What are some budget-friendly ways to improve your research skills as an experienced professional?

As a cultural theorist and author, what I found helpful was to prioritise cost-effective procedures and professional experience over risk. Emails are suitable for essential communications, but sharing confidential information over email is not recommended. Security should be prioritised over economics, and sometimes, it's better to speak over the phone.

- To ensure priorities to achieve to both theory and practical order leading to empressed by the institutional capacity - Ensure to describe the financial system , measurable, attainable , realistic and time - bound to articulate the magnitude of the problem to be addressed, and also the consequences of failures

Here are some budget-friendly ways to enhance your research skills: 1. Utilize online resources: Take advantage of free online platforms, such as academic databases, research journals, and open-access publications. Websites like Google Scholar, PubMed, and JSTOR offer a wealth of information. 2. Join professional networks: Engage with professional networks and communities related to your field of interest. Participate in online forums, discussion groups, and social media platforms to connect with experts. 3. Attend webinars and online courses: Many organizations and universities offer free or low-cost webinars and online courses on research methodologies, data analysis, and other relevant topics. Websites like Coursera, edX.

What has worked for me as a researcher is to use free online resources, academic platforms such as Google Scholar, ResearchGate. However, take advantage of your university's resources as well, sometimes we don't know what we have. You can also take free online courses: platforms such as Coursera, edX, and Khan Academy offer free online courses on research, research methods, statistics and other related skills. A lot of it is being self-taught and practicing

Personally, my research skills have evolved through active participation in diverse communities on Twitter and LinkedIn. Joining such communities proves highly beneficial for improving research skills. They offer varied viewpoints, providing ample opportunities for interaction and advice-seeking through digital devices. Many communities house experts, allowing valuable learning experiences. Collaboration opportunities arise by connecting with individuals engaged in similar research topics. I recommend joining at least one community to enrich and refine your research skills.

I agree. There are literally thousands of hours of free podcasts over thousands of topics. If you find yourself interested in a subject, merely find a podcast covering that area, press play, and let that topic wash over you. Typically you’ll find that these podcasts provide links to free resources to further research the topics discussed in that episode as well as point you to similar podcasts covering areas discussed in each episode.

Some of the most important podcasts and newsletters that you can follow when it comes to social science and economics research are as follows - 1. Centre for Social and Economic Progress Newsletter 2. Podcasts by Mercatus Center, George Mason University (You will find it on their website) 3. All things policy podcast 4. Series Advanced Political Economy by SOAS, London. (It's a Youtube channel and also has free lectures)

Follow podcasts, newsletters from local organizations as they are constantly looking for research partners these can provide clean and ethical practices.

Yes, truly the role of a senior expert plays an instrumental impact on the research work. The more competent is our mentor, the better. That said, choosing a good supervisor is intelligent work. The second important aspect is to form a rapport with the expert is also very useful to proceed with our work. In finding good research material and data, the expert may help a lot. And all the more, preparing the research questions may also be assisted by a good expert. And finally in cross-checking the facts as well as formulating a good hypothesis, expert' help may be of paramount importance .

When I was starting research projects from scratch, I encountered challenges with no one to turn to for guidance. However, I found a mentor in an online community I had joined. This mentor not only assisted me in conducting research but also provided valuable feedback, facilitated connections with individuals I wished to collaborate with, and offered continuous motivation throughout my journey. Having a mentor is a significant advantage in the research field, providing invaluable support and guidance compared to solo endeavors.

Join cross-collaborative projects Cross learning is always beneficial as it helps to acquire knowledge and skills which are not available in the possible working set up. It helps you make connections, build a solid network and eventually in the process you upgrade yourself ??

LLM's like ChatGPT are astonishingly adept at helping you learn a tool that can massively increase your research ability; this means R, an open-source coding language for statistical analysis and visualization, has never been as accessible to newcomers. Describe your data and goal to ChatGPT, and it will spit out a coded solution. Ask it to explain the code to you so that you can learn, and it will do so in whatever level of depth you might need to build this skill set.