Advanced Research Methods: Part 1

This series of articles considers research methods one can use at Master’s level and beyond.  I want to talk about the realities of doing an extended research project and to give you some practical advice based on personal experience.  I’m going to discuss some of the techniques I used in my PhD. My research was in architectural history, but  I’ll explain some of the techniques of historical research which you might consider using in your work.  I’ll also try to give you generic advice about research design and methodology. 

Funding

To undertake high-level research you usually have to devise you own research project and identify a source of funding.  There are various ways to fund it.  Some people can afford to be self-funding, but for those who can’t there are external sources.  Universities offer studentships from time to time.  Research Councils hold Master’s and Doctoral award schemes. My Master’s and PhD research were both funded with awards from the Arts and Humanities Research Council, which holds a Master's and Doctoral competition every year.  These are very intense, but if you win the AHRC pay all your tuition fees and give you a maintenance grant to live on.  Altogether my two awards came to about £50,000.  It’s not taxable and you don’t have to pay it back. 

To get funding from a research council or similar body you first have to produce a research proposal and get it provisionally accepted by a university.  That can be quite tricky because the university won’t accept it unless there’s a good chance you’ll get funding, so you have to do quite a bit of negotiating at the beginning.  In my case, I wanted to examine architectural taste and patronage in Newcastle.  I completed an Initial Project Approval form and submitted it to Northumbria University. This required:

• a Provisional Title of the Research Programme
• a clear statement of the aims and objectives of the research programme
• an indicative methodology
• a description of the distinctiveness of the research proposal and (for PhD students) a statement of the original contribution to knowledge the research programme is likely to make

(approximately 1000 words)

Now I want to turn to research itself.  My thesis examines architectural taste and patronage in Newcastle upon Tyne between 1870 and 1914, asking how distinctive was Newcastle architecture during this period?  My research methods were:

• Reading secondary sources (published books and articles)
• Archival research
• Fieldwork

Research can be very isolating.  You’re working alone on a unique project and there are no taught sessions.  On the other hand, you are part of a research community that can be mutually supportive.  They usually give you a desk in the research centre.  This was mine.  Our office had people from all over the word studying art history, fine art, literature, criminology etc.