5 Ways to Become an Independent Researcher
While becoming an independent researcher might sound exciting, because you gain an authority over what you want to find and execute, without having to answer anyone else, it also requires motivation, determination and acceptance of certain things, which are automatically associated with independence. Independent research is a sought-after thing, as you get to choose your own topic and start field work, just like a freelancer chooses the work he wants to do, from fleeting clients. Independent research doesn’t force you to publish your thesis on something that your professor advices, or something that is in trend based on literature, but on something unique that you want to explore. However, it also means that you are devoid of funding, you have to work harder to get your work approved, and also get challenged to even start your research, because you may have to go through an institutional review board for selecting a sample. Therefor there are many challenges, but it can be an exciting journey.
Here are 5 Ways You can become an Independent Researcher-
- Get a Topic That Is Never Discussed Before– If you want to walk out of the crowd, there must be a reason, an objective. If you don’t want to join the group of your Ph.D professor and work on a running project, but become an independent researcher, you have to have reasons, because no one wants to understand it the hard way, be without money, and struggle with publishers, if there is no objective. So, make sure, the topic or the subject you work has the potential to keep you afloat in the lonely life of an independent researcher. It should be worth your sacrifices. Do a thorough literature survey and market analysis before you decide on what you want to work. Choose something that will make you stand out in the crowd, something that has not been spoken about; or something so interesting in a given field that requires attention and discussion. For e.g., people are aware of communication impairments in Autistic children, but it can be a unique observation to find, that their motor co-ordinations are often sharper that normally-abled kids.
- Organize and Use Your Time Effectively– You are working on your own doesn’t mean your research never gets to see the light of the publication world. It is easy to fleet away time, hours, days and months, especially when you are self-paced and there is no one to guide you. Make sure you give a deadline to yourself, at each step of the research. Fix the amount of time you will spend on finding funders, to choosing sample, to fieldwork and finally review. Don’t spend months just on browsing a topic. Be objective and focused on what you want to find. If that is not available on the internet, try looking up digital libraries, university repositories and paid journals. If you want to publish your thesis successfully, you must know how to organize your time effectively; that is how much time you devote to what.
- Build Connections– When you work alone, you don’t have supporters, peers or academic guides. There are no automatic peer reviewed publishers waiting to accept your paper, because there are no big names in the academic field, associated to your paper. It can be hard. Visit scholarly seminars as participants, or speakers. Pitch your paper if possible, to grab attention. These are the places for networking. You might find organizations or officials who would be willing to sponsor your research. Your abstract may also attract attention of international journals, so you might crack a publishing deal in one of these seminars.
- Make Sure You Contact the IRB– This is a step you must take prior to starting your field work. Many may not be aware that Institutional Review Board is a mandatory step to cover for approval of your sample, if that concerns human data collection. When you work within a university, it is easy because there is an IRB in the institutionalized system, but independent researchers also need the approval of IRB; you don’t want your work to fall under legal and ethical considerations after you have put so much effort into it. There are different bodies that review works od independent researchers; you need to get a list of such organizations, who are the IRB for approving independent researches; make sure they are licensed for doing the work. Write an application to them, pitching your abstract, the kind of sample selected, and what purpose it serves in the research.
- Keep Your Expectations Low and Your Motivations High– Independence comes with challenges. You have to keep your expectations low; you must learn to accept that you will be likely earning less than your contemporaries with your academic work, because you are not within an institution; you don’t get fixed stipend. You might have to spend on your research if you fail to get fundings. There are risks of unsuccessful execution, not getting selected in a proper journal, further wait and time expenditure. Hence you might have to work on other parallel side projects, freelance works to make some money, to reduce risks. Social compliance will also be low, you might not have time for your friends, you are different so you may not be able to blend, and you have to accept your solitary state. You have to accept and move on; you have to keep motivating yourself that you are doing a good work for a novel discovery. Exercise to get the internal energy built up.
Independent research is an interesting academic journey which gives you a lot of unique experiences. It’s a lifetime learning which is invaluable. However, to publish your thesis as an independent researcher, you need to be aware of the steps relevant to executing a research and concluding it. If you follow the above with focus, there is nothing to stop you have your goals.
