Research Project Design and Implementation Strategies

The Research Project

The Role of the Research Project

The role of a research project is to provide a comprehensive and specific framework for how an investigation should be conducted. It outlines what is to be known, how that knowledge will be acquired, and what insights are intended to be gained.

Defining the Research Project

The Project as a Research Map

The project serves as the map of the research: it charts the planned path to navigate the complex realities of the social phenomenon under investigation. When presented as a proposal to a sponsoring institution or a funding agent, it represents a comprehensive commitment from the researcher to the empirical study and the social phenomenon being addressed.

Methodological Design in Research

The term design primarily refers to the description of the methodological decisions inherent in any empirical research project. This methodological design is a crucial element of the research project, establishing its 'methodological grammar' or the type of dialogue and integration, both internal and external, that will occur between the various proposed methods.

Understanding the Project's Approach

A project can be understood as the approach to an object of study, encompassing the subsequent activities and resources required to attain that knowledge.

Key Components of a Research Project

The Project as a Proposal and Commitment

Fundamentally, the research project is a proposal—a statement of intent—outlining what will be studied and how, along with the resources to be deployed. It thus establishes the commitment and outlines the future description, recognition, and proposed solution for a specific problem.

Focusing on the Research Object

Each project centers on a specific object or social phenomenon, which forms the basis of inquiry. Consequently, a significant part of the project is dedicated to the construction of the object and critical reflection upon it. This constitutes the starting point of the research, defining the project as the construction of a research subject.

Project as a Sequence of Activities

The project is also a sequential set of activities, where the importance lies in each proposed activity and its articulation over time. These activities are intrinsically linked to resources, which is why the adjective 'organized' (as per Tamayo's definition) is crucial. Resources include:

• Financial resources
• Material resources
• Professional resources
• Personal resources
• Temporary resources (time)

From the perspective of resources, the project consolidates those already available with those required to execute the project. Their variability must be considered based on the characteristics of the research object, the institutional context of the research team, and the social context from which the research demand arises.

Essential Resources for Research

Time as a Central Resource

Among all resources, time is central. Not only does it establish a commitment to a specific end date, but it also allows for the observation and assessment of the project's status. The concept of succession is paramount: the project must represent the sequence of one activity leading to another, where the results of a preceding activity influence the next, and time is conditioned by these interdependencies. Thus, the project not only orders activities sequentially but also articulates them.

Understanding Research Demands

Research demand is not always presented as a formal project proposal but can take different forms:

1. A demand for assistance, often originating from a research team that has contacted a professional team.
2. A demand for the recruitment of professional teams to develop a study with a specific and particular purpose.

Research Project vs. Action Proposal

A research project differs significantly from a proposed action or intervention. The primary purpose of a research project is to generate knowledge and discover insights about social reality. This holds true for both basic research projects, which aim purely for understanding, and applied research, where the knowledge generated is directly linked to informing a decision or carrying out a specific action.

Triangulation in Research: Enhancing Validity

Triangulation aims to achieve a robust interaction of data, enhancing validity. This interaction supports a strong empirical basis, generating a sense of strength in research when there is convergence between results produced by different methods or techniques. On one hand, it provides a sense of security as the investigator's data converges from various methods. On the other hand, it encourages critical reflection on the research process, especially when convergence does not occur, highlighting the creative capacity of triangulation and its ability to establish what Cicouriel called 'indefinite triangulation'.