Step 1: Meet with center director Dr. Anthony James to discuss your plan.
- Discuss your goals for the partnership and how you plan to achieve them.
- Identify any specific needs or resources that you have.
- Develop a timeline for the project.
Step 2: Identify a location to study.
- Consider factors such as the diversity of the population, the availability of data and resources, and your own personal interests and expertise.
- Once you have identified a location, contact local stakeholders, such as government agencies, community organizations, and universities, to gauge their interest and support.
Step 3: Develop a team.
- Seek out individuals with a variety of skills and expertise, including research, writing, and data analysis.
- Build a team with a mix of undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral students, led by a PhD.
- Define the roles and responsibilities of each team member.
Step 4: Develop a plan to progressively advance the knowledge and skills of your team, culminating with being able to submit comprehensive SoF reports on your geographic location to marriage and family review (MFR).
- Provide opportunities for team members to attend conferences and workshops, take courses, and shadow experienced researchers.
- Encourage team members to present their work at conferences and publish their findings in peer-reviewed journals.
- Provide mentorship and support to team members as they develop their skills and knowledge.
Step 5: CSSF SoF reports will primarily be descriptive and include baseline level content about families in the respective geographic region. SoF intended for MFR can be descriptive but must also include explanatory or predictive components about the conditional state of families in the geographic region of focus.
- Develop a report template that includes all of the required sections for both descriptive and explanatory/predictive reports.
- Ensure that all reports are based on sound research methodology and that the findings are clearly communicated.
- Submit reports to Dr. James for review and approval before submitting them to MFR.
Goal of the program:
- To develop and maintain a sustainable production of reports about families around the world using cutting edge methodology.
- To develop knowledge and skills on the scientific study of families for family scientists.
- To provide stakeholders of family decision making with relevant content to assist them with decisions they make about families.
Additional notes:
- It is important to note that this is just a general process outline. The specific steps involved in each step will vary depending on the specific project and the needs of the team.
- It is also important to be flexible and adaptable. Things may not always go according to plan, so it is important to be able to adjust your approach as needed.
- Finally, it is important to communicate regularly with Dr. James and other stakeholders throughout the project. This will help to ensure that everyone is on the same page and that the project is progressing as expected.
