Enjoying the research process

We had a lab meeting this week which was a refreshing reminder for me of the need to slow down and enjoy the research ride a bit.

As we discussed lab business with our students, it was apparent that the students found it challenging to sift through, if you will, the literature without having a concrete plan as to where to go in that process of sifting. We are fortunate to have such diligent students in our lab, to be sure. This reminded me, however, of the need we (as humans of course but also as researchers) have to live with ambiguity at times.

Some parts of research are vague and unclear, at best. When we are trying to get a handle on the literature in a particular area/relative to a particular set of relationships or constructs, sometimes we have little to no idea where we are or where we/the literature will end up. I may have preconceived notions about relationship A-B before I dive into that literature and then once I do dive, find out the relationship is more like B-A and perhaps I also need to consider the impact of C, D, and E.

It can be disarming and overwhelming to do literature searches particularly if we are at the start of a new topic. At first, I try to enjoy the blank canvass before me. As the canvass becomes less blank while I read and learn, I consider the given literature a to be a big puzzle. Sometimes these literatures turn out to be more like thousand piece jig saw puzzles and sometimes more like a few hundred pieces. Either way, I find it is important to let the discovery happen. Being sufficiently Type A, this does not come naturally to me, but I keep at it.

AES