You have a research topic and have a question in mind. Congratulations! You have completed an important first step. But… Now what?
Along with your V491 and V499 professors, an advisor can help you take your ideas from mere thoughts to a fully developed manuscript. Your research advisor will be an essential point of support throughout the whole process; finding the right one may just take some thought.
The Two Types
When looking for an advisor, there are two types to look for: a subject-matter expert or a technical expert. Both can be immensely helpful in their own ways, but it will be important to understand which one may best fit your goals.
The Subject-Matter Expert
An advisor who is a subject-matter expert can help guide you on the specifics of your topic. Are you interested in finding out more about how nonprofits best acquire funding? A nonprofit professor will often be able to best show you how to research nonprofits and their funding sources. Maybe you want to know more about the effects of a certain law on Bloomington’s climate change response? A professor with a legal or climate change background will most likely be able to help you navigate this topic most effectively.
This type of advisor can be most helpful to you if you are researching a complex topic that requires some degree of background knowledge that you would like some help in navigating. A subject-matter expert can help you understand what gaps there might be in your chosen topic, as well as how you can help fill those gaps with your research.
The Technical Expert
A technical expert advisor is someone who can help guide you through the research process but may hold limited knowledge of your specific area of study. If you are hoping to research a topic that is somewhat niche (my thesis was on benefit corporation law – a topic that is relatively new and not widely researched), this type of advisor may be best for you.
This could be a professor with an extensive research background and can help you with the actual writing of your manuscript. They can help guide you on what a good abstract, limitations, or discussion section should look like.
A technical expert advisor may also be a professor who is well-versed in your methods. You might want to do a lot of quantitative research, but not know the intricacies of using R to parse through your data. A technical expert advisor would be able to help you here!
The Find
If you don’t know what kind of advisor you are looking for just yet, do not be afraid to meet with different professors to see who might be the best fit for you! Sometimes, a professor may say they are too busy and instead refer you to someone else. Do not let this discourage you! There are countless professors at O’Neill who have your best interests at heart and want to see great students like you succeed.
Moving Forward
Finding a good advisor is just one part of the thesis process. Once you have one, make sure to set up regular meetings (weekly or biweekly) and work out a writing schedule so you have portions of your manuscript to bring to meetings and review. It will also act as a good deadline (for those of you who are deadline-driven, like me)!
I would also advise you to look at blog posts other thesis students have put out! We have all learned a lot from this process, and so will you!
You got this!
Lalita Durbha is a senior at the O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs.
Leave a Reply