Abstract Thinking: The Researcher’s Superpower - Introducing the Series

I find abstract thinking to be the researcher’s superpower, because basically, without abstract thinking, there’s no research. It is one skill that is important for virtually everything we do as researchers, be it at Undergraduate, Masters, Doctoral or Post-Doctoral level. This series of five videos explores what abstract thinking is, why it matters, why it is rarely taught, how it shows up in real research, how to develop it, and what it means in the age of AI.

Let’s start with the premise: an abstraction is a general concept or idea rather than something concrete or tangible. When we engage in abstract thinking, we clear away details to build simplifications of the world, but in doing so we lose detail. Abstract thinking is, in essence, a stepping back from what is happening to understand the mechanisms and principles behind it.

Across the five parts, we will start with the foundations, then move on to application, and finalise with a reflection about abstract thinking and AI:

👉 Part 1: What it is and why it matters – introducing abstract thinking and its role in research.

👉 Part 2: Why it is rarely taught – exploring the gap between its importance and how little it is developed explicitly.

👉 Part 3: Research examples – seeing abstract thinking in action.

👉 Part 4: Developing the skill – practical ways to strengthen abstract thinking skills.

👉 Part 5: Abstract thinking in the age of AI – what changes, and what becomes even more important.

A key idea running through the series is that research depends on our ability to move beyond the concrete. Abstract thinking involves transcending what can be immediately be seen to identify underlying patterns, relationships and fundamental principles. These are exactly what researchers seek to do when they do research. Abstract thinking is particularly important when the goal is to make a contribution to knowledge, which can only be achieved by uncovering those patterns, relationships or principles.

Importantly, this series does not diminish concrete thinking: As researchers, we must grasp both. We often start with concrete thinking - the data, the observations, the specifics - and then move toward abstraction. Wise reasoning is about balancing both, mastering both, and shifting between the two.

Across these five videos, the goal is simple: to help you develop the skill that sits at the heart of theorisation, creativity, and meaningful contribution. In short, to strengthen your research superpower.

Videos in this series will be available in this playlist as they are released.

Subscribers of the Virtual Tutor resource access all videos as they are finalised, and they can now access the first four videos. Besides these videos which address abstract thinking head on, the VT Resource features many tips and tools aimed at helping you develop your abstract thinking skills across key stages of the research process: from literature review and writing the introduction, to data analysis and building conceptual frameworks.

If you want more personalised support, I also work with students and researchers to help them move beyond simply describing data toward conceptualising and synthesising. Whether you are refining your research focus, building your conceptual framework, desigining your data collection instrument or strengthening the theoretical contribution of your work, the focus of my support is always the same: helping you step back from the details to identify the patterns, relationships, and principles that define strong research. You can find more details about my personalised support here.