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Chapter 5 - Research Procedure

Chapter Five outlines the eight-step scientific research procedure, emphasizing the importance of objective data collection and evaluation. It details the selection of research topics, literature review, hypothesis formulation, methodology, data collection, analysis, presentation of results, and the necessity of replication for validation. Each step includes critical considerations and methods to ensure the research is valid and reliable.

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3 views4 pages

Chapter 5 - Research Procedure

Chapter Five outlines the eight-step scientific research procedure, emphasizing the importance of objective data collection and evaluation. It details the selection of research topics, literature review, hypothesis formulation, methodology, data collection, analysis, presentation of results, and the necessity of replication for validation. Each step includes critical considerations and methods to ensure the research is valid and reliable.

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CHAPTER FIVE

Research Procedure
The purpose of the scientific method of research is to provide an objective, unbiased
collection and evaluation of data. To investigate research questions and hypotheses
systematically, both academic and private sector researchers follow a basic eight-step
procedure. However, simply following the eight research steps does not guarantee that the
research is good, valid, reliable, or useful. An almost countless number of intervening
variables (influences) can destroy even the best-planned research project. The typical
research process consists of these eight steps:

1. Select a problem.
2. Review existing research and theory (when relevant)*.
3. Develop hypotheses or research questions.
4. Determine an appropriate methodology/research design.
5. Collect relevant data.
6. Analyze and interpret the results.
7. Present the results in an appropriate form.
8. Replicate the study (when necessary)*

*Steps 2 and 8 are optional in the private sector

Selection of problem

1. Sources of research topics


2. Professional Journals
3. Magazines and Periodicals
4. Research Summaries
5. The Internet
6. Everyday Situations
7. Archive Data

After identifying the research topic researcher must ask following important question to
himself before finalizing the research topic.

1. Is the Topic Too Broad?


2. Can the Problem Really Be Investigated?
3. Can the Data Be Analyzed?
4. Is the Problem Significant?
5. Can the Results of the Study Be Generalized?
6. What Costs and Time Are Involved in the Analysis?
7. Is the Planned Approach Appropriate to the Project?
8. Is There Any Potential Harm to the Subjects?

Review of existing research and theory

Try to find the answers of research questions.

Sources of Literature Review

1. Research Articles
2. Research Theses
3. Conference Proceedings
4. Books
5. Newspapers
6. Magazines
7. Blogs
8. Websites

Before they attempt any project, researchers should ask these questions:

1. What type of research has been done in the area?


2. What has been found in previous studies?
3. What suggestions do other researchers make for further study?
4. What has not been investigated?
5. How can the proposed study add to our knowledge of the area?
6. What research methods were used in previous studies?

Answers to these questions will usually help define a specific hypothesis or research
question.

Statement of hypothesis or research question

After identifying a general research area and reviewing the existing literature, the researcher
must state the problem as a workable hypothesis or research question.

A hypothesis is a formal statement regarding the relationship between variables and is tested
directly. The predicted relationship between the variables is either true or false. Hypotheses
are testable statements about the relationship(s) between the variables.

A research question is a formally stated question intended to provide indications about


something; it is not limited to investigating relationships between variables. Research
questions are appropriate when a researcher is unsure about the nature of the problem under
investigation. The research questions pose only general areas of investigation.
Determination of research methodology and research design

Research design: The overall strategy that choose to integrate the different components of
the study in a coherent and logical way. It is a blueprint of the activities to take in order to
satisfactorily answer the research questions identified in the exploration phase.

Methodology: Methodology is the study of methods and the underpinning philosophical


assumptions of the research process itself, e.g. methodology of legal research, historical
methodology, and scientific methodology.

Data collection

Data collection is a process of collecting information from all the relevant sources.

1. Primary data collection methods can be divided into two groups: quantitative and
qualitative. Quantitative data collection methods are based in mathematical
calculations in various formats. Qualitative research methods is closely associated
with words, sounds, feeling, emotions, colors and other elements that are
non-quantifiable.
2. Secondary Data Collection Methods is a type of data that has already been
published in books, newspapers, magazines, journals, online portals etc.

Analysis and interpretation of data

1. Validity: the degree to which a test actually measures what it purports to measure.
2. Reliability: the property of a measure that consistently gives the same answer at
different times.
3. Data Analysis of Quantitative Research: Numeric data collected in a research
project can be analyzed quantitatively using statistical tools in two different ways, i-
Descriptive analysis and ii- Inferential analysis.
4. Data Analysis of Qualitative Research: Qualitative analysis is the analysis of
qualitative data. Qualitative analysis is heavily dependent on the researcher’s analytic
and integrative skills and personal knowledge of the social context where the data is
collected.

Presentation of results

1. The format used to present results depends on the purpose of the study.
2. Research intended for publication in academic journals follows a format prescribed by
each journal.
3. Research conducted for management in the private sector tends to be reported in
simpler terms, often excluding detailed explanations of sampling, methodology, and
review of literature.
4. However, all results must be presented in a clear and concise manner appropriate to
both the research question and the individuals who will read the report.

Replication

For authentication and validation of research, it must be replicated, or repeated at different


perspectives. Lykken (1968) and Kelly, Chase, and Tucker (1979) identify four basic types
of replication that can be used to help validate a scientific test:

1. Literal replication: involves the exact duplication of a previous analysis, including


the sampling procedures, experimental conditions, measuring techniques, and
methods of data analysis.
2. Operational replication: attempts to duplicate only the sampling and experimental
procedures of a previous analysis, to test whether the procedures will produce similar
results.
3. Instrumental replication: attempts to duplicate the dependent measures used in a
previous study and to vary the experimental conditions of the original study.
4. Constructive replication: tests the validity of methods used previously by
deliberately not imitating the earlier study; both the manipulations and the measures
differ from those used in the first study. The researcher simply begins with a statement
of empirical “fact” uncovered in a previous study and attempts to find the same
“fact.”

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