Research projects involve more than finding a problem and proposing a solution. Not only do research projects have an audience, the projects have stakeholders as well. Stakeholders are those that have an interest in your research. When considering stakeholders, a researcher will be affected by many factors. These There are factors and patterns influence the direction of research. Interest groups may be involved and policies may be implicated as result of the research. It is even possible that further examined or changes to policy could result of a research project. Research projects are not minor endeavors to be approached lightly.
STAKEHOLDERS
Research project stakeholders include people and organizations that are interested in your research, or those who the outcome of the research project may effect either positively or negatively. The stakeholders include those who support your research as well as those who oppose your research. Supporters could be direct or indirect. Stakeholders also include those involved in your research.
SOCIAL, POLITICAL AND PERSONAL FACTORS
There are many social, political and personal factors that will influence the direction of a research project. Social factors that may influence my research include my family, my friends, my economic position and my religion. I may have been raised in an affluent family. This influence will affect the direction of my research as I will likely choose a topic and position that closely relates to my position in life. My political views and opinions will greatly influence the direction of my research. I may a very conservative view of a particular topic and my research would likely reflect this view. On the other hand, if I am a very liberal democrat, my research will more likely address social issues in different ways than a republican individual. Personal factors influencing my research include my gender, my age, my race and my life experiences. If my research is directed toward a particular gender, then my gender as a female will influence which direction I take in the research. For instance, if I choose to study the impact of prison on African American families, I would have no personal experience in relation to the research and thus, my research would take a different direction than a student of color.
INTEREST GROUPS
An interest group is a group that works to encourage or prevent policy changes. If I choose a topic that addresses civil rights, the interest groups involved would include the American Civil Liberties Union, The Human Rights Campaign, and possibly the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. On the other hand, if I choose to research a research topic that focuses on politics, involved interest groups may include the Americans for Democratic Action or the Democratic Leadership Council. I may choose a topic relating to gun rights and the National Rifle Association would be interested. There is likely to be an interest group involved in any particular topic chosen for research as there are hundreds of interest groups today,
PATTERNS
There are many patterns that may influence the direction of my research. Current trends may influence my research. I may choose to research the topic and address problems that may have already been addressed or I can choose to tackle a problem that has not been addressed. Finding problems that are recurring could also influence the direction of my research. I may choose to address the same problem, look at the problem from a different angle or provide a different solution to the problem. Another pattern that may direct my research is the way in which the problem has been specified. I can choose to generalize or be more specific with the research subject due to patterns that I see in other research.
POLICY IMPLICATIONS
The objective of my research project is to analyze an issue and problem and then provide a solution. My research project may analyze a particular policy and reflect on its effectiveness. My research may also diagnose a problem in which future policy can address. I could also affect current policy with my research by revealing a policy that has not been addressed or revealing a policy that is over-addressed. My research may also impact policy if it aims to evaluate a policy in terms of its effectiveness.
EXAMPLES OF POLICIES
If I were to research a topic and related policy that has been seldom addressed by past researchers, and discover through my research find a need for more research, the policy may be further analyzed by researchers and the policy may ultimately change as a result. Additionally, if I were to research a topic and related policy that has been studied extensively from one particular direction, and I choose a different direction, my research may result in changes in the policy.
CONCLUSION
Research projects involve an intensive amount of insight and forethought. If a researcher intends to draft a high quality project, stakeholders and how they are impacted by the research must be considered. Stakeholders will affect the direction of research, as will other factors and patterns. Interest group may also influence the research project. For these reasons, research projects are important endeavors that must be taken with attention and interest to be effective.
REFERENCES
Feamster, N. (2013, September 20). How to Do Great Research. Retrieved from Great Research: http://greatresearch.org/2013/09/20/research-patterns/
Research Project Stakeholders. (2016). Retrieved from Vitae: Careers Research and Advisory Center Limited.
Wilcox, A., & Hirschfield, A. (2007). A Framework for Deriving Policy Implications from Research. Applied Criminology Centre.
