The art of Being a Polycephalic Researcher.

Pursing a Ph.D. is an exciting and transformative journey. The candidate is positively challenged at all stages of the journey, however, for the candidate to rise to challenge it is required that the candidate became a productive aspiring researcher in a short period of time. The candidate has to navigate several issues such as: should I crowd source my literature or data, how do I navigate the increasing number of journals that are being published? How do I understand the vocabulary of research, my chosen field and the special vocabulary of the academic database? Can I exclusively rely on my librarian who is the oracle in the data mining process? The emerging researcher may find themselves afflicted with information overload. This information overload will have an effect on the currency of the candidate's degree. The purpose of this research is to suggest a strategy for beginner researchers on how to navigate the research terrain. This is important because the researcher can become productive in a shorter period of time resulting in the earlier completion of the degree. This study is qualitative in nature and primary data in the form of reflective research journals were collected from my post graduate students and my reflective research journals. Aspects of the reflective research journals were analysed using principles of content and interpretative analysis. The analysis provided a deeper understanding of some issues affecting postgraduate candidates and resulted in the development of the Janus strategy. Janus, who is depicted with two heads, is the Roman demigod of beginnings, gates, transitions, time, doorways, passages, and endings. With the Janus strategy, the researcher employs an agenda driven strategy to navigate the academic research space from the start of the project. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]