The Research Project Checklist, Outlined

Demystifying the Research Project Process

This high-level checklist identifies nine steps to take you from start to end of your research project. The checklist below is intended as a guide for University affiliated researchers*. For additional questions or support, please contact the Office of Scholarship Support (OSS) at oss@phoenix.edu. 

View or Download the Research Process Checklist

 This list is not intended to be comprehensive; additional elements and actions may be required to gain necessary approvals.

Research Checklist

1. Identify your research problem and review your design alignment.
2. Find support by joining one of the three primary University Research Centers.
   • If the project is collaborative, discuss each member’s role and order of authorship.  Consider adding a doctoral student to the team to build their research experience.

3. Apply for funding, if applicable. For example:
   • General Research Grant for qualified faculty
   • Teaching and Learning Fellowship for qualified faculty
   • If applying for funding external to UOPX, verify with the agency that you are eligible (note: UOPX does not have a receivership).  
4. If you’re using University of Phoenix students, faculty, staff, or data, submit for COR approval.
5. Submit for IRB approval, which is federal requirement for all human subject research conducted by University of Phoenix faculty, students, and staff**.
   • IRB Approval from either of the below must be on file for any University-funded research (e.g. fellowship, grant, presentation award, honoraria):
     • the University of Phoenix or
     • an affiliation agreement with another IRB/institution
6. Conduct your research as outlined in the documentation provided for approval
   • Make use of various University-provided resources as appropriate, such as NVivo, SPSS, and the Research Process blog.
   • Reach out to your Research Center Chair, fellow faculty, and the Office of Scholarship Support as needed.  
7. Submit your research to your discipline specific calls (e.g. presentation, publication, etc.)
8. Apply for financial awards, if applicable, and update University profiles. For award examples:
   • SAS Presentation Award for faculty, student, and alumni presentations representing the University
   • Excellence in Publishing Award for qualified faculty
   • Faculty Honoraria for qualified faculty
9. Optional: Use the completed research as a springboard to identify additional research problems and begin the process again!

-

* Active doctoral students may refer to the detailed dissertation guide available on SASCentral.

** All human subjects research conducted by University faculty, students, and staff must be approved by the IRB prior to being conducted.  If you have questions about whether your study requires a review, please see the GUIDANCE – What Projects Require an IRB Review? OR What is Human Subjects Research? document in IRBNet Forms and Templates library, which is located from the left menu when you login to IRBNet (http://irbnet.org).