The objective of EGN 6457 Research Methods, followed by EGN 6941 Project, is to propose and execute a research project, while improving your communication skills, both in writing and presentation. In EGN 6457 you will develop your research proposal and in EGN 6941 you will execute it and share your findings.
Understand
1. Identify a research topic (Homework 1)
- Identify a feasible project that interests you, aligns with your goals, and preferably relates to your work
- Seek guidance and discuss feasibility with an expert, such as an FGCU faculty, coworker, or your course instructor
- Factors to consider in selecting a research problem include feasibility, personal interest, scope, expert guidance, significance, as discussed in class
- For guidance, check How to find a project idea?, which includes current faculty projects that you can choose from
Objective: By the end of this stage, you should have identified a feasible project idea that aligns with your interests.
2. Develop a research question (Homework 2 and
Presentation 1)
- Conduct an exploratory literature review to refine your topic and start developing a research question
- Keep your research problem realistic by considering available resources, data collection, your skills, and time constraints
- Plan a timeline for implementing your research, whether it is for the EGN 6941 Project course or your MS thesis
- Focus on a well-defined scope with achievable outcomes rather than an overly ambitious project that may not be feasible within the timeframe or lead to a dead-end
- Seek guidance and discuss details with an expert, such as an FGCU faculty, coworker, or your course instructor
- Ask for help if you are uncertain about any aspect of your research
- Enjoy the process of learning about your problem and developing your research plan
Objective: By this step you should have a preliminary plan and clear understanding of what you want to do.
3. Write the introduction (Homework 3 and
Presentation 2)
- Conduct an in-depth literature review which will form the basis of the proposal introduction:
- Why is this research important?
- What has been done so far, and what do you want to contribute?
- Refine and sharpen your research question
- Write the Introduction:
- Introduce the topic, providing necessary background information to set the context for your research
- Describe the research gap identified through your literature review
- Outline the specific research question you aim to investigate
- Explain the importance of this research and what it aims to contribute
- State the research objectives and tasks you will undertake to address them.
Objective: Your introduction should tell a cohesive story, not just list facts. By the end, the reader should understand the topic, what has been done, and why your study is needed to fill knowledge gaps or provide solutions. It should identify existing research, highlight gaps, and lead to a clear problem statement with research questions and objectives that are specific and feasible.
Plan
4. Method development (Homework 4 and
Presentation 3)
- How: Develop your method by detailing the key components of your research process including
- Study duration by defining the timeline and key phases of your study
- Site or experiment description by provide context about the study location or experimental setup
- Data and instrumentation by specifying the type of data you will collect and the instruments or tools required
- Analytical methods and procedures by outlining the methods you will use to collect and process your data
- Data analysis techniques by detailing the statistical or analytical approaches you will use to interpret your data
- Pilot results by including any preliminary findings or pilot tests that validate your methods
- Ethical considerations by addressing how you will ensure ethical research practices including Institutional Review Board (IRB)
- Study limitations by discussing potential constraints or challenges in your research design and how you plan to address them.
Objective: Your method should be detailed enough to be informative, reliable, and replicable by others in the field. It must provide sufficient clarity and detail to enable evaluation of your research approach including its reliability and feasibility.
5. Proposal development (Research Proposal and
Resarch Proposal Presentation)
- You will integrate all components developed in previous steps to create your research proposal that includes:
- Cover page and project summary
- Introduction and method sections clearly describing the “why, what, and how” of your research
- Pilot results including preliminary findings if available
- Expected results by explaining potential results based on your research questions
- Deliverables and specific outputs including establish measurable criteria for evaluating success based on your research objectives
- Outcomes and impacts by explaining benefits, intellectual merits, and broader impacts, addressing the “so what” question
- Timeline using a Gantt chart to outline key milestones, tasks, and deadlines
- Contingency plan that identifies potential challenges and mitigation actions
- References citing your sources using a citation management software like Zotero
- Data management plan following the FAIR data principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable)
- Budget, if applicable, include an estimate of costs with justifications for the resources needed
- Incorporate all these components into a polished and professional research proposal, following the standards outlined in this rubric.
Objective: By the end of EGN 6457 Research Methods, you will have a professional, well-structured research proposal that clearly communicates the significance and feasibility of your project including feasiable research question, actionable objectives, realistic deliverables, and specific outputs.
Execute
6. Project implementation
- Execute your research as detailed in the approved research proposal
- You may start in the Fall semester if ready, and continue in the Spring semester through the ENG 6941 Project course or as part of your MS thesis research
Objective: Collect data to support robust data analysis
7. Analyze and document your findings
- Analyze your data, produce publication-quality figures and tables, interpret the results, and draw evidence-based conclusions
- Document your findings in practice-oriented report that adheres to this report rubric, or as MS thesis
Objective: Produce a professional, practice-oriented report or MS thesis
Publish
8. Disseminate your findings
- Present your work to the class, or at Eagle-X research symposium following these presentation guidelines
- Optional: Present your work at a conference such as AGU
- Make your findings accessible by uploading your final report to a public repository such as ResearchGate, GitHub, an institutional repository
- Optional: Share your work through peer-reviewed publications, preprients, blog posts, story maps, or similar outlets
Objective: Disseminate your research effectively through presentations, publications, and online platforms to contribute to the broader community and showcase your work.