The Action Plan is the answer to the question “What are you going to do and when are you going to do?” Doing research is time and work intensive (meaning it takes a lot of time and a lot of work to do). Organizing yourself is critical for success in any research project, especially in the DP.

• Choosing research methods to investigate the research question (comparative analysis, analysis of discourse, primary source analysis, statistical analysis, etc.).
• Collecting sources of information (finding websites/books/journal articles/primary and secondary sources).
• Identifying sub-questions to help you narrow down your research.
• Setting goals for how much, and when, you will record information in your research notes.
• Deciding when, specifically, you will work on the different steps of the research essay including; research question, justification, OPVL, outline, rough draft, and final draft.
• Identifying areas of difficulty or challenge and deciding when or if you will speak with the teacher.

Try to work on your research essay 2-3 days a week. You will need to do some work outside of class!

It is important to note that you need to include action dates on your action plan and not just due dates. What is the difference?

The format and structure of your action plan is up to you. There is an example below, but you may choose to use a different method if it suits your needs and style. The key thing is there must be evidence of your action plan when you submit the final research essay (it is an assessed component). You may do this on paper or digitally.

The most important thing about your action plan is that it must be useful to you! Make it yours!

Example Action Plan

Day of the week	What will you do?	Finished?
April 8th	Choose my topic and find one source of information. Start my research notes. Write a research question.
April 11th	Speak to Mr. Mitchler about my research question and get some feedback.
April 12th	Finish collecting and recording background information on my topic from one source.

You should have something planned for every week of the research project. Don’t leave everything to the last minute!