Let me begin by saying, it is so much more work than you could have ever of imagined. If someone looks at you and ever tells you research is easy, please smack them on the head with a textbook. Research isn't easy because if you genuinely want to make a contribution a body of knowledge then you're going to have to work for it. In my experience, the research experience, more specifically the survey research experience, can be broken down into three main parts.
The first and most obvious part is the research aspect of your research. Your new home will be the library and you will blow through all of your printing money in a matter of weeks. Piles of journal articles, book passages, and various other literature will litter your bedroom floor. In a matter of weeks, you will become extremely educated about a specific subtopic of a body literature, knowledge that will literally never be applicable in real world conversations. You will spend months reading up on whatever topic you plan on looking deeper into. At times you'll absolutely love it and at times you will absolutely hate it. Researching is a labor of love and if you aren't passionate about what you're researching you won't make through this first stage. Your initial research stage will be where you spend the most of your time. However, the work you put in here will shape your research down the road. Work hard and research harder because it'll pay off down the road. (Also, prepare to drink a lot of coffee)
The second stage of research in my mind is the most infuriating and draining part. It is compiling your research and writing down your findings. In my case, it was creating a survey and editing that relentlessly. Regardless of whether of not you are creating a survey, writing a case analysis, or writing an entry for a journal your paper will go through an extremely long editing process. Each time you submit your work you'll think it is absolutely flawless but without fail you'll get your work back and covered with edits that need to be made. Your life will become editing and it will get tedious. Hang in there, though, it's worth it.
The last stage and the one I'm currently in. Is sending your work out into the world. For me, it's administering my survey and asking for responses. For others, it may be sending journal articles to publishers or other scholars. Either way, you will be equal parts nervous and excited. By this point, your research has turned into your child. Working on any academic piece that long means that you are extremely invested in your work. Remember to take a deep breath and relax once you've reached this stage. The hard part is over.
Good luck to anyone conducting research or beginning research.
If you're a student at ONU and you want to help me out fill out my survey:
http://onu.az1.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_di0R0SnV3m...
Thanks again and good luck.
