The Basics Of Academic Research: What You Need To Know To Ace Your Studies

Academic research is a staple of education. You may imagine it as piles of essays, books, and journals that you have to sleeplessly read through for hours on end.

A more accurate, forward-thinking outlook on academic research is that it builds healthy workflow habits, develops your credentials, and sets you up for a prolific working career.

Here are the basics of academic research:

What Is Academic Research?

Academic research is a deep examination of a specific topic in a particular area of expertise with defined parameters.

It typically involves the following:

• Research question - A precise verbal expression of the question that the researcher seeks to answer
• Thesis statement - The main idea of the answer to the question that the researcher will attempt to support
• Related literature - Past research or data that provides the foundation for the researcher’s data collection and analysis
• Research method - The defined approach of how the researcher will gather data
• Analysis - Observing and interpreting the data and determining if the research question has been answered sufficiently

Why Is Academic Research Important?

A 2008 study explored student perceptions of the importance of research skills in their future careers by surveying, in part, psychology students from the US before and after a course.

It found that:

• Before the course, less than 50% of students said Yes to the question of whether or not the course is important to their careers, which decreased to 40% after the course
• Slightly more than 40% of students said Maybe before the course, which increased to 50% after the course
• Less than 10% of students said No before the course, increasing to more than 10% after the course

Academic research may seem like a tedious chore, especially as you do it frequently over the course of your studies. However, it is an essential element in your studies, regardless of your course or university level.

It develops various factors of your career that are important both in academia and your future working life.

These include:

• Knowledge and expertise. The more you engage in academic research, the more you expand your understanding and mastery of your field of study
• Decision-making skills. You’ll be able to more quickly determine effective sources and research methods to acquire the most important data
• Attention to detail. Data misinterpretations, logical flaws, and insufficient data become easier to identify
• Workflow habits. Academic research is an excellent avenue to develop healthy work practices that will help you later in your career
• Credibility. You can list your academic research in your curriculum vitae to support your applications for future work or further studies

What Does Academic Research Need?

Academic research requires you to continuously utilize various skills and equipment to advance your studies.

Here are 3 key factors you need to succeed in research:

1. Critical thinking and initiative - Successful academic research requires extensive planning, forethought, and analysis to determine how your studies can advance
2. Supporting literature - One vital aspect of research is identifying and searching for the best sources or past studies to support your research
3. Tools and software - Grammarly, Google Scholar, and academic research transcription services like TranscriptionWing can greatly enhance and expedite your research process

TranscriptionWing Is Your Partner in Research

When preparing for your research, you’ll need every effective tool available to progress effectively. TranscriptionWing™ is a human transcription provider that can provide academic research transcriptions which can significantly benefit your research workflow. Contact us to learn more about how transcriptions can help you.