2. Investigate your research topic
You don't have to be good to start, you just have to start to be good - Joe Sabah
Starting your research project can be hard but the best place is usually the introduction and the literature review. The introduction is usually the first chapter of your thesis and "sets the scene" for the reader by providing the context and rationale for your research project. Everyone will have their own approach to their literature review, as there is no right way of doing it. Usually, you will have done some pre-reading on your research topic to help you decide on your specific area of interest, and the possible direction of your project. This should help provide you with an overall idea of where the review should head and the topics to be covered.
The following steps provide a general guide on how to approach your literature review and research proposal. Each research topic is different however, so there may be some variability in how they are best structured, conceptualised, and written.
A. Start thinking, reading, generating ideas
Start by doing some reading in your research area.
B. Generate a specific research question
Research, in many ways, is like an upside down pyramid, it starts general and becomes more specific as you go along. Once you have your research topic and an initial understanding of the literature base, you need to generate a specific research question.
C. The literature review
A good literature review synthesizes the research and presents an overview of the current level of understanding in a particular field to form the context for your research project.
D. Produce a research proposal
After writing a comprehensive literature review, the next step is to conceptualise your research study more specifically.