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Write a research plan. Your
plan should include:
- Description
- Purpose - What is the overarching intention?
- Research Question - Guiding/Organizing
question
- Hypothesis - Scientific theory driving the
project
- History and Background - What does previous
work say?
- Experimental Design - Execution steps,
equipment needed
- Procedure - Major steps of overall project
including experiment
- Variables and Controls - What parameters fixed
and varied
- Statistics - Statistical methods, relevant
variables, sample size
- Data - Empirical measurements
- Results - Must be supported by data. How will
success be measured?
- Analysis - Measures the impact of errors and
supports conclusions.
- Conclusion - What will be addressed to affirm
success?
- Model (predictive tool) - Physical, graphical,
equation, computer
- Validation - Substantiation of factual data by
analytical means, validate model with data
- Deliverables - What will substantiate the
stated objectives in measurable terms: report, poster, and
presentation?
- Errors - All relevant/expected errors; how
address
- Safety issues - Clearly stated, explain
importance of areas of concern
- Personnel
- Team Make-up - Clear definition of roles,
activities, and responsibility; include accountability
- Task Assignments - What, when, how, who. One
team member responsibility (!) per task area
- Consultant/Advisor - ID expert for
consultation, review, and comments
- Benefit
- Justification - Why should the project be
done?
- Legacy - Provide information, model, and
meaning to future generations, organization, or group, etc. Describe
ongoing nature of project.
- Follow-on project - ID the next step in the
research.
- Resources
- Budget - Estimate and provide funding for the
duration of the project.
- Building Resources - Describe constraints of
room availability, time, ventilation, storage of materials & parts,
shop space & tools.
- Timeline - Include activities descriptions and
time/dates to complete. Include Gantt charts.
- Milestones - Show interim steps with measurable
deliverables and dates.
- Communication
- Defend your results using a poster, report,
presentation, or web page.
- Poster - Graphical presentation for poster
session
- Final Report - Printed report that includes an
executive summary, abstract, objective statement, supportive
documentation, appendices, data tables, plots, drawings
- Presentation - Final review with PowerPoint or
other appropriate oral/visual means, involving all team members
- Web page - HTML format pages accessible to
interested parties
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