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							<p>Planning generally starts with the development of a formal description of the research that is to be undertaken and its importance. This screen provides a general introduction to the common elements that form a research plan, as well as exploring how research plans are used in different fields.</p>
							
							<h3>Common elements of a research plan</h3>
							
							<p>While there is no single approach to writing a research plan, there are some common elements found in all research plans.</p>
							
							<instructional-text><p>Click on the tabs below to see the questions that need to be contemplated when thinking about each element of a research plan.</p></instructional-text>
							<instructional-text-accessible><p>Continue on for some questions that need to be contemplated when thinking about each element of a research plan.</p></instructional-text-accessible>

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									<tab-heading><p>Clear statement of purpose</p></tab-heading>
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										<ul>
											<li>What do you intend to do?</li>
											<li>What are your aims or objectives?</li>
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									<tab-heading><p>Prior work</p></tab-heading>
									<tab-content>
										<ul>
											<li>What prior research has been done on your topic?</li>
											<li>Are there any relevant systematic reviews?</li>
											<li>What are the strengths and shortcomings of prior research?</li>
										</ul>
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									<tab-heading><p>Justification</p></tab-heading>
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										<ul>
											<li>Why should this research be undertaken?</li>
											<li>Will it advance knowledge/understanding?</li>
											<li>Will it have useful outcomes?</li>
										</ul>
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									<tab-heading><p>Methods</p></tab-heading>
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										<ul>
											<li>How do you plan to achieve your aims/objectives?</li>
											<li>Will you use standard methods or novel methods?</li>
											<li>What resources do you need?</li>
											<li>Will you have access to the data/evidence you need?</li>
										</ul>
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									<tab-heading><p>Timeline and approvals</p></tab-heading>
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											<li>How will your research project progress?</li>
											<li>How long will it take to complete the project?</li>
											<li>Are approvals required and, if so, how will they be achieved?</li>
										</ul>
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									<tab-heading><p>Data management</p></tab-heading>
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										<ul>
											<li>Who owns the data/information you are collecting?</li>
											<li>How will you collect and manage the data/information?</li>
											<li>How will you store the data/information you collect?</li>
										</ul>
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									<tab-heading><p>Expected outcomes</p></tab-heading>
									<tab-content>
										<ul>
											<li>What are your anticipated findings or outcomes?</li>
											<li>How will you know your findings are valid?</li>
											<li>Do you anticipate any problems or shortcomings?</li>
											<li>Do you expect to produce publications as an outcome?</li>
										</ul>
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									<tab-heading><p>Budget</p></tab-heading>
									<tab-content>
										<ul>
											<li>What will it cost to complete your project?</li>
											<li>Could you do part of the research if full funding is not available?</li>
											<li>Are all of the expenses justifiable?</li>
										</ul>
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									<tab-heading><p>Key personnel</p></tab-heading>
									<tab-content>
										<ul>
											<li>Who will be working on the project?</li>
											<li>Are they participating as team members or collaborators?</li>
											<li>What experience do they have?</li>
											<li>Have they been properly trained?</li>
											<li>Who will supervise them?</li>
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							<p>Research is, of course, not entirely predictable. You might have to change your plans over the course of a project. However, this is not a reason to ignore planning. It is better to change plans than make them up along the way.</p>
							
							<h3>Field-specific plans</h3>
							
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							<interactive-text><p>Depending on the field of research, a research plan could be detailed (guiding work throughout a project) or more general (setting out objectives and how they will be met). A more detailed plan is sometimes referred to as a research <glossary content="The word 'protocol' has a slightly more formal meaning as it refers to a pre-approved plan that often involves an element of repetition that is in need of standardisation (e.g. multiple research participants undergoing the same tests, or specifying how a routine laboratory procedure, such as Western blotting, will be carried out).">protocol</glossary> (for an insight into the importance of having a well-developed protocol in medical research, see the "Additional information" pod).</p></interactive-text>
							<accessible-text><p>Depending on the field of research, a research plan could be detailed (guiding work throughout a project) or more general (setting out objectives and how they will be met). A more detailed plan is sometimes referred to as a research <glossary content="The word 'protocol' has a slightly more formal meaning as it refers to a pre-approved plan that often involves an element of repetition that is in need of standardisation (e.g. multiple research participants undergoing the same tests, or specifying how a routine laboratory procedure, such as Western blotting, will be carried out).">protocol</glossary> (for an insight into the importance of having a well-developed protocol in medical research, refer to the first "Additional information" pod).</p></accessible-text>
							
