The Compass, Navigation and the Journey: A Role for eResearch in Navigating the Research Maze

Abstract

Research journeys though unique have a common aspect of the experience being akin to navigating a maze. As researchers navigate the metaphorical maze, the research defines the experience as much as the experience defines the research. The researcher in the middle of the research journey, like a sailor navigating a ship on the seas, needs to constantly change direction and ideas and rely on a research compass to stay the course or chart a new course. Aspects of the journey like the sea or the context of research are ever changing as new knowledge is added and as new research leads to boundary shifting discovery and improvements on conducting research. Other aspects of the journey are fixed and provide guiding principles and reference points for navigation much like the boundaries of the seas there are principles of research that are accepted reference points. To effectively navigate the journey, researchers are reliant on tools and technologies that aid them in the entire research cycle through iterations of design, analysis, synthesis, and communication.