OPINION: Insights from my research experience as a Built Environment Professional.

At some point in our academics as Built Environment Professionals we find ourselves having to contend with the often dreaded research paper also known as a thesis. This can prove to be a quite daunting task for many of us. From choosing a researchable topic, to deciding whether you’ll opt for quantitative or qualitative research and off course having to search through the minefield of literature to motivate the case for this paper. Like many of you, I have found myself in what may seemingly be a dark and lonely place. Admittedly I’ve grown to enjoy the process of conducting research and find it extremely rewarding such that I have gone on to support others on their research journeys.

Through my research experience, I have found the conclusion to be the vital force that gives life and meaning to your paper. This is the chapter where you can really voice your opinion and create connections between the literature and actual findings. This is where you have the latitude to be expressive and not be confined to Harvard referencing in your discussion. In my view, this is the moment of reckoning for any paper. It will go on to inform your abstract which often is the only part people have the attention span to read anyway.

My friend, the conclusion can easily go south. Like a disappointing Netflix movie where the end seldom leaves up to expectations. A good example is my honours thesis which led to a 2 month long marriage with the computer lab in our building on campus. Boy did that paper kick my behind in the end. I pretty much managed to almost sail through 90% of the paper and then literally hit a brick wall when I got to my last chapter. Nonetheless a conclusion was written which I dare say I have no recollection of its contents.

Luckily life gave me a second chance to redeem myself with my MBA thesis which in my opinion the ending became the highlight of the paper. Which probably means that only my supervisor got to read it.

Also read: OPINION: Government should let process of infrastructure procurement be led by Built Environment Professionals.

I think it’s a question of ‘So What?’ after pouring what seems to be all your intellectual capacity on this bible thick document. So what? How do your findings contribute to anything? What knowledge gap are you closing? This is the moment that determines whether your paper will gather virtual dust in the online library archives or whether it will add a tiny speckle of knowledge to the research world.

I have found that the layer that enhances the conclusion is the synthesis of the findings. Taking all the data, coding it and narrowing it down to the fundamental themes that emerge from the findings. I admit that this requires a fair dose of patience on the part of the researcher as the themes don’t come at you at first glance. You must be willing to endure hours of writers block in anticipation for that golden moment when it all comes together and you find the words flowing from an unknown place within you. These are moments where you surprise yourself with vocabulary you didn’t even know you possessed.

Like with any good movie, the best conclusions seem to be those that offer further questions and further inquiry on the subject. Somehow it elevates the standard of your investigation where you have come across findings that inspire further studies. I bet this is the birth of many PhD papers, the endless list of questions that lead to a maze of more stones to unturn.

What stumbling blocks did you encounter with your research? How did you resolve them ?Please share your experience.

If you would like to be notified via email when Hardhat Opinions are published send us your details here