D'oh

Gaspode

I've just spent a month or more doing a lit review in preparation for a research proposal. Today I came across a paper accepted for publication in a journal next month that has all that info gathered together, analysed and tablulated nicely.

Dont you just hate when that happens!!

At least I'll know if I missed anything

CramCycle

Gaspode wrote: »

Dont you just hate when that happens!!

You have no idea, wait till you've done the actual work and then someone publishes everything while your wrapping up your final experiments :mad:

Gaspode

Gaspode wrote: »

I've just spent a month or more doing a lit review in preparation for a research proposal. Today I came across a paper accepted for publication in a journal next month that has all that info gathered together, analysed and tablulated nicely.

In the conclusions did the paper recommend areas for future research? If so, you can build upon, then go beyond their work in making your unique contribution.

CramCycle

Blue_Lagoon wrote: »

In the conclusions did the paper recommend areas for future research? If so, you can build upon, then go beyond their work in making your unique contribution.

Sage advice, the other thing I should have said is that one paper means nothing, if it's an interesting area you should see papers coming up and agreeing/refuting the idea(s) put forward and then even drag it out a bit further.

The fact that someone has recently published in the area should help your research proposal, maybe point out flaws in their logic or areas that clearly are ripe for expansion.

Gaspode

Agreed. It's not that the publication invalidated anything I did, more that had I waited a few weeks I could have saved myself a lot of searching, reading and summarizing. But of course one cant do that or there's be no work done at all!
As it happens the publication did help me, as I've changed tack and focussed on an area of work has barely been touched according to that review and mine.