Research Methodology-Intorduction

Dr.Dipali Meher
mailtomeher@gmail.com
#DipaliMeher
Introduction to Research:
Definition, meaning,
characteristics of Research
Collected by #DipaliMeher

Agenda
✔Why Research is Important
✔Types of Research
✔Formulating a Research Question
✔Collecting and Analyzing Data
✔Interpreting Results
✔Ethical Considerations in
Research

Why Research is Important?
✔ Research is a crucial component of progress and
innovation.
✔ It allows us to explore new ideas, test theories, and
develop solutions to complex problems.
✔ Without research, we would be limited in our
knowledge and understanding of the world around
us.
✔ In addition to driving progress and innovation,
research also has practical applications in a variety of
fields.
✔ For example, medical research has led to the
development of life-saving treatments and
technologies, while social science research has
helped us better understand human behavior and
improve our communities.
✔ By conducting research, we can make informed
decisions and create positive change in the world.

Types of Research
Research can be broadly classified into two categories:
qualitative research and quantitative research.
✔ Qualitative research is exploratory in nature and seeks to
understand complex phenomena by studying real-life
situations. This type of research involves collecting data
through interviews, observations, and focus groups.
Qualitative research is often used in fields such as social
sciences, psychology, and anthropology.
On the other hand,
✔ Quantitative research is based on numerical data and
statistical analysis. This type of research involves collecting
data through surveys, experiments, and questionnaires.
Quantitative research is often used in fields such as
economics, business, and engineering. Both qualitative and
quantitative research have their strengths and weaknesses,
and researchers need to choose the appropriate method
based on their research question and objectives.

Formulating a Research Question
Formulating a research question is a crucial step in
the research process.
✔ A well-crafted research question can guide the entire study
and help ensure that the data collected is relevant and
informative.
✔ When developing a research question, it's important to
consider both the scope of the project and the specific
goals of the study.
✔ One effective approach to formulating a research question
is to use the PICO framework, which stands for Population,
Intervention, Comparison, and Outcome.
✔ This framework helps researchers identify the key elements
of their study and develop a clear and focused research
question that addresses these elements.
✔ By using the PICO framework, researchers can ensure that
their research question is specific, measurable, and
relevant to the study at hand.

Collecting and Analyzing Data
There are various methods of collecting data for research
purposes, including surveys, interviews, observations, and
experiments.
Each method has its own strengths and weaknesses, and
researchers must carefully consider which method is most
appropriate for their study. For instance, surveys are useful for
gathering large amounts of data quickly, but they may not
provide in-depth information about individual experiences or
perspectives. On the other hand, interviews can provide more
detailed information, but they are time-consuming and may be
biased by the researcher's own assumptions or expectations.
After collecting data, researchers must analyze it to draw
meaningful conclusions. Common methods of data analysis
include descriptive statistics, inferential statistics, and
qualitative analysis. Descriptive statistics summarize the data
using measures such as mean, median, and standard deviation.
Inferential statistics allow researchers to make broader
conclusions based on a smaller sample of data. Qualitative
analysis involves interpreting non-numerical data, such as text
or images. Each method has its own strengths and weaknesses,
and researchers must choose the most appropriate method
based on their research question and the type of data they
have collected. Collected by #DipaliMeher

Interpreting Results
After collecting and analyzing data, the next step is to
interpret the results. This involves examining the data to
identify patterns or trends that can be used to draw
conclusions about the research question. It is important
to approach the data objectively and avoid making
assumptions or drawing conclusions that are not
supported by the evidence.
One common method of interpreting data is to use
statistical analysis. This involves applying mathematical
formulas to the data to identify significant differences or
relationships between variables. Researchers may also
use visual representations of the data, such as graphs or
charts, to help identify patterns and trends. It is
important to choose the appropriate method of data
interpretation based on the research question and the
type of data collected.

Ethical Considerations in Research
Ethical considerations play a critical role in
research, as they ensure that the rights and
welfare of participants are protected.
Researchers must adhere to ethical guidelines
when designing studies, collecting data, and
disseminating results. For example, researchers
must obtain informed consent from
participants, maintain confidentiality, and
minimize any potential harm or discomfort.
However, ethical issues can arise in research,
such as conflicts of interest, deception, and
coercion. Researchers must be aware of these
issues and take steps to address them. For
instance, they may need to disclose any
financial or personal relationships that could
influence their research, or avoid using
deceptive techniques to obtain data.

The word ‘research’ perhaps originates
from the old French
word “recerchier” which meant to
‘search again.’ It implicitly assumes
that the earlier search was not
exhaustive and complete; hence, a
repeated search is called for.
In practice, ‘research’ refers to a
scientific process of generating an
unexplored horizon of knowledge,
aiming at discovering or establishing
facts, solving a problem, and reaching
a decision.
Introduction to Research

Research
Research is a scientific
approach to answering a
research question, solving a
research problem, or
generating new knowledge
through a systematic and
orderly collection,
organization, and analysis of
data to make research
findings useful in decision-
making.

