Academic Research

Academic Research

Complete research lifecycle: project setup, literature review, writing, publication, and defense.

Project Structure

research-project/
├── .github/
│   └── copilot-instructions.md    # Research context for Alex
├── docs/
│   ├── RESEARCH-PLAN.md           # Questions, timeline, milestones
│   ├── METHODOLOGY.md             # Design decisions
│   └── DECISION-LOG.md            # Key decisions with rationale
├── data/
│   ├── raw/                       # Untouched source data
│   ├── processed/                 # Cleaned/transformed
│   └── DATA-DICTIONARY.md         # Variable definitions
├── analysis/
│   ├── scripts/                   # Analysis code
│   └── outputs/                   # Figures, tables
├── writing/
│   ├── drafts/                    # Work in progress
│   └── submissions/               # Submitted versions
├── references/
│   ├── LITERATURE-MATRIX.md       # Systematic tracking
│   └── notes/                     # Reading notes
└── README.md

Quick Setup

mkdir -p .github docs data/{raw,processed} analysis/{scripts,outputs} writing/{drafts,submissions} references/notes
touch docs/RESEARCH-PLAN.md docs/METHODOLOGY.md references/LITERATURE-MATRIX.md .github/copilot-instructions.md

Research Project Types

Research Question Development

PICO Framework

• Population — Who is being studied?
• Intervention — What is being tested?
• Comparison — Against what?
• Outcome — What is measured?

FINER Criteria

Literature Review

Synthesis Approaches

Gap Types

• Empirical — No studies in specific context
• Theoretical — Theory not applied to domain
• Methodological — New methods could reveal insights
• Population — Understudied demographic

Literature Matrix Template

| Citation | Year | Method | Findings | Gaps | Relevance |
|----------|------|--------|----------|------|-----------|
| Author1 et al. | 2024 | RCT | X | Y | ⭐⭐⭐ |

Methodology

Qualitative Methods

Quantitative Methods

Mixed Methods

• Convergent — Qual + quant simultaneously
• Explanatory Sequential — Quant → Qual
• Exploratory Sequential — Qual → Quant

Thesis/Dissertation Structure

1. Introduction — Problem, significance, research questions
2. Literature Review — Framework, prior work, gaps
3. Methodology — Design, collection, analysis
4. Results — Data without interpretation
5. Discussion — Interpret, connect to literature
6. Conclusion — Summary, contributions, limitations

Discipline Variations

Academic Writing

Hedging Language

CARS Model (Introductions)

1. Establish territory — topic importance
2. Establish niche — gap in knowledge
3. Occupy niche — your contribution

Citation Density

Publication Workflow

Venue Selection

5-Phase Process

Responding to Reviews

## Response to Reviewer 1

### R1.1: "[Concern]"

We appreciate this observation. [How addressed].

Changes: Section X, paragraph Y: [new text]

Committee Navigation

Defense Preparation

1. Anticipate likely questions
2. Prepare 20-30 minute presentation
3. Know your limitations
4. Have backup slides
5. Practice with friendly audience

Common Concerns

Citation Management

Refactoring Existing Projects

Audit Checklist

• Has .github/copilot-instructions.md
• Data separated: raw vs processed
• Research questions documented
• Literature systematically tracked
• Methodology decisions recorded

Migration Pattern

git mv old-data.csv data/raw/
git mv cleaned.csv data/processed/
git mv draft.docx writing/drafts/paper-v1.docx

File Templates

RESEARCH-PLAN.md

# Research Plan: [Title]

## Research Questions
1. Primary: [Main question]
2. Secondary: [Supporting questions]

## Timeline
| Phase | Duration | Deliverable |
|-------|----------|-------------|
| Literature | Weeks 1-4 | Matrix complete |
| Collection | Weeks 5-12 | Raw data |
| Analysis | Weeks 13-16 | Results |
| Writing | Weeks 17-20 | Draft |

copilot-instructions.md (Research)

# [Project] - Research Context

## Current Phase
- [x] Literature Review
- [ ] Data Collection

## Alex Guidance
- Add literature to references/LITERATURE-MATRIX.md
- Log decisions in docs/DECISION-LOG.md
- Citation style: APA 7

Pre-Submission Checklist

• Abstract stands alone
• Contributions stated explicitly
• All claims supported
• Limitations acknowledged
• References complete
• Word limit respected
• Anonymized if required

Tools

Related Skills

• literature-review — Systematic search
• citation-management — APA formatting
• md-to-word — Document conversion
• dissertation-defense — Defense preparation