Return on time investment: Research resources

Abstract

In an earlier article, the concept of “return on time investment” was introduced (ROTI) to consider the time it takes to learn and use a software program or application, balanced against the hours saved for your work or project. For people in academia, or those who anticipate a career that will involve writing on a regular basis, having a strong knowledge of a word processing program and a citation manager is essential. These programs have a high ROTI—that is, it is worth the time investment to learn to use them well, as they will save you many hours of effort in the long run. What if your career will involve active engagement in research activities? Or perhaps you are a student, embarking on a PhD dissertation or DNP capstone project. These types of projects usually involve data‐related activities—typically data collection, management, and analysis. There are myriad applications for each of these tasks. Sorting out the pros and cons of each—and balancing that against cost and ROTI—can be overwhelming. In this article, we will provide a framework that can be used as a starting point for thinking through some of these issues. Note that a comprehensive review of the various applications available is beyond the scope of this article. Our goal, instead, is to give some representative examples and provide criteria that you can use to guide decision‐ making.