Book Review: Where research begins
| Published date | 01 October 2024 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1177/01447394231204690 |
| Author | Mason Tate Bennett |
| Date | 01 October 2024 |
| Subject Matter | Book Reviews |
Book Review
Teaching Public Administration
2024, Vol. 42(3) 400–401
© The Author(s) 2023
Article reuse guidelines:
sagepub.com/journals-permissions
DOI: 10.1177/01447394231204690
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Book Review: Where research
begins
Reviewed by: Mason Tate Bennett, Trinity School of Medicine. Email: mtbennett27@gmail.com
Research is an integral part of academics. There are numerous courses and books on
research methodology, however most of them start with the idea that the researcher
already knows what they want to study. In their book “Where Research Begins”Drs.
Thomas S. Mullaney and Christopher Rea address a niche need in research education:
how to decide on a research topic and what question to pursue.
The impetus for this book came from a research methodology class that Mullaney and
Rea taught together. They were excited and ready to help the students work through a
research project. However, they felt like they hit a wall halfway through the semester
when the students still felt unable to jump into their projects. Mullaney and Rea realized it
was because the students still weren’t sure what to study or they weren’t passionate about
the projects they had chosen. Mullaney and Rea concluded that before students un-
derstand how to research, they need to be able to decide what to research, and this book
was their answer to that problem.
“Where Research Begins”can be read like a normal book but it is, in its true essence, a
workbook, where the reader is encouraged to write, think, answer questions, sketch out
ideas, and make the book their own. Each chapter begins by introducing what will happen
and then moves on to teach the principle. Sprinkled in the chapters are very thorough
activities to reflect and ask questions that will help the reader discover their own topic.
These sections are incredibly thorough and sometimes difficult. They require a lot of
honest introspection, but the results are very helpful.
The book is divided into two different sections. PartOne is entitled “Becoming a Self-
Centered Researcher”and consists of the first three chapters: Questions, What’s Your
Problem, and Designing a Project That Works. Being a researcher who is “Self-Centered”
may sound like a bad thing, but the author’sdefinition isn’t someone who is selfish or
narcissistic. A Self-CenteredResearcher is one who understands their limitations, interests,
and biases. It is a researcher who tries to accept the advice of others while not finding
validation from them. It is being centered in yourself as a researcher. The first three
chapters are involved in finding one’s research question and discovering what is mean-
ingful to oneself.
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