Exploring personal preferences using past projects
Another way of generating possible project ideas is to explore your personal preferences using past project reports from your university. To do this Raimond (1993) suggests that you:
1 Select six projects that you like.
2 Foreachofthesesixprojects,notedownyourfirstthoughtsinresponsetothreeques-
tions (if responses for different projects are the same this does not matter):
a Whatappealstoyouabouttheproject?
b What is good about the project?
c Why is the project good?
3 Select three projects that you do not like.
4 For each of these three projects, note down your first thoughts in response to three
questions (if responses for different projects are the same, or cannot be clearly expressed, this does not matter; note them down anyway):
a Whatdoyoudislikeabouttheproject?
b What is bad about the project?
c Why is the project bad?
You now have a list of what you consider to be excellent and what you consider to be
poor in projects. This will not be the same as a list generated by anyone else. It is also very unlikely to match the attributes of a good research project (Box 2.2). However, by examining this list you will begin to understand those project characteristics that are important to you and with which you feel comfortable. Of equal importance is that you will have identified those that you are uncomfortable with and should avoid. These can be used as the parameters against which to evaluate possible research ideas.