Research Process

Research Process
BY: DR. PREETI JINDAL

Steps in Research Process
Formulation of research problem
First of all, a research must decide general area of

interest and aspects of subject matter that he would
like to enquiry into.
Essentially two steps are involved in formulating the
research problem, viz., understanding the
problem thoroughly, and rephrasing the same
into meaningful terms from an analytical point of
view.
The best way of understanding the problem is to

discuss it with one’s own colleagues or with
those having some expertise in the matter.
The researcher must at the same time examine all
available literature to get himself acquainted with
the selected problem. He may review two types of
literature—the conceptual literature concerning
the concepts and theories, and the empirical
literature consisting of studies made earlier which
are similar to the one proposed.
It will enable the researcher to specify his own

research problem in a meaningful context. After
this the researcher rephrases the problem into
analytical or operational terms i.e., to put the
problem in as specific terms as possible
Extensive literature review
At this juncture the researcher should undertake

extensive literature survey Academic journals,
conference proceedings, government reports, books
etc., must be tapped depending on the nature of the
problem. For this purpose, The earlier studies, if any,
which are similar to the study in hand should be
carefully studied. A good library will be a great help
to the researcher at this stage.
Formulating
research aim, objectives and research questions or
developing hypotheses
The choice between the formulation of research

questions and the development of hypotheses
depends on your research approach. Appropriate
research aims and objectives or hypotheses usually
result from several attempts and revisions.
It is critically important that you get confirmation
from your supervisor regarding your research
questions or hypotheses before moving forward with
the work.
Selecting the Research Design
The strength of what you find largely rests on how it was found..
The main function of a research design is to explain how you will
find answers to your research questions. The research design sets
out the specific details of your enquiry. The research design
signifies study design,(whether your study is cross-sectional
study, before-after study), sampling strategy, measurement scale,
tools and techniques of data analysis.
For any investigation, the selection of an appropriate research
design is crucial in enabling you to arrive at valid findings,
comparisons and conclusions. A faulty design results in misleading
findings. Therefore you should select the design the is most suited
to your study. You must have strong reasons for selecting a
particular design, you must be able to justify your selection.
Data Collection
In this step, you need to decide how you are going to collect data for
your proposed study. . There are two sources of data collection:
primary sources and secondary sources.
Primary data is the first hand data. It is collected through primary
sources which includes observations, interviews, questionnaires etc.
Secondary data is second-hand data. It is collected from secondary
sources like journals, newspapers, books, magazines, internet,
published or unpublished research work.
If you are planning to collect data specifically for your study
(primary data) , you need either to construct a research instrument
or to select one that has already been constructed. Whatever
instrument you are using for the collection of data it should be valid
and reliable.
Data Analysis
After the data have been collected, the researcher

turns to the task of analysing them. The analysis of
data requires a number of closely related operations
such as establishment of categories, the application
of these categories to raw data through coding,
tabulation and then drawing statistical inferences.
Data Analysis
 Coding operation is usually done at this stage

through which the categories of data are transformed
into symbols that may be tabulated and counted.
Editing is the procedure that improves the quality of
the data for coding. With coding the stage is ready
for tabulation.
Tabulation is a part of the technical procedure
wherein the classified data are put in the form of
tables.
Data Analysis
Analysis: It starts after tabulation and is based on

the computation of various percentages, coefficients,
Averages etc., by applying various well defined
statistical formula i.e. T-test, ANOVA, Regression
etc. In the process of analysis, relationships or
differences supporting or conflicting with original or
new hypotheses should be subjected to tests of
significance.
Findings and Conclusions
Finally, the researcher explains his findings on the

basis of the results of data analysis and prepares his
research report. This report informs the world what
you have done, what you have discovered and what
conclusions you have drawn from your findings.
Further, researcher can recommend strategies for
improvement in the light of findings and he can also
highlight the area for further research.

Research Process

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Research Process

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Research Process

BY: DR. PREETI JINDAL

First of all, a research must decide general area of

The best way of understanding the problem is to

It will enable the researcher to specify his own

At this juncture the researcher should undertake

The choice between the formulation of research

After the data have been collected, the researcher

 Coding operation is usually done at this stage

Analysis: It starts after tabulation and is based on

Finally, the researcher explains his findings on the

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