• Coventry University logo

Academic Research Methodology for Master’s Students

Understand the academic research process at master’s level and build the skills to define research questions for a written project

7,636 enrolled on this course

  • Duration

    2 weeks
  • Weekly study

    3 hours
This course is part of the program Management Research Skills, which is one of the building blocks that leads to a degree in MA Management (Advanced Standing). Find out more.

Explore how to do academic research for a master’s written project

This course offers master’s students the chance to develop a variety of key academic research skills for producing a great written project at a university master’s level.

Examine the cyclical research process and inductive research

Alongside leading academics at Coventry University, you’ll identify how to define topics worthy of research and the main issues to solve using the cyclical research process.

You’ll discover how to apply inductive reasoning to your research process and collect data that informs your work.

Explore how to develop and define research questions

As you come to understand the importance of the initial choices and plans made when developing a project, you’ll have the opportunity to learn how to define research problems and create a research plan outlining the actions needed to reach your goals.

Through an exploration of research questions examples, you’ll develop a research question for a real-life proposed piece of research.

You should also learn how to develop an informed rationale and hypothesis for a research question.

By the end of the course, you should have the tools and research skills you need to develop a strong research question for a proposed piece of research.

What topics will you cover?

  • The cyclical research process
  • Defining the problem
  • Inductive research
  • Action planning
  • Defining research questions
  • Rationale
  • Hypotheses
  • Example Research Question of studying change
  • Linking questions to Sustainable Development Goals

When would you like to start?

  • Date to be announced

Add to Wishlist to be emailed when new dates are announced

Learning on this course

On every step of the course you can meet other learners, share your ideas and join in with active discussions in the comments.

What will you achieve?

By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to...

  • Identify the cyclical research process
  • Assess different ways to define problems in the management setting
  • Investigate potential research questions
  • Interpret the research concepts of the rationale and hypothesis
  • Develop a research question for a proposed piece of research

Who is the course for?

This course is designed for any students looking to improve their academic research skills for university at master’s level.

What software or tools do you need?

No specific software is required.

Who will you learn with?

Assistant Professor in HRM and OB
BA (Hons) Business; PG Cert Management Research Methods; PhD Work and Organisational Psychology; MCIPD; FHEA

Who developed the course?

Coventry University

Coventry secured 5 QS Stars for Teaching and Online Learning in the QS World University Ranking 2020 and has received No. 1 in the world for Massive Open Online Courses in MoocLab’s World University Ranking 2021.

  • Established

    1992
  • Location

    Coventry

Learning on FutureLearn

Your learning, your rules

  • Courses are split into weeks, activities, and steps to help you keep track of your learning
  • Learn through a mix of bite-sized videos, long- and short-form articles, audio, and practical activities
  • Stay motivated by using the Progress page to keep track of your step completion and assessment scores

Join a global classroom

  • Experience the power of social learning, and get inspired by an international network of learners
  • Share ideas with your peers and course educators on every step of the course
  • Join the conversation by reading, @ing, liking, bookmarking, and replying to comments from others

Map your progress

  • As you work through the course, use notifications and the Progress page to guide your learning
  • Whenever you’re ready, mark each step as complete, you’re in control
  • Complete 90% of course steps and all of the assessments to earn your certificate

Want to know more about learning on FutureLearn? Using FutureLearn

Learner reviews

Learner reviews cannot be loaded due to your cookie settings. Please and refresh the page to view this content.

Advance your career with a degree

Since 2017 you have been able to take a degree on FutureLearn. This free course is a bit like a starter course for a degree — it should give you a flavour of the degree subject but can also be your first step towards a degree qualification.

If you enjoy this course you can apply to join the program it’s part of to start working towards a degree on FutureLearn.

Don’t worry, you can still take the course without doing a full degree!

Do the free course
Join and complete the program
Get academic credit for an online degree from Coventry University
This course is part of the program Management Research Skills, which is one of the building blocks that leads to a degree in MA Management (Advanced Standing).

Do you know someone who'd love this course? Tell them about it...