Does the rigid structure of a long term plan hurt the creative process of conducting science?

In the lecture “How to write a good research plan?” on the 11th of November 2024, the audience learned a research planning framework that doesn’t limit creativity but lays a foundation for scientific success in the first place.

Specifically one learned how to apply specific planning concepts in an iterative way, limiting chances of unforeseen risks while maintaining adaptability.

For that, the contents of a research plan were described both in theory and practice on the example of a real PhD thesis, offering real world insights into the applicability of the framework.

Background

Professor Bert Arnrich [1], who held the talk, is head of the Chair Digital Health - Connected Healthcare [2] at the joint Digital-Engineering Faculty of Hasso Plattner Institute (HPI) and the University of Potsdam. Additionally, he is a member of the examining board at HPI.

With his 248 publications [3] and over 6900 citations [4], as well as his track record of leading research positions, he is an expert both in planning research, and putting such plans into practice.

Through using the example of a real PhD thesis that he himself supervised alongside the theoretical contents of the lecture, the concepts are easily understandable and memorable. Also, having his own insights on how well the techniques for research planning worked in practice in this particular case, gives more weight to the importance of the topic.

Research is a highly complex endeavor and funding is most often bound to a specific time period. This holds true for research in the context of PhD programs as well as research done in academic institutions generally. To not misspend resources and expert time, nor run out of funding, proper planning is required. For that, a research plan or proposal must motivate the planned research, i.e. name the problem it’s trying to solve or explain the significance of the question it tries to answer.

It also needs to specify the theses it tries to investigate and reference related work and what differentiates the proposed from the existing research. To do that, a description of the proposed approach is required, as well as a plan on how to evaluate the approach.

Furthermore, a research plan must contain a list of dependencies for the research and what happens in the case of failure of these.

Additionally, a rough plan in terms of timing, incorporating both planned publications as well as work packages leading to those publications and unrelated obligations should be included.

After iterative improvement of the plan, the supervisor overseeing the work as well as the researcher need to sign the document in contractual fashion.

Contents of a research plan

In the following, we will describe the contents of the research plan as presented by Prof. Arnrich in more detail.

Motivation

A research plan should include a clear motivation for the proposed work. This section introduces the topic, explains its importance, and highlights gaps or limitations in existing research. By comparing it to related work, the plan can show how this research is different and why it is worth exploring. The importance of the work should be presented objectively, with references to relevant studies or findings. Including potential applications or broader implications can also help make the case for its relevance. For example, Prof. Arnrich highlights a PhD thesis on a wearable wristband that measures reaction times, which are key indicators of cognitive abilities like concentration or attention. At the time, a major limitation of existing reaction time tests was their requirement for participants to be in front of a computer. However, real-life testing is often more desirable for capturing natural responses, making the development of wearable devices for such purposes an important advancement.

Theses

The research plan should include a set of theses that outline the key claims to be investigated, typically about 3 to 4. These serve as guiding statements for the research, providing a clear focus and direction. Each thesis should be specific and aligned with the overall objectives of the work. Including theses is helpful not only for structuring the research but also for preparing to defend it. They act as a foundation for the arguments and evidence presented in the study.

Related Work

A thorough review of related work is important for understanding the field and framing the research within its context. This section outlines the state of the art, explaining how others have tackled similar problems. It summarizes key methods, achievements, and findings while also pointing out their limitations. Identifying these limitations is particularly useful for shaping the research focus and justifying the thesis topic and methods. According to Prof. Arnrich, a strong Related Work section not only guides the research direction but also supports the defense by showing how the work builds upon and differs from existing studies.

Contribution

The contribution of the work also needs to be outlined. For each objective, it is important to define the research goal, summarize the existing achievements in the field, and clearly state the specific contribution the research will make to push beyond the current state. A possible way to present this is through a table, where each objective is paired with a description of the current state of the art and the unique contribution of the proposed work.

Approach

To achieve the outlined research objectives, the researcher must consider possible approaches. Prof. Arnrich points out that relevant literature and supervisors can usually help to identify suitable approaches and best practices. The chosen approach can be documented, for example, in the form of a table with one column indicating the research objective and one column describing the chosen approach to achieving this objective. This table can be seen as a more detailed version of the contribution list.

Evaluation

Evaluation is a critical part of the research process used to determine the quality of the research results and whether the research objectives have been met. The quality of research is highly dependent on the chosen approach. Therefore, the researcher should think of a way to evaluate the approach and results for each research objective. This can be documented by adding a column describing the evaluation methodology to the table outlining the research objectives and approaches. Prof. Arnrich highlights that integrating evaluation considerations into the research plan early on can ensure a robust, reliable, and efficient process that supports the research goals and avoids costly changes (e.g., in implementation) later in the process.

