## 1.2. Work in the right order

The order of tasks in the Gannt chart has a logic to it: it follows the cycle of empirical research. The empirical cycle consists of five elements: 1. Background; 2. Question; 3. Theory; 4. Research; 5. Conclusions. Despite its second place in the order of things, the question you are answering is the most important of the five elements. Your research answers a research question that emerges from a background of societal issues and previous research, develops ideas that could be the answer to your question, and presents data analyses that are relevant for this question. Furthermore, your research will contribute new insights to revise theories that answer the question and to design policies that change the reality that formed the background to your question. At that point, the cycle has completed one round. The changed reality, in turn, may form the background of future research.

While your research may include additional elements, it should include at least the following, in this order:

1. Formulate an initial version of your research question (see paragraph 2.2).
2. Then start gathering previous research and read it. Identify the state of the art in the literature on your research problem (see paragraph 3.4).
3. Having identified the gaps in the literature, reformulate your research question and present this to your supervisor, asking for feedback (see section 1.4).
4. Write a first draft of the introduction (see chapter 2), describing the research question, the relevance of your study, and a very brief description of the research design.
5. Determine whether an ethics review is required for your research, and if so, apply.
6. Next, formulate hypotheses (see paragraph 3.5) and design your research (see chapter 4).
7. Collect data, analyze them and describe the results (see chapter 5).
8. Write the conclusion and discussion (see chapter 6).
9. Write the summary or abstract (see chapter 7).
10. Finally, write the preface (see chapter 8) and lay-out your document (see chapter 10).
11. Check-check: go over your text and correct errors.
12. Check-check double-check: let someone else go over your text and suggest improvements.