Research Coherence: A Framework for Successful Student Research

When researching and writing scholarly papers for semester-long projects, undergraduate students face challenges, such as research anxiety, overestimation of research skills, poor time management, difficulty choosing appropriate sources, and lack of integration between research stages and final product. Student survey results and paper analyses show incoherence in the student research process. This article develops a coherence framework to address problems students face throughout the research and writing process. This framework joins literature on coherence techniques and effective pedagogies including guided research, peer modeling, checkpoints, and reflection. The article presents pedagogical recommendations for establishing coherence in student research and writing projects.