Research Principles
Will’s Research Principles
Written in the first person so that each researcher can make a clear commitment to these goals.
- Goals for My Research
- I will aim to produce a definitive synopsis on each topic.
- I will aim to write reviews that will withstand critiques from both researchers and practitioners.
- I will seek a fresh perspective on every topic that I consider.
- I will seek to understand the human functioning behind each phenomenon that I study.
- Approaches to Doing the Research
- I will keep practical application as a guidepost as I do my research and think about each topic.
- I will seek out a wide range of articles for each topic.
- I will examine the evidence to find the truth, limiting the influence of my prejudices.
- I will approach each research article with healthy skepticism, understanding that:
- Authors’ conclusions can be wrong, biased, or narrow.
- The relevance of the article may be limited in scope.
- Research articles may not generalize to the practice of training.
- A single research article by itself is not worth much; a confluence of evidence is usually required.
- Research articles may have methodological flaws and so may not be relevant. Sometimes, though rarely, these flaws may be tangential enough to be ignored or downplayed.
- I will examine empirical research studies and not just review articles.
- I will approach each review article with healthy skepticism, understanding that:
- Reviews can be wrong.
- Reviews can be limited in scope and thus not relevant.
- Reviews may not generalize to the practice of training or workplace learning.
- Reviews can inappropriately evaluate research articles.
- Approaches to Doing the Writing
- I will write in an engaging style that promotes interest, wonder, and a clear sense of what to do.
- I will write so that practitioners will quickly and easily understand my points.
- I will seek out researchers with relevant expertise to provide feedback and insight on the content.
- I will seek out practitioners to provide feedback and insight on the writing and its practicality.
- I will write a fair and balanced synopsis and let the reader know my level of certainty.
- I will follow prescribed editorial guidelines.