The research project is an academic work developed in higher education and can be: the course conclusion work (TCC), the monograph, the master's thesis, the doctoral thesis.
6 essential points of a research project
- Theme and subject
- Justification
- General objective and specific objectives
- Theoretical foundation
- Methodology
- Schedule
1. Theme and subject
The first step in a research project is to define the theme. More than that, it is necessary to define very well which subject will be dealt with in your work.
This is because a theme can be broken down into several subjects. So that you don't get lost and end up not writing about something important, you need to make it clear about what your work is going to deal with and get straight to the point. Under no circumstances be vague.
Thus, it is not enough to say that your work is about prejudice, for example, as there are several types of prejudice. Delimit it so that the person reading your project knows what kind of prejudice it is, as well as what aspects it will deal with.
Imagine that someone who reads your research project is very interested in knowing about language bias, and he starts reading with this expectation, when he comes across a work that deals only with prejudice cultural.
Remember if:
- Theme: prejudice
- Subject: cultural prejudice, more specifically, the psychological impacts on victims of this type of prejudice.
2. Justification
After defining the subject, explain what motivated you to choose it - theoretical interest, personal or professional experience, for example.
In addition to the reason, it is important to explain the relevance of your work. In the midst of so many works that teachers read every year, show why yours is valuable. What's the difference?
It is important that the subject dealt with is current and, as such, this is already a justification. Include what your research can contribute to society, which will also be a positive aspect of your project.
3. General objective and specific objectives
You should also clarify what your goals are when developing the research with the chosen theme and subjects.
There is a single general goal and several specific goals. You must make it clear what they are in order to build a cohesive and coherent text.
When defining the objectives, answer: what do you intend your research to be? where do you want to go?
A work with the theme of prejudice can have the general objective of showing the psychological impact on victims of prejudice.
If you delimit your theme to cultural bias (subject), your specific goals may be to show this psychological impact by grounding them with the theories of various scholars.
Each theory used can consist of an objective, which will serve as a basis for the development of your work.
When writing it, each of the specific goals can become a chapter of your work.
To better understand:
- Theme of the research project: prejudice.
- Subject: Psychological impact of cultural prejudice on its victims.
- General objective: to identify the psychological impact on victims of cultural prejudice.
- Specific objectives: to analyze the psychological impact on victims of cultural prejudice according to the theories of x scholars.
4. Theoretical foundation
The theoretical foundation consists of indicating which bibliography will be used to support the your work, that is, what readings you will need to do to complete your research and complete your work.
Indicate the authors of your choice or the authors that you consider essential to discuss your work, those who are considered to be authorities in the chosen subject.
Read too: ABNT bibliographic references: how to do it?
5. Methodology
In the methodology, you should point out the methods you will use to prove your ideas.
Interviews, field research, document analysis may be the methods you choose to develop your work.
There are several ways to do this, but your choice has to take into account the most effective method given the subject of your work.
6. Schedule
Planning what will be done also depends on the time available for it. You may have a fantastic idea, but without controlling your time, you will get lost and won't be able to present even the minimum necessary.
Therefore, schedule the tasks, think carefully about the time you will need to perform them and distribute them over the days considering the deadlines for delivering the research project.
Remember that you will need time, for example, for bibliographic research, data collection, paper writing, review, meetings with the advisor.
ABNT rules for research project
According to NBR 15287, the research project must be structured as follows:
1. Cover (optional), but if inserted, it must contain:
- name(s) of the author(s);
- title;
- subtitle, if any;
- location (city) of the entity where it must be presented;
- year of deposit (from delivery).
2. Spine (optional)
3. Cover sheet (mandatory). Must contain:
- name(s) of the author(s);
- title;
- subtitle, if any;
- type of research project and name of the entity to be submitted to;
- name of advisor;
- location (city) of the entity where it must be presented;
- year of deposit (from delivery).
4. List of illustrations (optional)
5. List of tables (optional)
6. List of abbreviations and acronyms (optional)
7. Symbol list (optional)
8. Summary (required)
9. References (required)
10. Glossary (optional)
11. Appendix (optional)
12. Attachment (optional)
13. Index (optional)
Know all about the ABNT standards: formatting rules for academic papers
What is a research project and what is its importance?
A research project is a short work that precedes the TCC (Course Completion Work), the master's thesis or the doctoral thesis, precisely because it consists of its planning.
For this reason, the research project is essential for the success of the work, after all the clearer and more precise it is, the easier it will be to develop the dissertation.
There are universities where course completion work is only started after the research project has been approved, but this obligation does not always exist.
However, although it is not mandatory, the research project must be done because of its function, which is to direct, in an organized way, your work.
understand better about the Scientific Dissemination Text.
Bibliographic references
ABNT NBR 15287