Academic Research
Complete research lifecycle: project setup, literature review, writing, publication, and defense.
Project Structure
research-project/
├── .github/
│ └── copilot-instructions.md # Research context for Alex
├── docs/
│ ├── RESEARCH-PLAN.md # Questions, timeline, milestones
│ ├── METHODOLOGY.md # Design decisions
│ └── DECISION-LOG.md # Key decisions with rationale
├── data/
│ ├── raw/ # Untouched source data
│ ├── processed/ # Cleaned/transformed
│ └── DATA-DICTIONARY.md # Variable definitions
├── analysis/
│ ├── scripts/ # Analysis code
│ └── outputs/ # Figures, tables
├── writing/
│ ├── drafts/ # Work in progress
│ └── submissions/ # Submitted versions
├── references/
│ ├── LITERATURE-MATRIX.md # Systematic tracking
│ └── notes/ # Reading notes
└── README.md
Quick Setup
mkdir -p .github docs data/{raw,processed} analysis/{scripts,outputs} writing/{drafts,submissions} references/notes
touch docs/RESEARCH-PLAN.md docs/METHODOLOGY.md references/LITERATURE-MATRIX.md .github/copilot-instructions.md
Research Project Types
| Type |
Duration |
Output |
Review |
| Master's Thesis |
1-2 years |
80-150 pages |
Committee defense |
| PhD Dissertation |
3-7 years |
150-300+ pages |
Committee + external |
| Journal Article |
3-12 months |
5,000-10,000 words |
Peer review |
| Conference Paper |
2-6 months |
4,000-8,000 words |
Peer review |
Research Question Development
PICO Framework
- Population — Who is being studied?
- Intervention — What is being tested?
- Comparison — Against what?
- Outcome — What is measured?
FINER Criteria
| Criterion |
Question |
| Feasible |
Can it be done with available resources? |
| Interesting |
Does anyone care? |
| Novel |
Does it add new knowledge? |
| Ethical |
Can it be done ethically? |
| Relevant |
Does it matter to the field? |
Literature Review
Synthesis Approaches
| Approach |
When to Use |
| Thematic |
Organize by concepts across sources |
| Chronological |
Show field evolution |
| Methodological |
Compare research approaches |
| Concept Matrix |
Map concepts to sources in table |
Gap Types
- Empirical — No studies in specific context
- Theoretical — Theory not applied to domain
- Methodological — New methods could reveal insights
- Population — Understudied demographic
Literature Matrix Template
| Citation | Year | Method | Findings | Gaps | Relevance |
|----------|------|--------|----------|------|-----------|
| Author1 et al. | 2024 | RCT | X | Y | ⭐⭐⭐ |
Methodology
Qualitative Methods
| Method |
Best For |
Sample |
| Interviews |
Deep understanding |
10-30 |
| Focus Groups |
Group dynamics |
4-8/group |
| Case Study |
Detailed exploration |
1-10 |
| Grounded Theory |
Theory generation |
Until saturation |
Quantitative Methods
| Method |
Best For |
Sample |
| Survey |
Breadth, generalization |
100-1000+ |
| Experiment |
Causation |
Power analysis |
| Quasi-experiment |
No randomization |
Varies |
Mixed Methods
- Convergent — Qual + quant simultaneously
- Explanatory Sequential — Quant → Qual
- Exploratory Sequential — Qual → Quant
Thesis/Dissertation Structure
- Introduction — Problem, significance, research questions
- Literature Review — Framework, prior work, gaps
- Methodology — Design, collection, analysis
- Results — Data without interpretation
- Discussion — Interpret, connect to literature
- Conclusion — Summary, contributions, limitations
Discipline Variations
| Discipline |
Variation |
| Sciences |
Methods-heavy |
| Humanities |
Multiple thematic chapters |
| Social Sciences |
Separate theoretical framework |
| Engineering |
Implementation + Evaluation chapters |
Academic Writing
Hedging Language
| Strong |
Hedged |
| "This proves..." |
"This suggests..." |
| "Always causes" |
"May contribute to" |
| "Definitely shows" |
"Evidence indicates" |
CARS Model (Introductions)
- Establish territory — topic importance
- Establish niche — gap in knowledge
- Occupy niche — your contribution
Citation Density
| Section |
Density |
| Abstract |
None |
| Introduction |
Medium |
| Related Work |
High |
| Methods |
Low-Medium |
| Results |
Low |
| Discussion |
Medium |
Publication Workflow
Venue Selection
| Research Type |
Venue |
| User study with metrics |
ACM CHI |
| Business implications |
Harvard Business Review |
| Cognitive theory |
Cognitive Systems Research |
| Philosophical AI argument |
Minds & Machines |
5-Phase Process
| Phase |
Duration |
Focus |
| Preparation |
1-2 weeks |
Literature, outline, figures |
| Rough Draft |
1-2 weeks |
Write without editing |
| Revision |
1-2 weeks |
Structure → Section → Paragraph → Sentence |
| Feedback |
2-4 weeks |
Advisor, peers |
| Polish |
1 week |
Format, citations, submit |
Responding to Reviews
## Response to Reviewer 1
### R1.1: "[Concern]"
We appreciate this observation. [How addressed].
Changes: Section X, paragraph Y: [new text]
Committee Navigation
Defense Preparation
- Anticipate likely questions
- Prepare 20-30 minute presentation
- Know your limitations
- Have backup slides
- Practice with friendly audience
Common Concerns
| Concern |
Address With |
| "Why this topic?" |
Strong motivation |
| "What's your contribution?" |
Explicit list |
| "How is this valid?" |
Robust methodology |
| "What about X?" |
Scope, future work |
Citation Management
| Style |
Discipline |
| APA 7 |
Psychology, social sciences |
| MLA 9 |
Humanities |
| Chicago |
History |
| IEEE |
Engineering, CS |
| Vancouver |
Medicine |
Refactoring Existing Projects
Audit Checklist
- Has .github/copilot-instructions.md
- Data separated: raw vs processed
- Research questions documented
- Literature systematically tracked
- Methodology decisions recorded
Migration Pattern
git mv old-data.csv data/raw/
git mv cleaned.csv data/processed/
git mv draft.docx writing/drafts/paper-v1.docx
File Templates
RESEARCH-PLAN.md
# Research Plan: [Title]
## Research Questions
1. Primary: [Main question]
2. Secondary: [Supporting questions]
## Timeline
| Phase | Duration | Deliverable |
|-------|----------|-------------|
| Literature | Weeks 1-4 | Matrix complete |
| Collection | Weeks 5-12 | Raw data |
| Analysis | Weeks 13-16 | Results |
| Writing | Weeks 17-20 | Draft |
copilot-instructions.md (Research)
# [Project] - Research Context
## Current Phase
- [x] Literature Review
- [ ] Data Collection
## Alex Guidance
- Add literature to references/LITERATURE-MATRIX.md
- Log decisions in docs/DECISION-LOG.md
- Citation style: APA 7
Pre-Submission Checklist
- Abstract stands alone
- Contributions stated explicitly
- All claims supported
- Limitations acknowledged
- References complete
- Word limit respected
- Anonymized if required
Tools
| Tool |
Purpose |
| Zotero |
Reference management |
| Overleaf |
LaTeX collaboration |
| Connected Papers |
Literature discovery |
| Pandoc |
Markdown to Word/PDF |
Related Skills
