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Chapter 2 - Planning a Research Project:

Early Steps

from Part I - Planning

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 February 2024

By
Maggie B. Gale
Edited by
Tracy C. Davis  and
Paul Rae
Tracy C. Davis
Affiliation:
Northwestern University, Illinois
Paul Rae
Affiliation:
University of Melbourne
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Summary

Maggie B. Gale explores ways of both framing and structuring the beginnings of a research project, and finding what might be called a ‘research niche’. She uses the case study of an emerging research project to articulate different possible approaches to conceptualizing the starting point, direction, and shape of a project, as well as working practices which might be useful in research design and method. The chapter also explores a series of working principles for avoiding the pitfalls of research distractions, without missing out on the serendipitous discoveries which a more unstructured process might allow. Gale’s own research on Elsa Lanchester illustrates the principles.

Keywords

research designdistractiondiscoveryprocess
Type
Chapter
Information
The Cambridge Guide to Mixed Methods Research for Theatre and Performance Studies , pp. 59 - 71
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2024

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References

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