* This is Not the "Research Project for Dummies" kind of guide book/ piece. It is not intended for absolute adherence, but as general reference. Also, this is purely Personal experience and not a compilation of senior's experience ;)
* Websites recommended below are not for advertising purposes
At the stage of Research Project I (research and ethics proposal stage), the most important thing is to find your subsequent one year's niche, i.e., thesis topic.
Having to say this doesn't mean the thesis Title (meanwhile you can settle on a title that best and directly reflect what your research is about with 12-word limit. you can always think of and change to fancy/nice/creative/interesting/catchy titles later). It means what the research is about/area of research, which means the Variables are quite crucial.
If you are clueless as to what topic to research on, try look back at the lil' notes you made/told yourself earlier that you are gonna do this for your thesis.
Another way would be to generate research ideas by looking at current psychological issues. (i stumbled upon mine like this ^^- credits to Psychology Today).
Here are a few websites that you could muse from: (you are welcome to add to the list)
+ http://www.centreforconfidence.co.uk/pp/emilysnews.php
+ http://www.psychologytoday.com/
PS: be cautious with the articles from Psychology Today- Always check the author's qualification
There are many interesting/ commonly discussed topics in these 2 websites.
My suggestion is, settle on A Few issues (4-5) that interest you, and then further limit it to One- The ONE that you are gonna be with for a year. This is to prevent from getting carried away with the massive information which may result in hopping topics- constantly changing topics.
It is a very bad idea to be lagging behind the due dates for ethics proposal submission as 3rd year 1st sem doesn't revolve around thesis only.
Settle with the research area, Know the research Variables, and start reading on related journals :) This way will prevent wasting time on browsing/ reading unrelated journals.
Some websites which helped me tremendously lots in my research project and I hope they help you too ^^:
+ http://stattrek.com/ (stattrek- statistics, sampling method)
+ http://psychology.ucdavis.edu/sommerb/sommerdemo/sampling/types.htm (GOOD-sampling methods)
+ http://www.statistics.com/glossary/ ; http://www.stats.gla.ac.uk/steps/glossary/alphabet.html (statistics glossary)
+ http://isites.harvard.edu/fs/docs/icb.topic851950.files/Research%20Methods_Some%20Notes.pdf (research methods)
+ http://www.srl.uic.edu/seminars/Intro/introsrm.pdf (survey research design)
Apologize if there is a bias towards websites on survey design as mine was a survey design :)
~ Rambler's rambling corner ~
When you are lagging behind the dates, yes, Mourn about it- Cry/ sleep/ eat/ scream/ sing/ paint something red/ do whatever to catharsis. After that, life moves forward. Try to keep your head cool & think of what can be done. Try not to delay. If encounter with problems, look for lecturers or supervisors. They are always there for us if only we allow them to help us :)
If you are settling on special populations as participants for your research project, try to seek for some guidance from seniors as the supervisors are busy with loads of things too, or you are paise to always turn up in their office ;)
* seniors who have taken Advanced Topics have been exposed to ethical issues in research, APA, and BPS (ethics code).
* some seniors have worked on special population before
The same goes to those who wish to recruit participants < 18 years old. Some of the seniors did research with this sample. Ask them what are some documents needed ;)
Lastly, we plan, we execute with our bestest best efforts, and then, we let the rest of the story unfolds :)
Yes worry but don't GAD ;) You are at stage I and not even a scratch to stage II and III of the research project. So, worry about stage I's progress at a level which your body can take ;) (pengsan is out of the context) & add oil :)
Just a kind tiny reminder: If you need help, help is always there for you ^^
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