Setting your research on the right course: Four questions every researcher should ask

Whether you are just beginning your doctoral journey or are already well into your research career, successful research rarely happens by accident. Like any successful mission, it depends on good planning, informed decisions, and getting the right support at the right time. The good news is that you are not alone on this journey.

Below are four questions every researcher should ask themselves, along with training opportunities from the Research Support Team that can help you stay on course.

1. How will I manage my research data?

Before you start to collect data, it is essential to have a plan for how you will organise, store, protect and share it. A data management plan (DMP) will make sure that you are following the FAIR principles, including any requirements set out by your funder or the university. Well-prepared datasets will save you time and can help support transparency and future collaboration.

Whether this is your first research project, or you would simply like some support to ensure you are on the right path, we offer DMP advice on our website as well as an online workshop: How to write an effective data management plan.

2. How open is my research?

Publications arising from Cranfield research need to be made open access (OA) to comply with university and funder policies. However, it is not enough to just post your work onto an open website. Factors such as selecting the right journal and OA route, publisher deals and charges, and understanding copyright licenses will all affect your OA decision making.

If this sounds confusing, don’t panic! The Research Support Team can help you decode open access through our online resources and training session: How to make your work open access.

3. What happens to my data after my research is complete?

Parts of your data may be unique, provide evidence for your conclusions, or be useful to others for future research. By depositing selected data in an appropriate repository you help maximise its value and support good research practice. To ensure that others can understand and reuse your data it is important to prepare it appropriately, including considering file formats, naming conventions, and clear descriptions of your files. At Cranfield University research data is managed and shared through CORD (Cranfield Online Research Data).

If you are preparing to publish your research, there is detailed guidance on the Research data management pages. You can also join our workshop: Making Your Research Data Count: Depositing and Sharing Data for Visibility, Reuse, and Impact.

4. Is this publishing opportunity too good to be true?

Receiving an invitation to publish your research can be exciting, even for the most experienced academic. However, some journals and publishers will try to exploit researchers and do not meet recognised academic standards. Predatory publishers can be tricky to spot as they can appear legitimate, but offer little or no peer review, charge unexpected fees, or provide misleading information about their services. You can help protect your reputation and research by learning to spot the warning signs and avoid publishing in a predatory publication.

Find out more through our online resources and workshop: Predatory Publishing.

Ready for the next stage of your research journey?

In the same way that an astronaut relies on preparation before lift-off, your research will benefit from having the right skills and understanding in place before reaching important milestones. These four sessions will help you gain insight in research data management, open research and scholarly publishing, giving you greater confidence throughout your doctoral journey.

For further guidance, please see the Research support pages on the Library Services website. We have a range of additional support for different aspects of your research journey in previous blog posts, or you can browse and book other upcoming Library Webinars and Workshops.

Research support webinars

• How to write an effective data management plan –  4 October at 13.00-13.55  Book now on DATES
• How to make your work open access  – 22 October at 13.00-13.55  Book now on DATES
• Making Your Research Data Count: Depositing and Sharing Data for Visibility, Reuse, and Impact – 10 November at 13.00-13.55  Book now on DATES
• Predatory publishing – 18 November at 13.00-13.55  Book now on DATES

If you cannot attend at the time listed above, please sign up anyway and we will do our best to share a recording of the session.

Want to attend a webinar but the date has passed?  You can still use the above DATES links to register your interest, then we will let you know when we’re running it again.

If you have any questions about any of the topics covered in this blog, please contact the Library Research Support Team.

Feature image by Pexels on Pixabay. Available at: https://pixabay.com/photos/concept-man-papers-person-plan-1868728/