A research aim is an important part of a research proposal or writing and must be treated as such. It is the part of the research proposal that describes what a study, dissertation, or thesis entails or the gap it intends to fill in academia.

As vital as research aims are, many people make common mistakes when drafting them. Writing a gripping research aim is of the essence and there are useful tips to help achieve that. But here are some pitfalls every researcher should beware of when constructing the aim;

• Researching a broad topic – if the foundation of a research work is faulty, there is little or nothing that can be done to salvage the entire study, not even the aim. It is important to choose your research topic carefully and not fall into the trap of choosing an overly broad or vague topic. Examples are ‘A study of HR systems’, and ‘An analysis of cancer as terminal disease’, among others. These are overly broad topics and no matter how good you are, you might not be able to formulate gripping research aims for them.
• Having too many aims for your research – ideally, a research aim is to communicate concisely what your overall focus is in the study or what you want to achieve. While it is common to find many people writing only one research aim, you can choose to have more than one. However, resist the urge to overcrowd research aims in your proposal as it makes the work a little confusing. It could also drift focus away from what your overarching goal is.
• Having an unrealistic aim: Formulating research aims should be done using the SMART criteria. This helps you avoid the error of setting unrealistic aims for your study, and saves you time, effort and resources.
• Lengthy research aim: This is another mistake people make when formulating research aims. It is vital to make it as short as possible – communicate your focus or goal in a few points.
• Complex and unconnected research aim: Using complex terminologies in research aim is another error you should avoid. It is also essential that your research aim relates to your topics, while the objectives also connect to the aim.
• Choosing a research aim that is impossible to achieve within the set timeframe: Doing interviews for about 100 sources and analyzing the same when you have only 12 weeks for your research is unrealistic and unachievable. Ensure you formulate aims that are attainable within your project time.