Research Methodology & Focus Shift - The initial research aimed to predict naval movements and oil prices using satellite data but shifted to the effect of inflation on different income groups due to limited resources [5] - The research focus changed from inflation's impact on income groups to helping researchers conduct short-term research, using inflation as a case study [14][15] - The study incorporated mixed methods research, including quantitative analysis (regression models), thematic analysis of documents from government agencies, NGOs, and institutions like the World Bank, and surveys [12][13][16] Challenges & Solutions in Short-Term Research - Short-term research faces challenges as numbers may not have time to stabilize, leading to jittery models and patterns [10] - The researcher initially struggled with regression models that yielded already known information about inflation's impact [8] - To address the limitations of short-term data, the researcher supplemented quantitative analysis with thematic analysis of documents and surveys to humanize the research [12][13] Role of LLMs in Research - Large language models (LLMs) were used to determine the optimal sequence for mixed methods research, comparing quantitative-before-qualitative and qualitative-before-quantitative approaches [17][18][19] - The LLM analysis indicated that starting with quantitative analysis followed by qualitative analysis yielded richer interpretations [19] - The use of LLMs in research received mixed reactions from reviewers, with some seeing it as a red flag and others as a novel contribution [20][21] Key Takeaways & Recommendations - Researchers should be flexible and open to pivoting from their initial plans and hypotheses [24] - The research emphasizes the importance of open access and sharing knowledge in science [15] - The study suggests researchers should be open to learning and unlearning, actively researching in the field and discovering insights unexpectedly [25]