Step 1: Identify a gap in knowledge or a social problem
Begin by identifying a gap in knowledge or a social problem that your research will address. This step is crucial in defining the focus and purpose of your work. Strategies for identifying a gap are:
- Sankofa (literature review) – Review existing research to identify gaps or areas that require further investigation.
- Own experience – Reflect on your personal experiences or professional practice to identify unresolved issues or challenges.
- Family experience – Consider challenges or gaps based on family or cultural experiences, particularly in the context of societal or community needs.
- Community experience – Engage with community members or local organisations to understand issues that require attention or improvement.
- Media reports – Stay informed by reading news articles, reports, or documentaries that highlight social problems or emerging trends.
- Practice gap – Identify gaps in professional practice where current methods or solutions may be insufficient or outdated.
- Policy gap – Investigate existing policies and determine areas where they may be ineffective, underdeveloped, or lacking implementation.
Step 2: Choose the appropriate approach
Select the most suitable approach for your research:
- Empirical research
- Literature review
- Policy analysis
- Theoretical inquiry
- Reflective inquiry
Tip: select a relevant theory to guide the approach/approaches selected. Over 100 African theories are available here https://africasocialwork.net/african-theories-of-social-work/
Step 3: Sevenzo (creating a body of information, often called data set)
Develop a clear research question and gather data:
- Conduct field research or data collection through surveys, interviews, case studies, or policy analysis.
- Ensure ethical research practices throughout data collection. See options here: https://africasocialwork.net/ethics-committee/
Tip: This will form your data set, which can generate multiple outputs and actions.
Step 4: Creating a report of findings from Sevenzo
Organise and analyse collected data to identify patterns, themes, or key insights. Interpret findings in relation to theories, existing research, and real-world implications. Structure findings into a coherent report that summarises key takeaways.
Step 5: Selecting methods to publish
Choose the most suitable publication formats based on audience, impact, and accessibility:
- Journal article
- Book
- Book chapter
- Blog post
- Video
- Storying
- Poster
- Conference presentations
- Indaba/dare/community forum
Tip: Create a publishing and dissemination plan. Maximise the outputs from a single data set by exploring multiple formats and audiences.
Step 6: Kujenga (building & strengthening the work)
Write the manuscript following standard academic structure:
- Title, abstract, introduction, background, literature (show gap), methods, results, discussion, implications, conclusion, and references.
- Revise and seek feedback from mentors or peers to improve clarity, coherence, and argument strength.
Step 7: Manuscript submission & peer review
- Submit your manuscript.
- Get editorial feedback (if it is accepted for peer review). Can be rejected if not meeting journal guidelines or poorly written).
- Revise based on editorial feedback.
- Get peer feedback, usually 2 reviewers, which may include editor feedback or synthesis of the feedback (can be rejected if feedback is not addressed adequately)
- Revise based on peer feedback.
- Get editorial feedback after revisions (can be a rejection) or get an acceptance to publish notice.
- Revise, if needed.
- Copyedited version proofread.
- Ensure all necessary information is included (no new information permitted).
- Checked by the copyeditor.
- Checked and passed by a journal editor.
- Ready for publishing (online or print).
- Published notice.
- Done.
Step 8: Jabula (celebrating achievement)
Celebrate the success of your research by sharing it with peers, students, and colleagues; family and community members and use social media platforms to reach a broader audience.
Step 9: Matunda (harvesting & sharing knowledge)
Promote research through academic platforms, conferences, and social media to maximise impact. Where applicable, translate findings into:
- Local languages (including sign language)
- Policy briefs
- Practitioner guides
- Audiovisuals
- Community engagement initiatives
- Best practice evidence
- University or college course or module
- CPD material or program
Step 10: Revise, renew your research, respond to feedback, do follow-up research
- After about 2 years, revise your research based on feedback from peers, mentors, or reviewers.
- Renew your focus by considering emerging trends or new gaps in knowledge.
- Respond to feedback constructively and integrate it into your work.
- Conduct follow-up research to address new questions or areas that require further exploration.
- Combine your multiple research outputs into frameworks, theories, models, literature review
