Hello Reader,

Welcome to the first issue of the Research Roadmap series.

Today it is all about creating your Research Vision.

A Research Vision is the future you are trying to build. It is the reason why you are conducting the research and, when comunicating to others, why you are asking people to fund it or give it any attention.

There are three options on how to choose a research vision:

1. Borrow the vision of others
2. Creation your own
3. Align your vision with other people’s vision

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Option 1. Borrowing a research vision

Borrowing other people’s vision is the easiest option.

Just open an article, thesis, or book and look for the “why” people are doing what they are doing. It is often there at the beginning of the text (either in the abstract, introduction, or first chapter).

Or, if you are in an academic programme, you can just borrow it from your supervisors or lab leader (often called the “PI” — Principal Investigator)

On the up side:

• It is a very concrete vision, as people have been working on it already
• You already have a research community you are a part of, and
• You will have a quick start by learning what is already known about and around that vision.

The challenge with borrowing a vision is that as the research journey gets harder, you may lose all motivation.

It was not a topic you have chosen because you love it. Instead, you borrowed it and may not find it as satisfying to work on it on the long term.

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Option 2. Create your own vision

Developing your own vision is a very satisfying process. You can focus on things you love learning and discovering more about.

The challenges are:

• You may start alone, as no one shares, understands, or even knows your vision.
• You may not know where to start your exploration as it “feels” too separated from what others are doing (it is usually just a feeling. For sure there are people working on it already)

There are two possible methods to uncover your own vision.

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Method 1. Focus on your passion

Some problems or situations tend to shake us to the core: hunger, inequality, or just how people feel entitled to take your seat on the train.

So, why not tap on something that naturally motivates (or infuriates you)?

1. What is a problem or situation that shakes you to the core?
2. What would the world look like if that situation were completely solved? What would be the positive changes?

Your depiction of that world is your research vision.

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Following this method, my own vision is of a world where people are not treated as if they are “inferior”. It is a world where no one is EVER told that they won’t amount to much or that they “don’t have what it takes”. You can see that YES, YOU CAN reflection on my website.

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Method 2. Focus on your interests

Either choose one of your core interests or identify a topic that merges most (if not all) of your interests (i.e. your Southern Cross).

With your interests uncovered, it is time to build your vision:

1. Identify the interest you want to work on.
2. Brainstorm the benefits that working on that brings to the world.
3. Describe what the world would look like with the benefits you are bringing about.

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Following this method, my own Southern Cross is “Converting Experiential Knowledge into Knowledge in Action via the Formalisation of Meaning Making”.

That leads us to a world where everyone is a researcher, where you can learn anything with or without a teacher, with or without a course, just by enhancing your perception and having strong critical and creative skills.

A world where we are all peers in the same learning journey, sharing with others what we know while also learning from other people's experiences and reasoning.

Yes, call me a dreamer. But that has always been me 😅

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Option 3. Aligning your Vision to other people’s vision

This is the most rewarding experience of all and the one I recommend.

The explanation of the method is simple but putting it in practice is not trivial. Here it is:

1. Identify your personal vision. Develop your own vision so you know you will be motivated in the long term. Create it without external constraints, drawing it from your core.
2. Find your tribe. As you gain clarity about where you would like to head, find the people who share the same interest(s) or passion(s).
3. List your tribe’s visions and compare them against yours.

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By clarifying how your vision is both similar to and different from others with similar aspirations, you can identify what you can learn from them and what you need to pursue on your own (or even invite them to collaborate).

This way, you are building a group that fully shares your vision or is willing to accompany you on part of the journey.

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As for me, I am glad to see so many researchers and entrepreneurs in the Personal Knowledge Management space sharing the vision of helping people make the most of their knowledge. Yet, my vision differs from theirs.

• Productivity-focused people measure success primarily by what they can produce for others, viewing knowledge as a means to an end. It is a very capitalistic view of knowledge that I definitely do not share.
• Systems-oriented folks focus on apps, workflows, and frameworks, aiming to avoid forgetting or boosting their research and writing. While I share their love for frameworks and workflows, I don’t believe that is the goal. Instead, what truly matters is our ability to think and work with knowledge. When asked, most people may agree with me, but so far, I seem to be the only one focusing on mindsets before discussing processes and frameworks.
• So, what do I believe then? I believe in building a knowledge practice where thinking, researching, and creating knowledge become second nature — a part of YOU. It is not about the app or the system. Instead, it is about your ability to think, learn, create, and write. It is about self-improvement (and the productivity that comes with it), not productivity for its own sake.

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And here is what the fulfilment of my vision looks like in the words of Brian Cooney at the end of the 30-day active note-taking challenge 🥰

It is not about the app, the method, the process, or the "productivity" outcomes. It is about self-development through the use of the right app, method, and process, and during the production of a "productivity" outcome. 😉

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Now you know a bit about my vision. What is yours? Let me know by replying to this email. And next week we will explore what is a Research Problem.

Talk to you soon.

Until then, take care.

Bianca

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