Thoughts on Research

• Look at the problem not your tools: There is a saying that if the only tool that you have is a hammer then everything looks like a nail to you! In research you should not look at the methods or tools that you have at hand; You should look at the problem, the specific problem that you have, and be very open to any methods that could possibly solve the problem.
• Big Picture: Another piece that I believe is very important for a good research is to have a global picture of the whole project or problem; this way you are able to sit back for a while and possibly revise your approach. If you are too focused on the details (i.e. if you have a close-up window) you may follow a wrong path from the beginning and try to match things up; then eventually most likely you get no solution or a complex solution which only works partially and is very unlikely to be applicable in practice. The smartest person in a dead-end cannot find a way out! Sometimes, you need to turn around and choose a totally different path! You are able to see the dead-end only if you have the big picture viewpoint.
• Know about the other side of the story: In the field of Physics or Engineering even though you may work in the theoretical aspect of a problem, it would be very good (if not necessary!) to know about the other end of the problem, that is where the problem is applied. Imagine you develope a method that is impossible to apply in practice. There are many things you can do in your mind, but not in practice. It is essential to know about the limitations that you might face in practice.
• Abstraction and Precision: Richard Feynman, who is believed to be the greatest mind since Albert Einstein says abstraction and mathematical precision are not helpful in Physics. Abstraction and generalization are not necessarily helpful. The best approach is to try to work on a very specific problem, if the method that you use is generalizable then it comes out of it automatically; you do not need to look for it, it will show itself to you!
• High Quality Hours: Find your high quality hours! There are different parts of research that need different levels of concentration. Are you working on a simulation? Are you thinking about the theoretical aspect of the problem? Are you doing a literature survey? Spend your high quality hours on the part that you think needs more concentration. This might vary from a person to another.
• Patience: Research for the most part is a process of not knowing and confusion. There are only a few right ways and a million wrong ways! Usually when we talk of the great minds of science and technology we think about their intelligence, however, I think perhaps one of the most important characteristics that they had was their patience! Remember, in research, there are more, much more, failures than successes!