ABSTRACT

This chapter covers some of the practical skills that researchers in all fields – not just discourse analysts – need to acquire. There are many different types of spoken language, so how spoken language is collected, and also the best way to present it, really depends on what the research question is. The ability to be accurate and efficient in citing and referencing relies heavily on a researcher's record-keeping and note-making habits. A Plan B could involve abandoning the original research question and data altogether, and finding a more modest and manageable topic with data that is easier to collect. Making a plan and managing deadlines are not only a part of academic inquiry; they are also key skills in the workplace and in life more generally. Any project work, academic or otherwise, needs to be organised in a systematic way, including being allocated its own physical space.