2. The Life Cycle of a Research Project

About this Lecture

Lecture

In this lecture, we think about the lifecycle of a research project, focusing in particular on: (i) the process of getting from an idea to a funded project, and where that funding might come from; (ii) the process of and logic behind pre-registering your study, as well as the ethical guidance that must be considered ahead of undertaking it; (iii) the practical tools that might be used to actually run a study, including online participant tools, as well as the process of piloting a study; (iv) errors to watch out for when analysing data; (v) how and where to publish your findings, as well as the complexities of the peer review process; (vi) the process of a journal accepting an article and the differences between journals.

Course

In this course, Dr Ayoub Bouguettaya (University of Birmingham) explores the procedures and economics of the psychology research process. In the first lecture, we think about why understanding the processes of psychological research is important. In the second lecture, we think about the lifecycle of a research project, from developing an idea, to a funded project, to publishing your findings. In the third lecture, we think about funding, including where that funding might come from and exactly what it pays for. Next, we think about why findings are published in the journals they are, and the metrics that can be monitored after publication. In the fifth lecture, we think about some economic applications of psychology research, including utilising defaults to influence people’s selections. In the sixth and final lecture, we think about some controversies and questions within this field, including whether governments should be allowed to use psychology on their own citizens.

Lecturer

Dr Ayoub Bouguettaya is a lecturer in the School of Psychology at the University of Birmingham. Dr Bouguettaya’s research interests are in social psychology and how knowledge from that field can be applied to others, particularly health, including how we can apply social identity theory to societal problems, as well as investigating the different perspectives one might take on those issues. Some of Dr Bouguettaya’s recent publications include 'The relationship between gambling advertising and gambling attitudes, intentions and behaviours: a critical and meta-analytic review' (2020) and 'The Effect of a Food Addiction Explanation Model for Weight Control and Obesity on Weight Stigma' (2020).