Writing
Projects
August 27, 2025
From draft to thesis: the structure of the research project
Success in this area involves thinking strategically about the problem, assessing its impact, and planning the methodological path
Children often hear the question: “What do you want to be when you grow up?”. In academia, this phrase takes on a new guise: “What is the objective of your research?”. Laden with expectation and, often, anxiety, this question can confront researchers newly entering academia — and even those with extensive experience — with a paradox: at the same time as they seek to define a clear focus, there is also the desire to innovate and to encompass multiple problems in a single research. Thus, the feeling arises that any recorte represents a limitation and that every choice implies giving up other possibilities. Over time, however, the attempt to “embrace the world” becomes unsustainable.
However, as Umberto Eco recalls in How to Write a Thesis (2010), the project is not a prison, but rather a construction that must be carefully planned. Its strength lies precisely in the act of deciding the starting point, organizing ideas and building a coherent path. More than a manual for choosing topics and making summaries, Eco (2010) invites the reader to understand research as a profound intellectual exercise, capable of shaping how the researcher should position themselves in the academic world and in contemporary problems.
This awareness is essential because, as Peter J. Feibelman points out in “A PhD Is Not Enough!” (2011), “no technical skill is worth more than knowing how to select stimulating research projects. Regrettably, this vital skill is almost never taught”. In other words, it is not enough to master methodologies or tools; it is necessary to understand how to structure a project in a way that it is relevant, feasible, and capable of generating significant results. This organizational capacity is not limited to filling out a form or assembling an outline: it involves thinking strategically about the problem, evaluating its impact, and planning the methodological path even before getting your hands dirty.
In such a scenario, some inevitable questions arise: what elements are truly essential in the introduction of a project for it to be sustainable? And how to delimit the research problem without losing relevance or getting sidetracked? How to develop a methodology that answers the questions raised?
Even if the researcher and future author can find the answers to all the above questions, there is a factor that goes beyond their technical skills. Becker (2008) comments that academic writing is crossed by social pressures and structures that can stifle creativity and discourage the presentation of proposals. The fear of criticism, insecurity in competitive environments, and the ridicule of “still raw” ideas often distance good scholars from the act of proposing. Goldemberg (2011) reinforces this tension by recalling that every researcher lives in a permanent state of uncertainty: scientific research, by nature, deals with unpredictable results and, therefore, carries an inevitable component of insecurity.
In the meantime, it is important to remember that a research project does not arise in isolation. It is the result of a constant dialogue with the academic community, and here comes a point that Eco, Feibelman, and Becker indirectly point out: a solid research project is born from the combination of planning, strategic theme selection, and continuous interaction with the advisor and academia, facing the uncertainty and social challenges of scientific research.
Intellectual curiosity
USP professor José Eurico Possebon Cyrino, known as Prof. Zico, whose academic and professional trajectory is recorded in the series “Trajetórias que Inspiram”, warns that a solid project is born from the balance between planning, intellectual curiosity, and constant dialogue with the scientific community. In addition to his contribution as a researcher, Prof. Zico was a member of the editorial board of the journal “Scientia Agrícola”, from the Luiz de Queiroz Higher School of Agriculture (Esalq) for 13 years. Due to this experience, he was invited to structure the journals “Quaestum” and “Estratégias e Soluções (E&S)”, published by Editora Pecege, reinforcing his role in building spaces for scientific dissemination and in the training of researchers at different academic levels.
Structuring the theme and delimiting the problem
Among your recommendations for researchers who wish to transform a broad topic into a clear specific and relevant problem is to take care, when starting to think about a project, to differentiate the topic from the objective of the project under construction.
The term “theme” ordinarily refers to the subject intended for discussion, a broad proposition within a field of knowledge, while the “objective” of a research project originates from the working hypothesis, the provisional answer to the problem that is formulated and intended to be solved. A problem is embedded within a theme, it is part of the construction of the subject, it is a “small piece” of the subject represented by the research project.
The definition of the theme results from the reflection and intellectual contextualization of the problem, from the knowledge (literature review) comprehensive of the area in which the researcher is inserted, in other words, from the knowledge gap(s) that the researcher identifies — based on their personal, institutional, business, associative interest — in the area in which they operate.
The reflection originates the questions: what can be done to fill this knowledge gap? How and what are the possible implications of doing what can be done, that is, the reflection originates the hypothesis of work and the known or to be developed methodology that will be employed to solve the problem? In “possession” of a theme and working hypothesis, the researcher defines the objective, that is, what they intend to achieve, the target, the end, the purpose to be achieved in the realization of the action, in the development of the research project inserted in the subject, in the object of their research.
Building good objectives
Deepening the discussion, Prof. Zico points out that research projects can differ in their nature, approach, and methodology, also considering the epistemological and ontological — philosophical — characteristics of the research. Whatever the nature, approach, methodology employed, and philosophical approach of the research project under construction, great care must be taken to state the objective clearly and objectively, containing the essential elements to arouse the interest of the academic public – the scientific community in general and the funding agencies’ evaluators in particular.
Minimally, a well-structured project contains a clear and unequivocal title, the intellectual context — literature review —, the necessary justification for conducting the research, the precise definition of the subject, the working hypothesis and the objective(s), and the description of the methodology — material and methods —, based on evidence and at a precise and technically correct level of detail. Finally, the researcher must develop their projects by defining clear and coherent goals, truly achievable, with the utmost understanding that they will not (and therefore should not try to) solve all the problems of a given area or sub-area of knowledge in a single “attempt”.
Changes along the way
Finally, for him, there is no way for the universe of scientific or technological research to “escape” two popular aphorisms: the only thing truly predictable in conducting a research project is the unforeseen, and shame is not changing your mind; shame is not having an idea to change. Researchers must develop their projects anticipating the inevitable unforeseen events and always having “in their waistcoat pocket” an alternative plan, the famous “plan B”, to circumvent such situations. To this end, they must arm themselves with solid and comprehensive knowledge about the area or sub-area of knowledge in which their research line is inserted and with all possible and imaginable care in choosing the topic and defining the objective and writing of their research project.
Continuity and publication
At the end of a research, new questions arise and ideas emerge from the solutions it provides. In fact, as a researcher, I believe that even more doubts and questions than answers emerge, opening space for new opportunities for investigation. Just as Eco (2010) already suggested, each research is, in fact, a starting point for other investigations.
Finally, for a study to achieve its full realization, it is important that other people also have access to the results, question them, and be instigated to study the topic. Therefore, the choice of where to publish, a topic addressed in the column “Choice of journal, writing and submission”, is part of this relationship between learning and sharing knowledge. Investing in project planning, defining clear objectives, and changing course whenever necessary is, therefore, the way to advance in science and inspire future generations, as well as the inspiring trajectory of Prof. Zico.
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This content was produced by:
Luiz Eduardo Giovanelli
Master in Business Administration from the University of São Paulo. Specialist in Public Management from the State University of Ponta Grossa and graduated in Business Administration from the State University of Northern Paraná. Since 2023, he has been one of the assistant editors of the Revista Estratégias e Soluções.
Who wrote this column
Editora Pecege
