This week, we worked on writing up the report and making the poster. We had a poster-making session on Monday, wherein we were told what a research poster has to show and how it has to be formatted. I found some of the designs very creative - one past group had designed theirs as a house! Our poster design wasn't particularly creative, but I think we'll polish it a little next week.
I find the process of writing the report quite useful from a research perspective, since as I write I find the gaps in my research. It's quite helpful to figure out what I need to read next or re-read in more depth, and it means that I have a clearer image of what I need to work on next week. It is, to some extent, a little more boring than actually reading papers and learning new things, but it's still nice - I'm realising how I've become used to quickly writing essays over the course of my degree! I'm also quite happy with the plan for my section I wrote last week, it made it very simple to write the report this week.
My work this week was annoyingly limited by the fact that I was ill on Thursday and Friday, which annoyingly made me miss the session on Justice. I find the lab sessions quite interesting, especially since I don't always agree with the prevailing opinion, and we're only required to be in the lab two days a week, so I'm annoyed that I was sick on the day I had to come in. Regardless, I'm planning to catch up on the work I missed this week over the weekend, which should put me in a good position, workload-wise, for the final stretch next week. It's quite disconcerting realising that the research summer is ending next week. It feels as if first year hasn't actually ended yet since I had to stay in Oxford for Laidlaw so the end of the research summer is surprisingly meaningful - I have more of a feeling that my first year of university is over now than I did after my prelims. Of course, it's always nice to end on a non-exam note!
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Wiktoria, this is a thoughtful reflection on the transition from conducting research to communicating it. Your observation that writing reveals gaps is particularly important. A report is not simply a container into which completed research is placed; the act of constructing an argument often exposes missing evidence, unclear concepts and connections that need further examination.
There is, however, a judgement to make during the final week. Identifying a gap does not always mean that you need to open a new strand of reading immediately. Some gaps should be addressed, while others may need to be acknowledged as limitations or questions for future research. Part of completing a project is deciding what can be resolved within the available time and what must remain unfinished.
It is also encouraging that the plan you developed last week made the writing process easier. This shows the value of investing time in structure before drafting — even if years of writing essays at speed have trained you to survive without always doing so!
Regarding the poster, creativity can help attract attention, but clarity remains more important than novelty. A conventional design that guides the reader through the research question, approach, principal findings and implications will be more successful than an inventive format that obscures the argument. You can still give it a distinctive identity through thoughtful use of colour, figures and visual hierarchy.
I am sorry you missed the Justice session, particularly as your willingness to disagree with the prevailing view would probably have enriched the discussion. I hope the materials give you an opportunity to engage with the questions independently — and I would be interested to hear where and why your interpretation differs.
Finally, your description of the Research Summer as the real ending of your first year is lovely. Unlike prelims, it allows the year to conclude through collaboration and the creation of something meaningful for a partner. I hope the final week gives you an opportunity not only to finish the outputs, but also to recognise how much you have learned since the project began.