Dependencies

Prof. Arnrich describes dependencies as factors on which the success of the research project depends. Without fulfilling these factors, the research objectives cannot be achieved. Dependencies can be many things, for example materials, tools, infrastructure, access rights, collaborators, and advisors. From Prof. Arnrichs experience, personal matters, such as the researchers' time availability, can also have a significant impact on the research project. Dependencies can be documented in a table with one column listing all dependencies and a second column providing a more detailed description of the dependencies (e.g., at what stage of the work is it relevant). Supervisors can usually help by pointing out less obvious dependencies.

Risk and Contingency Plan

To achieve research goals and produce high-quality research, it is important to identify the risks of the research approach, according to Prof. Arnrich. Therefore, the researcher should think about the significance each risk poses for the success of the overall research project and think of ways to manage them. Prof. Arnrich recommends asking supervisors to help identify hidden risks (to avoid unpleasant surprises) and find solutions. Risks can be documented in a risk and contingency plan. This is a table with three columns where the first column outlines the risk, the second describes the implications of the named risk and the third describes the contingency plan to mitigate the risk.

Work Plan

The work plan is a schedule for all activities related to your research, including, for example, data cleaning, experiments, and writing the thesis. A PhD work plan should also include publication milestones. The work plan helps to track the project's progress and ensures that deadlines are met. Prof. Arnrich suggest to capture is as a Gantt chart. In the case of Bachelor’s and Master’s theses, he advises to register a thesis only after familiarizing yourself with the topic, acquiring all the necessary skills, and creating a setup that is ready to be put in use, since these processes are highly dependent on the student’s background and therefore their duration can be hard to estimate. If there are any changes in the schedule during the project, estimate the consequences for the overall research project and communicate them with your supervisor. This can help to apply for an extension early on. Another common pitfall is planning too little time for writing your thesis and getting feedback on it. Prof. Arnrich recommends planning enough time dedicated to the writing process (> 2 weeks) and also some additional buffer time in case of unforeseen delays in the project's progress.

Publication Plan

For each of the research contributions outlined above, Prof. Arnrich suggest considering possible publication opportunities (e.g., journals and conferences). He highlights that publishing the results of a master's thesis can be a nice introduction to the scientific community for students who want to pursue an academic career. According to Prof. Arnrich, conferences are a particularly great opportunity to get feedback on your work from an international community of researchers. The publication plan can be a simple table with a description of the research contribution, the (preliminary) title of the work, possible publication outlets, and, if applicable (e.g., for conferences), the dates and submission deadlines.

Course Plan

In order to efficiently plan one’s own weekly schedule, a research plan should also contain a course plan. This includes all courses that one intends to take while working on the thesis, usually with the course’s title and the name of the associated lecturer. Sometimes, students are required to take certain courses while doing their thesis research. This is mostly the case for master’s students, but is sometimes also expected in PhD degrees. If it is not required, however, Prof. Arnrich recommends avoiding additional courses along with other activities unrelated to research. Working on a thesis takes a lot of time and effort and too many parallel activities could create unnecessary stress, especially during a master’s thesis.

Signatures

The final part of a research plan consists of the signatures of both student and supervisor. Thereby, it forms a sort of contract that helps both parties: Students know that they can rely on their supervisor for advice and support during their research, while supervisors know which tasks and goals their student has set in which time frame and what to expect from their research. In signing the research plan, they formally agree on those points. This is most important for PhD theses, where research spans long time frames over multiple years.

Prof. Arnrich also notes that a research plan takes a significant time to write, and handing it in should not be rushed. Instead, he advises to explore the topic and test the necessary setup before starting with proper research work. Prof. Arnrich estimates a time of twelve months for PhD theses and one or two months for master’s until a research plan is finalized. Until then, writing it is an iterative process where drafting a plan alternates with gathering feedback from one’s supervisor. A finalized research plan will then consist of 20 to 25 pages for a PhD thesis and up to 10 for a master’s, where it’s usually part of the exposé.

Conclusion

In this talk, Prof. Arnrich led the audience through the steps necessary for creating a research plan. He also highlighted the importance of such a plan for one’s own research. A detailed research plan can not only help with fulfilling the research objectives efficiently, but also aids immensely with time management during a thesis. A well-structured research plan makes it possible to detect possible delays early and therefore to amend any risks as well as identify the chances along with any risks. Since research is a time- and work-intensive endeavor, planning also helps to reduce stress during an already demanding phase. The main advice which Prof. Arnrich highlights throughout his talk is therefore that a thorough planning process should be started before a thesis is begun to guarantee a successful and smooth research project.

References

[1]  Bert Arnrich. (n.d.). HPI. https://hpi.de/arnrich/people/prof-dr-bert-arnrich.html  [accessed 11-20-24].

[2] Chair Digital Health - Connected Healthcare. (n.d.). HPI. https://hpi.de/arnrich/home.html  [accessed 11-20-24].

[3] Bert Arnrich. (n.d.). ResearchGate. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Bert-Arnrich [accessed 11-20-24].

[4] Bert Arnrich. (n.d.). GoogleScholar. https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=GGtsB6kAAAAJ&hl=en [accessed 11-20-24].