【Translation】What do graduate students need to conduct "good research" ?

Here's one question for today's article. The simple question that I pose is

What do graduate students need to conduct "good research" ?

Many professors have various kinds of answers to this simple question. Some professors say, "It depends on the quality of supervisors and the facility of research" or "Good research comes from individual wisdom and insight" and so on.

Of course, I think all these answers are valid. Although I acknowledge there are various possible answers to this question, what is the most true for me is another answer. Can you guess what my answer is. My answer:


「"Time", That's all」

　Of course, individual factors such as student's talent, insight and wisdom are needed. Also, environmental factors such as supervisor's encouragement and the quality of the laboratory are important. But, - at least in my research area - the key success factor of doing good research for graduate students is "time".

How much do graduate student make "sufficient time" to think about only their research?
How much do they make "sufficient time" to concentrate on only their reseach?

I think the most important points are too simple.

Certainly, it's better for graduate students to have logical and methodological skills. Of course, it's better for them to have brilliant supervisors. However such things are more necessary at higher research levels. I think it is because of "lack of time" that many graduate students, at novice level, fail to conduct good research.

Many of them have assigned "short, allotted time periods" in which to do research. They cannot spare "sufficient and continuous time periods" to concentrate on their research. If you don't care about the quality of time, your time will be divided into "short, allotted time periods". So you cannot accomplish your research. I have seen many students who are annoyed by lack of progress. Sometimes they concluded, "I am not smart enough to do research!"

At that time, I want to advise graduate students, "I don't think you are not smart enough. At your level, what you need is not more intelligence. It is sufficient and continuous time. If you want to progress in your research, you should allow not small pieces but sufficient continuous time.

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　Time is one of the most valuable resources that God provides to all people equally. In order to make good research, you should think about how to use "time" strategically. This is a very simple problem. But sometime it is apt to be ignored.

Life goes on...