I do not have a clear way of thinking what research is supposed to be, (as I do not know what research is), and I found myself to be paralysed from the absence of some form of a defined procedure (that at its end it will grant me a master’s thesis / degree); thus in this note I’ll log (and in a sense reshape) my thoughts with the goal of figuring out how research is (supposed to be) done.
I am blessed with being given a clearly defined question (that is open in the literature, and is to be answered by my thesis), but my understanding isn’t close enough to begin thinking of an answer.
The (beginner’s?) approach of “read papers and your understanding will get better the more you do this” seems to contain a lot of faith if you ask me, and I am not used to faith-driven study of any sorts.
(As time passes, this note will obtain a clearer form.)