Want a paragraph, rather than five-paragraph research statement? Double the amount of each component. Take two paragraphs to synthesize and conclude. And in the middle, either raise six points of evidence, with a paragraph for each, or take two paragraphs to supply evidence for each of three points. The op-ed format works incredibly well for writing persuasive essays, which is what your research statement should be.
Whereas the op-ed format works off deductive reasoning, the Detective Story format works off inductive reasoning. Rather, the Detective Story starts with your broad, overarching research question.
For example, how do babies learn their native languages? How do we remember autobiographical information? Why do we favor people who are most similar to ourselves? How do we perceive depth? How does the stress we experience every day affect our long-term health?
My problem is that I have been persecuted by an integer. For seven years this number has followed me around, has intruded in my most private data, and has assaulted me from the pages of our most public journals. This number assumes a variety of disguises, being sometimes a little larger and sometimes a little smaller than usual, but never changing so much as to be unrecognizable.
The persistence with which this number plagues me is far more than a random accident. There is, to quote a famous senator, a design behind it, some pattern governing its appearances.
Either there really is something unusual about the number or else I am suffering from delusions of persecution. I shall begin my case history by telling you about some experiments that tested how accurately people can assign numbers to the magnitudes of various aspects of a stimulus. Those opening paragraphs are from a Psych Review article, which has been cited nearly 16, times. Science can be personalized. Another example of using the Detective Story format, which opens with your broad research question and personalizes it, is the opening paragraph of a research statement from a chemist:.
I became interested in inorganic chemistry because of one element: Boron. The cage structures and complexity of boron hydrides have fascinated my fellow Boron chemists for more than 40 years — and me for more than a decade.
Boron is only one element away from carbon, yet its reactivity is dramatically different. Consequently, the search committee may just glance through some applications. Therefore, you must make your research statement reader-friendly. Following tips will allow readers to quickly determine why should they select you over other applicants:. In an attempt to impress the search committee, applicants are often seen to go overboard and come out as boastful.
Did you decide on the faculty position you want to apply for? How do you plan to go ahead with your research statement? Follow these tips while writing your research statement to acquire your most desired faculty position.
Uttkarsha Bhosale is a gold medalist in chemistry. She has previously worked as an editor and writer for premier medical and chemical English-language journals. As an academic, she has a background in qualitative research and has also presented several papers at regional and national research conventions. When printing this page, you must include the entire legal notice.
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This may include applications for graduate programs, post-doctoral fellowships, or faculty positions. A research statement is a short document that provides a brief history of your past research experience, the current state of your research, and the future work you intend to complete. Research statements are generally one to two single-spaced pages.
The research you completed in the past will have brought you to where you are today; also be sure to show how your research past and research present are connected. Explore some of the techniques and approaches you have successfully used in your research, and describe some of the challenges you overcame. What makes people interested in what you do, and how have you used your research as a tool for teaching or mentoring students?
Integrating students into your research may be an important part of your future research at your target institutions. Conclude describing your current research by focusing on your findings, their importance, and what new questions they generate.
Step 2: Think about how you can tailor your research statement for each application. Familiarize yourself with the faculty at each institution, and explore the research that they have been performing.
You should think about your future research in terms of the students at the institution. What opportunities can you imagine that would allow students to get involved in what you do to serve as a tool for teaching and training them, and to get them excited about your subject? Do not talk about your desire to work with graduate students if the institution only has undergraduates!
You will also need to think about what equipment or resources that you might need to do your future research. Again, mention any resources that specific institutions have that you would be interested in utilizing e. You can also mention what you hope to do with your current and future research in terms of publication whether in journals or as a book , try to be as specific and honest as possible.
Finally, be prepared to talk about how your future research can help bring in grants and other sources of funding, especially if you have a good track record of receiving awards and fellowships.
Mention some grants that you know have been awarded to similar research, and state your intention to seek this type of funding. Step 3: Ask faculty in your department if they are willing to share their own research statements with you. To a certain extent, there will be some subject-specific differences in what is expected from a research statement, and so it is always a good idea to see how others in your field have done it.
You should try to draft your own research statement first before you review any statements shared with you.
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