How can research questions be asked in a more effective way so that they lead to better research projects? This question is a difficult one because, as one should expect, scientific research and the discovery of knowledge are not and cannot result from a prescribed recipe. If that were the case, scientific knowledge just be attainable automatically. Nevertheless, we also know that some context are more productive when it comes to research output, suggesting that there are ways in which the otherwise significantly random process of scientific research can be improved.
In this project, we test an approach to the process of research exploration, before actual research begins, by which the quality of started research questions can be improved. Alternating between modeling and narrative scenario planning (a type of planning technique), we test whether research questions generated to address a research context can be formulated in such a way that they provide the most promising starting points for a fully-fledged research project to begin. The technique is tested among graduate students completing research-intensive degrees to determine how much the learning and application of these techniques can provide these students with the tools needed to be better and more impactful researchers.
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Eduardo López
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