Characteristics of Research
Empirical
Systematic
Logical
Significant
Clearly
Defined
Ethical
Unbiased
Rigorous

Characteristics of Research
1.Empirical - based on observations and experimentation
2.Systematic - follows orderly and sequential procedure.
3.Controlled - all variables except those that are tested/experimented
upon are kept constant.
4.Employs hypothesis - guides the investigation process
5.Analytical - There is critical analysis of all data used so that there is
no error in their interpretation
6.Objective, Unbiased, & Logical - all findings are logically based on
empirical.
7.Employs quantitative or statistical methods - data are transformed
into numerical measures and are treated statistically.

Objectives of Research
❑To gain familiarity with a phenomenon or to achieve new insights
into it (studies with this object in view are termed as exploratory or
formulative research studies);
❑To portray accurately the characteristics of a particular individual,
situation or a group (studies with this object in view are known as
descriptive research studies);
❑To determine the frequency with which something occurs or with
which it is associated with something else (studies with this object
in view are known as diagnostic research studies);
❑To test a hypothesis of a causal relationship between variables
(such studies are known as hypothesis-testing research studies).

A Piece of research: example(Dealing with a puncture)
14

Example of Research
15
Research Task Everyday thinking
Identify a problem How Can I deal with my punctured tyre ?
Gather data Obtain prices of new tyres
Analyze the data What is the cheapest?
Interpret the data That’s more than I want to pay. I need more information
Gather more data Is it repairable?
Obtain prices for tyre repair
Analyze the data Can it be repaired?
What is the lowest cost?
How does the cost compare with a new tyre?
Interpret the data Repairing it is possible
Repair will cost 0% of a new tyre
Repair rather than replace means I can still offer to go out on Friday night
Draw Conclusion I will ger it repaired at Tyres –from xyz mechanic/ garage

6 Ps of Research
16
Participants
Paradigm
Purpose Presentation
Product
Process

6 Ps of Research: Purpose
17
The reason for doing the research, the topic of
interest, why it is important or useful to study this,
the specific research question(s) asked and the
objectives
set. Research without a purpose is unlikely to be
good research.

6 Ps of Research: Process
18
The sequence of activities undertaken in any research project.
The process involves identifying one or more research topics,
establishing a conceptual framework (the way you choose to
think about your research topic), the selection and use of a
research strategy and data generation methods, the analysis of
data and the drawing of conclusions, including recognizing any
limitations in your own research. As explained already, the
process should be carried out systematically if the research is
to be accepted as rigorous.

6 Ps of Research: Participants
19
These include those whom you directly involve in your
research, for example by interviewing them or observing
them, and also those who are indirectly involved, such as the
editors to whom you submit a research paper.
It is important that you deal with all these people legally and
ethically, that is, you do not do anything that might annoy
them or cause them harm (physically, mentally or socially).
You yourself as a researcher are also a research participant.
As we shall see later, for some types of research, researchers
are expected to be objective and remain largely unseen in the
reporting of their research, whereas in other types of research
the researchers are open about their feelings and how their
presence influenced the other participants and the research
situation.

6 Ps of Research: Product
20
The outcomes of research, especially your contribution to knowledge
about your subject area.
Your contribution can be an answer to your original research question(s)
but can also include unexpected findings. For example, you and the
academic community might learn something about a particular research
strategy as a result of your research.
Your thesis, dissertation, conference paper or journal article is also a
product of your research.
For those research projects that involve design and creation, a new
computer-based product or new development method could also be a
product of your research.

6 Ps of Research: Paradigm
21
Pattern or model or shared way of thinking. Managers sometimes talk
of the need for a ‘paradigm shift’ to mean that a new way of thinking is
required. In computing, we talk about programming language paradigms,
for example, a group of languages that share a set of characteristics,
such as the object-oriented paradigm (for example, Smalltalk and C++).
Here we are concerned with the philosophical paradigms of research.
Any piece of research will have an underlying paradigm.
We have noted already that different academic communities and
individuals have different ideas about the kinds of research questions to
ask and the process by which to answer them because they have
different views about the nature of the world we live in and therefore
about how we might investigate it. These different views stem from
different philosophical paradigms. We shall look at three such paradigms:
‘positivism’, interpretivism’ and ‘critical research’ — each will be explained
later.

6 Ps of Research: Presentation
22
The means by which the research is disseminated and
explained to
others.
For example, it may be written up in a paper or thesis, or a
conference
paper is presente2 to an audience of conference delegates, or
a computer-based product is demonstrated to clients, users or
examiners.
It is important that the presentation is carried out
professionally — otherwise your audience might assume your
whole research project was not undertaken in a professional
manner.

Products of Research Process
23
❑ New or improved concepts or theories
❑ New or improved analysis
❑ New or improved methodology
❑ New or improved evidence
❑ An in-depth study of a particular
situation
❑ An exploration of a topic, area, or field
❑ A critical analysis
• The above list is not exhaustive.

References
24
 Research methodology techniques and methods
https://ccsuniversity.ac.in/bridge-library/pdf/Research-Methodology-CR-
Kothari.pdf by New age International publishers. By C. R Kothari
 Researching Information Systems and Computing Sage Publications by
Oates B J

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