e8: Setting Boundaries — Clear Expectations for Positive Results

Boundaries are important in so many facets of life, from personal to professional relationships to volunteer opportunities to something as simple as setting a consistent bed time. It's no secret that defining and setting clear expectations leads to more positive results. If we extract this concept out of life experience and insert it into academia, as a mature learner, I'm finding its application extremely useful. This week, as I am diving into developing my research question for the main course assignment, the "Literature Review," I find myself distracted by the abundance of topics that seem interesting and relevant. Much the same as the need to re-focus my blog posts around the guiding question of "what is an academic writer and how can I become one," success in this literature review assignment depends on setting clear boundaries (i.e. a clear research question) that will act as a framework to guide my research. 

Reference for today's episode:

O’Leary, Z. (2017). Developing your research question. The essential guide to doing your research project (3rd ed.) (pp. 82–115). London: SAGE.  https://web.archive.org/web/20211102123209/https://www.ru.ac.bd/wp-content/uploads/sites/25/2019/03/402_06_00_O%E2%80%99Leary-The-Essential-Guide-to-Doing-Your-Research-Project-2017.pdf