Steps Involved in Research Process
Author: annphilip | Posted: 15.02.2012Research will give solution to our what, why, when and where questions. The developments that we see in our world are the result of constant research and experimentation. The research process involves a systematic process that focuses on gathering information based on objectives. The researcher analyzes the data and reaches a conclusion. This process is used in all research and evolution projects, though the research method will be different.
The scientific research process passes through different steps that are linked with one another as a chain of process. If a researcher makes any change in one process, he must review all the other steps to ensure that that the changes are reflected throughout the process.
The basic steps involved in a research process are as follows –
Identify or select a problem – This is the first stage of the research process. People will select their topic for research based on their area of interest. Those who are engaged in human welfare service, health, social services can do research on human welfare and health concerns. Meanwhile, some researchers simply think of their research topic on their own. Their ideas will be mostly influenced by their environment, culture, experience and education background. Some people will try to do research on the basis of previous research. After the research topic has been selected, the next step is to ensure that the subject has merit.
Review of literature – Once a topic has been finalized, the next step is investigation. The researcher conducts investigation by reviewing the literature related to the research problem. A literature review gives him fundamental knowledge about the research subject. The review of literature allows him to know more about the studies conducted in the past, the research methods they followed, the areas that were not covered, scope for further study and the conclusion.
Refine your research topic - The initial problem identified in the first step can be too broad in scope. The review of literature can narrow the scope of study. That means, the researcher must specifically define the terms and phrases for a particular study. In the product study, the concept of ‘product marketing’ can be defined in number of ways, such as customer satisfaction, marketing a particular segment, for a specific class of people or marketing in a particular area. If we refine the study to product marketing for a particular area, then we can give a more specific conclusion.
Formulate the hypotheses - A hypothesis is an assumption and it relates two variables. The research process will continue based on the hypothesis and this guess about the research outcome will be verified.
Planning the research - Research design is a detailed plan about the procedures to be followed in a research. The plan includes, what is to be observed? How is to be conducted? When is to be observed? Why is to be observed? How to record observations? How to interpret observations? How to generalize?
Collecting data – After designing the research process, the next step is to collect data. There are two types of data collection. They are primary data collection and secondary data collection. Primary data are those that we collect for the first time. As those will be fresh data, they will be original in character. We can collect primary data by observations, personal interviews, telephonic interviews, questionnaires, surveys and content analysis.
Meanwhile, secondary data can be those that have been already collected by someone. Secondary data can be collected from various publications, technical and trade journals, magazines, newspapers, research reports and historical documents. We can also collect secondary data from programs coming on HD television powered by providers like Dish TV Packages.
Analyze the data – The collected data will be analyzed properly. Data processing, data analysis, data interpretation and presentation are the various methods to convert raw data into meaningful statements.
Conclusion - The research process ends by arriving into a conclusion. Conclusions may or may not be in line with hypothesis.
About Author:
As a freelancer, Ann likes to write about various steps involved in a research process. Out of various methods for data collection, she gathers some data from programs on her HD television connected to providers like Dish TV Packages.
As a freelancer, Ann likes to write about various steps involved in a research process. Out of various methods for data collection, she gathers some data from programs on her HD television connected to providers like Dish TV Packages.
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