Research Process

Research Process
Research process can be seen as consisting of major
sequential steps which are interdependent and iterative
Step 1: Defining the Problem

Step 2: Review of the Literature

Step 3: Developing an Approach to the Problem

Step 4: Formulating a Research Design

Step 5: Doing Field Work or Collecting Data

Step 6: Preparing and Analyzing Data

Step 7: Interpretation and Generalization of the Results,

Discussion, Recommendations, limitations and Future Research
Directions, Draw Conclusions

Step 7: Preparing and Presenting the Report

Steps of research
Identifying the Problem

The first and foremost task in the entire

process of scientific research is to
identify a problem. We have countless
number of problems but all are not
qualify as research problems and thus
these do not need to be researched.
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Problem Definition
Non research problem

Non research problem is one that does

not require any research to arrive at a
solution. The answer to any question
raised in a non-research setting is almost
always obvious.
Examples

• Outbreak of cholera following a severe

flood is common phenomenon in
many countries.

• Reasons for sudden rise in prices of

many essential commodities following
the announcement of budget by the
finance minister need no
investigation.
Research Problem
A research problem is one which requires a researcher
to find out the best solution for the given problems.
Or A research problem is a perceived of difficulty, a
feeling of discomfort or a discrepancy between the
common believe and the reality.
Examples
It is found that in a locality the prevalence
of Diarrhea disease increased from 15% to
45%.
Now if we do not know the reason exactly,
then that is a research problem. But if it is
known that, it happened due to last flood,
then it id a non-research problem.
 Selecting of Research Problem

The research problem undertaken for study must be carefully selected. The
following points may be observed by a researcher in selecting a research
problem or a subject for research:

• Subject which is overdone should not be normally

chosen, for it will be a difficult task to throw any new
light in such a case.
• Controversial subject should not be chosen by average
researcher.
Selecting of Research Problem
• Too narrow or too vague problems should be
avoided.
• The subject selected for research should be
familiar and feasible, so that the related research
materials are within one’s reach.
• The importance of the subject, time, the
qualification and training of a researcher should
be considered.
 Characteristics of a good Research topic

Ref: Strategies for Selecting a Research Topic, August Mining Engineers’ Journal, Vol. 22, No. 1
2020
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 Ask yourself the following questions when
you select a topic

• What is the key thing you want to find out?

• Can you answer the question within the time and resources available?

• Will you be able to collect the data needed to answer the question?

• Can you access the people you need to collect data from?

• Will people be willing to talk to you about your chosen research topic?

• Are there any ethical issues?

• Has the question already been answered by other researchers? and why
is that inadequate?
• Will the answer to the question be genuinely useful? Does it have the
potential to have an impact and effect change?
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We can, thus, state the components1 of a research problem as under:
(i)There must be an individual or a group which has some difficulty or the
problem.
(ii) There must be some objective(s) to be attained at. If one wants nothing,
one cannot have a problem.
(iii)There must be alternative means (or the courses of action) for obtaining
the objective(s) one wishes to attain. This means that there must be at least
two means available to a researcher for if he has no choice of means, he
cannot have a problem.
(iv) There must remain some doubt in the mind of a researcher with regard to
the selection of alternatives. This means that research must answer the
question concerning the relative efficiency of the possible alternatives.
(v) There must be some environment(s) to which the difficulty pertains.

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How to write title of a
research topic
• Brief and specific – 12 – 18 words
• Reflect the objectives and focus of the
study
• Clear and unambiguous
• Reflect a relationship between
independent and dependent variables
• Researchable
• Measurable
A good topic must be narrow and focused
enough to be interesting, yet broad enough
to find adequate information
Common errors in identifying a
research problem
Exercise On Research problem
Research
Broad topic Narrowed topic Focus topic question
Converting a broad topic to a
narrow topic
The topic should included 3
elements
Example of research topics
What is the research problem
statement?
• A research problem statement is a brief and precise
description of the problem that a researcher wishes
to investigate.
• It defines the research’s focus and serves as a
framework for developing research questions or
hypotheses.
• Typically, the problem statement begins with a broad
topic area and then narrows down to a specific
research question or problem.
• It should explain why the research is important, what
gaps in knowledge or understanding exist, and what
potential implications or applications the research
may have.

