ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION As we saw in the last chapter, the research process is often described as a “journey.” Starting out on any journey can be exciting. There is the thrill of anticipation, looking forward to new experiences that bring the promise of fresh insights about the world. For some of us, we may be planning to go to destinations we have long dreamed of or admired, to understand more about somewhere or something. We may feel passionately interested in our intended destination or simply have an idle curiosity. The rest of us may be making a return to a favorite destination but still in the hope of learning more about it. This sense of anticipation and excitement though is often tempered by a different, less positive emotion: one of fear of the unknown. Researchers starting out on a new investigation or major project can share a similar set of mixed emotions. Like the intrepid traveller they are going on an exploration into the unknown. The destination holds out the promise of intellectual riches but also demands the moral virtue of courage to take on a significant research challenge.
