Research Advice

Meeting with one of our expert researchers can save you significant time and will ensure you're on track to produce a high quality piece of research. Whether you're a novice or experienced researcher, we have a range of support options, which can be arranged either face-to-face or online. Our experienced staff can advise all stages of the research process – from helping with initial design, providing advice on analysing and reporting, through to publishing.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed with data, don’t know how to structure your thesis or you're unsure how to best present your results, get in touch with us and we’ll let you know how we can help. If you're struggling with research software, we have specialised expertise in a range of research applications and can assist with:

NVivo
SPSS
Endnote/Zotero/Mendeley
Microsoft Word/Excel/PowerPoint
SurveyMonkey/Qualtrics
Trello
Evernote

We also offer research advice as part of our Thesis Boot Camp, where as part of the programme you’ll receive 3 hours of personalised assistance. If you’d prefer assistance on hand and as you need it, our Bring Your own Project Days are a great way to make some serious progress on your research while receiving individual assistance.

Frequently asked questions

How does it work?

Step 1

Get in touch via email or phone and tell us what you need help with.

Step 2

We’ll arrange a time, let you know the cost, and any other relevant information.

Step 3

We can either meet online or at our office.

Step 4

We’ll email you an invoice.

Where are meetings held?

We can either meet online or at our office. We use Zoom for online meetings and will send our meeting room link when we confirm the appointment. If you’d prefer to come into our office, location and parking details can be found here.

How much does it cost?

Our prices for a standard 1 hour individual consultation as of 28 November 2023 are:

Academic/NGO	$209 NZD
Commercial	$299 NZD

How can I pay for the work?

We accept all major credit cards and direct bank deposit. We’re also approved suppliers for the majority of New Zealand tertiary providers and can invoice your institution directly.

What about confidentiality?

As active researchers ourselves we’re aware of the importance of confidentiality and can sign a confidentiality agreement for your project.

Can I record the meeting?

Online meetings are automatically recorded, and you’ll be sent a link to the recording along with your invoice. You are welcome to bring a recording device with you to our office.

I’m a PhD/master's student – will my supervisor mind if I come and see you?

We would encourage you to let them know that you’re coming to see us. Many students we work with have been recommended to us by their supervisors and you’re welcome to bring your supervisor(s) with you if this would be helpful – we don’t charge extra for this and would welcome their input into the session.

Testimonials

What people say about our research advice

Undertaking a part time PhD can be a very isolating experience but making contact with Academic Consulting for one to one NVivo support was a turning point for me. I had reached a point with my research where I didn’t know where to turn with my data analysis. In a very few emails, I had a date and time set up to meet with Lyn who was entirely flexible about timing, despite the fact that we were in different time zones. Her experience as a researcher and educator together with her confident expertise with NVivo made for a fun, motivating and useful session.

Julia Fotheringham, PhD Candidate Edinburgh Napier University

Thanks so much for the team session today. We really enjoyed your supportive teaching style, and ability to 'let go' when we needed to learn ourselves. We are very appreciative of what you did, and the time you gave to us. We all feel much more confident now to pick up the pace on using NVivo and will continue to learn as we go.

Associate Professor Roseanna Bourke Massey University