved, you will likely enter a scoping period during which you will assess the parameters of the study and either develop your research question into a searchable query.

The scoping period enables you to explore the literature to:

• Ascertain the scope, parameters, level and focus of the literature available
• Confirm the most appropriate methodology
• Confirm the existing research gap
• Explore fit with Sustainable Development Goals
• Also, for a systematic literature review, to develop a comprehensive viable search strategy - decide which papers must be found by the search, the most appropriate combination of search terms, the most relevant databases to include and the criteria to be used to select or reject items for review

 To do this, you need to break down your question into its component parts, consider the various nuances and use trial and error, advanced database features and your existing knowledge and contacts to explore the literature available and best methods for you to proceed

Meet your Research Support Librarian early in your project to ensure you are maximising your use of library and related resources, and on an ongoing basis, if desirable, to help you keep your project on track.

Your Research Support Librarians are Joshua Cheyne and Margo Stewart.