discoprof101
New member
Posts: 17
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« on: March 08, 2010, 06:28:06 PM » |
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Hi guys, I'm wondering what your thoughts are regarding "shopping" your research idea among faculty, besides your own advisor. I had an idea for a research project that I brought up with a faculty (non-advisor). I brought it to him and not my own advisor because the interests were different. Anyways, speaking with this prof, he showed some interest, but didn't think it was worthwhile, whether theoretically or "practically" speaking (i'm in the social sciences). So, that didn't go anywhere. Is it ethical to go to a different professor and see if s/he might have interest in it? I still like the idea a lot, and I think it's worthwhile to pursue it (plus, I've worked on the theory/conceptual framework a great deal since I met with the first prof). Thanks!
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msparticularity
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« Reply #1 on: March 09, 2010, 12:27:51 AM » |
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You don't mention your level (undergrad/master's/doctoral) or how much background work you have done on the lit review. The conceptual framework is the least of your problems, really; what matters far more is to what degree this project would contribute to the current research conversations in the field. While you can certainly talk to other faculty about your project, you will need to have a very clear idea of this issue if you seriously want to be able to discuss it intelligently.
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"Once admit that the sole verifiable or fruitful object of knowledge is the particular set of changes that generate the object of study...and no intelligible question can be asked about what, by assumption, lies outside." John Dewey
"Be particular." Jill Conner Browne
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commcycle
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« Reply #2 on: March 09, 2010, 12:41:55 AM » |
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If you are a Ph.D student I think it would be entirely appropriate to ask around. There is nothing "ethically" wrong with this scenario. You could always approach a faculty member for advice on a particular aspect of the project, and see if they express interest. I'm assuming you know their interests well enough to know if your topic is in their ballpark. A low involvement way to approach them would be to describe the idea and say you don't know if it's a dissertation/thesis topic, but would like to put together a conference paper. However - you wouldn't want to offend your adviser. If hu basically told you not to do it, depending on hu's personality and departmental culture, hu may be put off you are still pursuing it and not putting effort into your dissertation. This depends on the specifics of your situation - where you are in the program, departmental climate, personalities, etc.
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laurel_knx
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« Reply #3 on: March 09, 2010, 08:52:11 AM » |
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In my grad program, it would be ok to shop around an idea, though Commcycle is right that some advisors may not like this. I'm sure you're listening carefully to the feedback you're getting, but I would be concerned about that one prof saying it wasn't practically or theoretically interesting. One of the toughest lessons for grad students is figuring out what research questions are worthwhile. I would advise that you NOT (a) assume you know better and go it alone or (b) find a very junior faculty member who likes your idea.
A guy in my program is pursuing a thesis topic that was rejected by the senior faculty for being impractical and uninteresting. He found a jr. faculty member OUTSIDE the program who was interested and now they are fighting numerous political battles just to propose this ill-fated project. It's not good for either of their careers. It's a worst-case scenario, but goes to show how important it is to listen and not get too excited because you found ONE person who likes your idea.
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shovelbum
Junior member
Posts: 63
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« Reply #4 on: March 09, 2010, 09:57:06 AM » |
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I think it's always a good idea to get feedback from multiple people as you design a research project. There are two things you may want to think about though.
First, what sort of temperament does your advisor have? Does s/he veer towards the paranoid and jealous? If so, you need to be up front with him/her about shopping your idea around.
Second, most research ideas do not present themselves in full bloom. Instead, they must be watered, weeded, trimmed, and fertilized--before the final research question is decided upon. The issue isn't that one faculty member did not like your proposed question, but rather, WHY s/he didn't like the question, and how you can reformulate the question to something relevant, timely, doable, etc. By talking to multiple faculty, you will continue to shape the question until it is just right. You indicate that you have been continuing to work on the idea, which is great. Eventually, you will transform it into something strong and then you can return to the first professor you approached to see if they are more impressed with the new iteration of the project.
Good luck!
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geogeek
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« Reply #5 on: March 10, 2010, 01:37:01 PM » |
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Be careful you're not just waiting to hear what you "want" to hear. It can be painful to find out that an idea you have may not be realistic, but graduate school is where you begin to learn these things. Listen to those who have more experience. Accept and consider both praise and criticism.
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I live to serve.
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dismal_sci
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« Reply #6 on: March 11, 2010, 03:50:28 PM » |
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You can shop around your own idea. I once had a student shop around MY idea. I had suggested a research question and the relevant data set to a student who presented it to another faculty member as his idea. What ever. I agree that the idea is one of the easiest components of the research process. Having ideas is easy, publishing is hard.
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