Research Project Guidelines Example

---
title: Climate Change Adaptation Research Project Guidelines
version: 1.0.0
created: 2025-04-10
purpose: Provide guidance for working with the climate adaptation research project
---

# Climate Change Adaptation Research Project Guidelines

## Project Purpose and Scope

This research project investigates urban climate change adaptation strategies across global coastal cities. The project aims to identify effective policy interventions, infrastructure investments, and community engagement approaches that enhance resilience to sea-level rise and extreme weather events.

Key objectives:
- Synthesize current academic literature on urban climate adaptation (2015-2025)
- Analyze climate adaptation plans from 50 coastal cities across 6 continents
- Identify success factors and barriers in adaptation implementation
- Develop a framework for evaluating adaptation effectiveness
- Produce actionable policy recommendations for municipal governments

Scope limitations:
- Focuses only on coastal urban areas (not inland cities or rural areas)
- Examines adaptation strategies (not mitigation or prevention)
- Limited to published research and publicly available planning documents
- Does not include original field research or primary data collection

## Restrictions and Guardrails

### Data Handling Requirements

1. Source Validation:
   - Academic sources must be from peer-reviewed journals
   - Gray literature (reports, plans) must be from official government or institutional sources
   - News sources must be verified with primary documentation
   - Social media content is not considered a valid source unless cited in academic literature

2. Citation Standards:
   - APA 7th Edition citation format required for all references
   - All sources must include DOI when available
   - All city plans must include publication date and issuing authority
   - Track citation data in the references/bibliography.bib file

3. Data Protection:
   - Any demographic data must be reported at aggregated levels only
   - No individual-level data should be used or presented
   - All data sources must be properly attributed
   - Store sensitive institutional contacts in contacts/private-directory.md (never share)

### Methodological Requirements

1. Literature Review:
   - Systematic review approach using PRISMA guidelines
   - Document search terms and database queries in methodology/search-strategy.md
   - Use the predefined inclusion/exclusion criteria in methodology/selection-criteria.md
   - Track review progress in methodology/prisma-flowchart.md

2. Policy Analysis:
   - Apply the comparative policy framework defined in methodology/policy-framework.md
   - Use consistent coding scheme for all city plans (see coding/codebook.md)
   - Document assumptions and limitations for each analysis
   - Perform intercoder reliability checks for subjective assessments

3. Access Patterns:
   - Read from: literature/, data/, methodology/
   - Write to: analysis/, outputs/, drafts/
   - Never modify: raw-data/, original-documents/

## Available Resources

### Project Structure

- /literature
  - /academic-papers - PDF files of academic articles
  - /policy-documents - PDF files of city adaptation plans
  - /reports - PDF files of institutional reports
  - /annotations - Notes and annotations for key sources

- /data
  - /raw-data - Original datasets (read-only)
  - /processed-data - Cleaned and processed datasets
  - /analysis-output - Results from statistical analyses
  - /visualization - Data visualization files

- /methodology
  - /search-strategy - Literature search documentation
  - /coding - Codebooks and coding sheets
  - /frameworks - Analytical frameworks

- /outputs
  - /manuscripts - Draft and final manuscripts
  - /presentations - Presentation slides and materials
  - /figures - Publication-ready figures
  - /tables - Publication-ready tables

### External Resources

1. Literature Databases
   - Web of Science (institutional access via .env credentials)
   - Scopus (institutional access via .env credentials)
   - Google Scholar (public access)
   - Directory of Open Access Journals (public access)

2. Climate Data Sources
   - IPCC Data Distribution Centre (public access)
   - NOAA Climate Data Online (public access)
   - World Bank Climate Change Knowledge Portal (public access)
   - Local climate data portals (various access methods, see data/sources.md)

3. Analysis Tools
   - R (statistical analysis, see scripts/analysis/)
   - NVIVO (qualitative analysis, license key in .env)
   - MAXQDA (qualitative analysis, license key in .env)
   - Geographic Information Systems (QGIS, open source)

## Analysis Standards

### Quantitative Analysis

1. Statistical Methods:
   - Document all statistical decisions in analysis logs
   - Use appropriate tests based on data distribution
   - Report effect sizes and confidence intervals
   - Apply correction methods for multiple comparisons
   - Validate results with sensitivity analyses

2. Reproducibility:
   - Use R Markdown for all statistical analyses
   - Include session information in all outputs
   - Document random seeds for any stochastic processes
   - Store all analysis scripts in scripts/analysis/
   - Comment code thoroughly for interpretability

### Qualitative Analysis

1. Coding Procedures:
   - Use dual-coding for reliability (minimum 20% overlap)
   - Calculate intercoder reliability metrics
   - Document coding evolution and refinement
   - Maintain coder reflexivity journals
   - Use member checking when possible

2. Theme Development:
   - Use both inductive and deductive approaches
   - Document theme development process
   - Include illustrative quotes for each theme
   - Create audit trail for analytical decisions
   - Seek negative/disconfirming cases

## Manuscript Development

1. Writing Standards:
   - Target journals: Global Environmental Change, Climate Policy, Urban Studies
   - Follow IMRAD structure (Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion)
   - Aim for 6,000-8,000 words (excluding references)
   - Use clear, accessible language (Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level 12-14)
   - Include policy implications in Discussion section

2. Collaboration Protocol:
   - Lead author drafts initial manuscript
   - Co-authors review and provide feedback via comments
   - Track changes using Track Changes in Word or version control in Overleaf
   - Weekly team meetings to discuss progress
   - Final approval required from all authors before submission

3. Publication Timeline:
   - Literature review completion: June 2025
   - Analysis completion: September 2025
   - First draft: November 2025
   - Submission target: January 2026
   - Revision period: As needed based on peer review

## Ethical Considerations

1. Research Integrity:
   - Transparent reporting of all methods and results
   - Acknowledgment of study limitations
   - Disclosure of funding sources and potential conflicts
   - Adherence to institutional research integrity guidelines

2. Open Science Practices:
   - Preregistration of analysis plans when applicable
   - Open data sharing (with appropriate protections)
   - Preprint publication before journal submission
   - Open access publication when possible

3. Authorship:
   - Follow ICMJE criteria for authorship
   - Document author contributions in manuscript
   - Acknowledge all contributors not meeting authorship criteria
   - Obtain permission before including individuals in acknowledgments