Practical tools for doing the research
Use calculators, builders, templates and checklists to move your research forward.
Browse by Research Journey
The same five stages you already use across Methods Bench.
Plan & Design
Tools and templates for research questions, design, sampling and proposals.
View resourcesReview Evidence
Organise what the literature shows and where your study fits.
View resourcesPrepare & Collect
Ethics submissions, fieldwork planning, instruments and data quality.
View resourcesAnalyse & Interpret
Choose an analytical approach and pre-specify your analysis.
View resourcesWrite & Publish
Structure, check and submit manuscripts and other outputs.
View resourcesPopular resources
Sample Size Calculator
Size surveys, two-group comparisons and qualitative saturation with every step shown.
Research Alignment Checker
Check that your question, objectives, design, population, measurement and analysis point at one study.
Conceptual Framework Builder
Build a framework of explained relationships, run structure checks and export a clean figure.
Literature Synthesis Matrix
Organise the papers you have read by contribution and theme, then export synthesis notes.
Concept Note Template
A structured worksheet for shaping an early research idea into a concept note that survives first review.
Ethics Submission Checklist
A REC/IRB readiness checklist covering consent, translation, data protection, permissions, and submission pack.
Showing 34 of 34 resources.
Sample Size Calculator
Size surveys, two-group comparisons and qualitative saturation with every step shown.
Research Alignment Checker
Check that your question, objectives, design, population, measurement and analysis point at one study.
Conceptual Framework Builder
Build a framework of explained relationships, run structure checks and export a clean figure.
Study Design Decision Guide
Answer five questions about your aim, data and context, then get a recommended study design.
Problem Statement Builder
Turn a broad topic into a tight, evidence-based research problem statement.
Research Proposal Audit
Audit problem, gap, question, objectives, design, sampling and analysis before a reviewer does.
Roast My Research
Paste your title, question or objectives and get an instant, honest Reviewer 2 critique.
Literature Synthesis Matrix
Organise the papers you have read by contribution and theme, then export synthesis notes.
Fieldwork Budget Estimator
Create a structured fieldwork budget, apply contingency and export it.
Statistical Analysis Decision Tool
Start from what you are estimating, then get a likely analytical approach and what to check.
Manuscript Outline Planner
Build a section-by-section manuscript outline aligned to common reporting guidelines.
Problem Statement Template
Day 1 of the Proposal Writing Sprint.
Concept Note Template
A structured worksheet for shaping an early research idea into a concept note that survives first review.
Proposal Readiness Checklist
An audit checklist covering topic framing, methods alignment, ethics, and budget, with common rejection reasons surfaced upfront.
Grant Application Tracker
A workbook for tracking multiple applications from identification to decision, including pipeline status, days to deadline, document checklist, and funder notes.
Budget Planning Template
A formula-driven Excel workbook with line items, category summary, justification, and assumptions tabs.
Ethics Submission Checklist
A REC/IRB readiness checklist covering consent, translation, data protection, permissions, and submission pack.
Consent Form Writing Guide
A guided worksheet for writing participant consent forms, with section-by-section prompts, example language, and the eight mistakes that cause REC revision requests.
Literature Review Matrix
A sortable Excel matrix for organising, comparing, and synthesising sources, with relevance scoring, quality notes, and conditional formatting.
Assent Form Template
An age-appropriate assent form template for involving minors in research, with plain-language prompts and a guardian co-signature block.
UNCST & REC Submission Checklist
A Uganda-specific checklist covering UNCST registration, local REC requirements, and the full document pack needed before submission.
Research Protocol Template
A full research protocol template covering background, objectives, methods, ethics, and dissemination, structured to meet REC and funder expectations.
RA Supervision Checklist
A workbook for field coordinators covering daily start, during, and end-of-day checks plus a weekly team performance review.
Data Quality Check Template
A weekly data quality workbook with formula-driven summary, RA performance tracker, issue log, and corrections audit trail.
Kobo/ODK Pre-Deployment Checklist
A pre-deployment workbook for digital data collection tools, covering form logic, skip patterns, validation, pilot testing, and device readiness.
Focus Group Discussion Guide Template
A structured FGD guide with opening, warm-up, core questions, probes, and closing, plus facilitator and note-taker prompts.
In-Depth Interview Guide Template
A semi-structured interview guide with topic blocks, probes, and reflexivity notes.
Analysis Plan Template
Pre-specify your analysis approach before opening the dataset, including primary outcomes, subgroups, sensitivity analyses, missing data strategy, and a deviations log.
Journal Cover Letter Templates
A set of cover letter templates for journal submissions, including initial submission, revision response, and appeal letters.
Non-Technical Summary Template
A worksheet for translating a study into a plain-language summary required by many RECs, alongside use for funders, participants, communities, and media.
Workplan & Gantt Template
A spreadsheet workplan with status tracking, dependencies, deliverables, and a Gantt timeline that auto-fills from the workplan table.
Research Readiness Check
A short diagnostic that shows where your study is actually stuck and what to fix first.
Ethics Submission Checklist
What REC and IRB committees actually look for before they approve a protocol.
Research Submission Checklist
Check a manuscript or dissertation against submission requirements before you send it.
Proposal Builder Kit
Annotated proposal guidance, concept note support, framework tools and a sample-size cheat sheet.
UGX 25,000 / US$7
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