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								<pod-heading>Additional information</pod-heading> <!-- pod title -->
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								<pod-modal-heading>Additional information</pod-modal-heading>
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										<p>Within medical research, it is particularly important to have a well-developed research protocol. The <a href="https://www.spirit-statement.org/" target="_blank">SPIRIT statement</a> has been developed to help researchers ensure they have considered and addressed all the necessary issues in their research plans prior to commencing experiments. Although focused on clinical research, the SPIRIT statement remains a helpful guide when designing research more generally.</p>
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							<instructional-text><p>Choose your discipline area from the menu below to watch interviews where researchers discuss how they plan their research.</p></instructional-text>
							<instructional-text-accessible><p>Choose an interview from the list for examples of how plans are used in different fields of study. </p></instructional-text-accessible>

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									<action-link goto-panel="1"><h3>Arts & Humanities</h3></action-link>
									<action-link goto-panel="2"><h3>Biomedical Science</h3></action-link>
									<action-link goto-panel="3"><h3>Engineering</h3></action-link>
									<action-link goto-panel="4"><h3>Natural Science</h3></action-link>
									<action-link goto-panel="5"><h3>Social Science </h3></action-link>
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									<accessible-text><h4>Arts & Humanities</h4></accessible-text>
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									<accessible-text><hr><h4>Biomedical Science</h4></accessible-text>
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									<accessible-text><hr><h4>Engineering</h4></accessible-text>
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									<accessible-text><hr><h4>Natural Science</h4></accessible-text>
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									<accessible-text><hr><h4>Social Science</h4></accessible-text>
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								<h3>Arts & Humanities</h3>
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								<h3>Biomedical Science</h3>
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								<h3>Engineering</h3>
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								<h3>Natural Science</h3>
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								<h3>Social Science</h3>
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										video-src="https://player.vimeo.com/external/383339753.hd.mp4?s=00c47e3da72ff81cb4605447beeeb49095aa606c&profile_id=175"
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							<interactive-text><p>Now that you have seen other researchers share their experiences in the video, take a moment to think about your own experience of planning &ndash; for example, have you ever started working on a project only to realise later on that it fails to tackle some of the critical questions outlined in the activity at the start of the screen?</p></interactive-text>
							<accessible-text><p>Now that you have considered the experiences of other researchers in the interviews, take a moment to think about your own experience of planning &ndash; for example, have you ever started working on a project only to realise later on that it fails to tackle some of the critical questions outlined in the activity at the start of the screen?</p></accessible-text>
							
							<h3>Summary</h3>
														
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							<p>The effort required to create a research plan might be seen as taking some of the fun and adventure out of research. When Galileo turned his home-built telescope to the night sky in 1609, he had not planned to make a discovery that would change the course of science. But in Galileo's day, research was largely a private undertaking, mostly self-funded or funded by patrons.</p>
							<p>Today, research is a public and professional activity, usually undertaken with some public funding or conducted within largely publicly funded universities. As a result, researchers must carefully describe what they plan to do &ndash; both for their own reference and for the reference of others &ndash; to ensure that efforts are not wasted. If your work is going to involve human participants or animals, it is especially important to have a well-developed and approved plan prior to starting any work.</p>
							
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								<pod-heading>Additional information</pod-heading> <!-- pod title -->
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								<pod-modal-heading>Additional information</pod-modal-heading>
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										<p>It has been estimated that 85% of health research is wasted, because it either asks the wrong questions, is badly designed, is not published or is poorly reported.</p>
										<p>The <a href="http://rewardalliance.net/" target="_blank">REWARD Alliance</a> was established in 2014 to examine the research process and recommend ways of reducing waste. The REWARD Alliance has particularly highlighted the importance of better research planning.</p>
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