A good research statement keeps the researcher

focused and guides the research project’s
development.
Review of Relevant Literature
 Review of Literature
• A literature review is an evaluative report of information
found in the literature related to your selected area of study.
• The review should describe, summarize, evaluate and clarify
this literature. It should give a theoretical base for the
research and help you determine the nature of your research.
Works which are irrelevant should be discarded and those
which are peripheral should be looked at critically.
 Review of Literature
• A literature review is more than the search for information,
and goes beyond being a descriptive annotated bibliography.

• All works included in the review must be read, evaluated and

analyzed (which you would do for an annotated
bibliography), but relationships between the literature must
also be identified and articulated, in relation to your field of
research.
 Review of Literature
• In writing the literature review, the purpose is to convey to the
reader what knowledge and ideas have been established on a
topic, and what their strengths and weaknesses are. The
literature review must be defined by a guiding concept (eg.
your research objective, the problem or issue you are
discussing, or your argumentative thesis).
• It is not just a descriptive list of the material available, or a set
of summaries.
Review of Literature
In general, the literature review should:
• provide a context for the research
• justify the research
• ensure the research hasn't been done
before (or if it is repeated, that it is marked
as a "replication study")
• show where the research fits into the
existing body of knowledge
• enable the researcher to learn from
previous theory on the subject
Purpose
• illustrate how the subject has been
studied previously
• highlight flaws in previous research
• outline gaps in previous research
• show that the work is adding to the
understanding and knowledge of
the field
• help refine, refocus or even change
the topic
Review of Literature
 Importance of the literature Review

A review of previous documents to similar or

related phenomena is essential even for beginning
researchers. If the researcher is aware of earlier
studies of his topic or related topics, he will be in
much better position to asses the significance of
his own work.
 Reviewing of Literature
Importance / Necessity:
 It prevents researcher from duplicating work that

has done before.

 It prevents blind search.
 It helps to find out what others have learned and
reported on the problem.
 Reviewing of Literature
Importance / Necessity:
 It should provide with convincing argument for
why the particular research topic is needed.
 It helps researcher to become familiar with the
various type of methodology that followed by
others.
 Development of an Approach
This step includes formulating:
– An objective or theoretical framework,
– Analytical models,
– Research questions and hypotheses, and
– Identifying the information needed.

This process is guided by discussions with management, industry

experts, analysis of secondary data, qualitative research, and
pragmatic considerations etc.
 Research Design Formulation
A research design is a framework or blueprint for conducting the MR
project which:
– details the procedures for conducting research
– involves the following steps:
– Definition of the information needed
– Secondary data analysis
– Qualitative research
– Methods of collecting quantitative data
– Measurement and scaling procedures
– Questionnaire design
– Sampling process and sample size
– Plan of data analysis
Fieldwork or Data collection

Collecting data from field or from office, through

personal interview, by phone, through mail and
mail panel surveys with pre-recruited households
or electronically
– Proper selection, training, supervision, and
evaluation of the field force help minimize
data collection errors
Execution of the project
Data Preparation and Analysis
• It includes
» editing
» coding
» transcriptions
» verifications of data
Hypothesis Testing
Generalizations and Interpretation
Report Preparation and
Presentation
1) Overview
2) Importance of the Report and Presentation
3) The Report Preparation and Presentation
Process
4) Report Preparation
i. Report Format
ii. Report Writing
iii. Guidelines for Tables
iv. Guidelines for Graphs

5) Oral Presentation
6) Reading the Research Report
i. Addresses the Problem
ii. Research Design
iii. Execution of the Research Procedures
iv. Numbers and Statistics
v. Interpretations and Conclusions
vi. Generalizability
vii. Disclosure
7) Research Follow-Up
i. Assisting the Client
ii. Evaluation of the Research Process
Thank You All