An Assessment of My Research Skills

No doubt scientific research is being performed at a phenomenal rate worldwide. Drastic steps must be taken to keep all collected data “pure”. All findings should be collected via ethical means as mandated by standardized precepts in specific academic disciplines.

How do I conduct scholarly research worth merit? What research skills have I utilized in the past? What new research skills do I need to master? In this manuscript, my quest is to address the questions cited above. As a scholar-practitioner, I am learning the sequence of properly researching a particular topic will add substance and creditability to any project I undertake. Considering scientists may choose to reference my work in the future, I am ethically responsible to adhere to specific codes of ethics and select the proper research tools which will do the best job of producing the data which best answers the research question at hand. In the book On Being a Scientist: A Guide to Responsible Conduct in Research (2009), the authors assume colleagues have meticulously gathered data, have utilized the best suited research techniques, have taken measures to present authentic findings and have given proper respect to the work of other scientists. Reynolds (2007) offers in his text mankind desires scientific knowledge to provide foresight for the future, understanding of historical events, and a comprehensive understanding of motives of past occurrences. With this information in mind it is my hope that any of my research efforts, the process of infusing new discoveries, would place an indelible mark on science and society.

Research Skills I Have Utilized

I adopted the ways of wayward credit card spenders as an undergraduate student. My indebtedness led to me h...

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.... The journey of mastering the aforementioned basics along with becoming comfortable with writing with an academic bent will assist me in conducting and reporting findings that will seek to provoke thought or challenge current understanding with regard to my topic of concern.

Works Cited

American Bankruptcy Institute. (2009). About abi. Retrieved December 20, 2009, from http://www.abiworld.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=About_ABI

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2008). Research theory, design, and methods. [Audio podcast]. Retrieved from http://media.waldenu.edu/media/Media1/RSCH8100/html/rsch8100_w02_hi.html

Reynolds, P. (2007). A primer in theory construction. Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.

The National Academies (2009). On being a scientist: A guide to responsible conduct in research (3rd ed.). Washington, D.C.: The National Academies.