1. Timelines: preparation and application tasks take a lot of thought and time.
2. What topic or idea of study are you interested in?
3. What is the "best" research design to answer your question?
4. What has already been done in this area (the literature review)?
5. What intervention (independent variable) are you interested in?
6. Are you looking for differences or a relationship (association)?
7. Have you thought about any ethical issues likely to be raised?
8. Have you considered relevant legislation and regulation issues (e.g., data handling and storage)?
9. How will you control for confounding variables?
10. Do you want to intervene or simply observe?
11. How much will your study cost (budget)?
12. How will you keep track of your study (research protocol)?
13. What is the granting agency that would be interested in funding your project (funding sources)?
14. Who will be doing what tasks and function in what roles (personnel)?
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