Step-by-step plan practice-oriented research

Collect the research data as stated in your research proposal:

• do not collect more data than is strictly necessary;
• collect only lawfully obtained data.

You can collect research data in three ways:

• Create your own data = primary data
• (Re-)use existing data = secondary data
• By doing a literature search

See this LibGuide for more details and further explanation.

Secure work practices
When collecting your research data, you will in all likelihood use your own laptop. Please be aware that this is not entirely a safe option and that you need to take additional measures to ensure the safety of your research data. Important points to pay attention to:

• Secure your laptop
• Use of USB sticks / external hard disks
• Use Zuyd's OneDrive for storage (instead of Dropbox, Google docs, etc.)
• Safe sending of research data 
• Anonymising or pseudonymising your research data (if necessary)

More information can be found in this LibGuide.

Secure storage: Zuyd infrastructure
Ask your supervisor which facility the study programme uses. Zuyd has two facilities available:

1. Zuyd Research Drive
   You can upload data saved on your laptop directly in Zuyd Research Drive. Preferably remove the data from your own laptop so that the data is only stored in the secure Research Drive environment. For access, your supervisor should contact Team Research Support.
2. O-drive
   As a student, you do not have access to this Zuyd network drive. You should transfer the data to your supervisor during or after your research so that he/she can store it on the O-drive for you. In doing so, follow the guidelines of your study programme. If your supervisor does not yet have access to the O-drive he/she can contact Team Research Support.
   (Note: the Midwifery study programme makes use of Maastricht University's network)

More information about these facilities can be found in this LibGuide.

When storing your data, it is important that you think carefully about using a clear folder structure, naming of folders/files and versioning.
In addition, use future-proof file formats. Practical tips and an overview of preferred formats can be found in this LibGuide. 

Analyse your data according to your plan of action as described in your research proposal.
Use the recommended literature for your programme or search for your own literature on data analysis that suits your research question and the type of data collected.

To write your bachelor thesis, follow your study programme's guidelines.

In the library you can find several books on how to write a good thesis (you can filter by language in the menu on the right).

Plagiarism
Warning! You may not summarize or change texts and ideas of others and then present them as your own work. You run the risk of being accused of plagiarism. Plagiarism is theft of intellectual property. In this LibGuide you can read what is and is not allowed and how you can avoid plagiarism.

Source references and bibliography
If you mention the source, you indicate where you found the information. Information about the what, why and how of source referencing and bibliographies can be found in this LibGuide.
You can use EndNote Basic to correctly incorporate the source references into your bachelor thesis. A manual can be found in this LibGuide.