Set Your Goals

Goals are what you hope to accomplish as a result of your research/project. They are broad, intangible and abstract, and present the big picture. They can be further broken down into long- and short-term goals. 

The long-term goal is what you want to accomplish over the scope of your career – broad enough that it can encompass a lifetime of research, but explicit in a way that makes it clear what you are trying to do. Your long-term goal is not something that can be accomplished in just one research project, but rather a theme that ties this project and all future projects together in some fundamental way. 

Short-term goals cannot be set until you know your long-term goal. You need to know where you want to go before you take the first step to get there. A short-term goal must be accomplishable within the scope of one project, but still leave enough room for further research.