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In this instructional segment, speaker Steve Tippins, Ph.D., emphasizes the critical need for researchers—especially graduate students preparing proposals—to determine their data collection strategy early in the research planning process. He advises first clarifying whether the study is quantitative or qualitative, then assessing whether the necessary data are accessible, identifying existing datasets or contacts, and understanding institutional requirements such as IRB approval and committee review. By addressing these considerations before drafting the first three dissertation chapters, researchers can avoid last‑minute scrambling, proposal revisions, and potential setbacks caused by unavailable data.
