RESEARCH METHODS

ND 1 - 1ST NOTE

WHAT IS RESEARCH?
Research is defined as the production of new knowledge or the innovative use
of preexisting knowledge to provide novel ideas, approaches, and
comprehensions. This can involve synthesising and analysing earlier research to
the degree that it produces original and inventive results.
Research is a systematic process of inquiry, that aims to generate new
knowledge, understand issues, solve problems, or validate existing theories.
Research can be conducted in various fields, including science, social science,
humanities, and business.

RESEARCH METHODS
Research methods are particular techniques for gathering and examining data.
Creating your research methodology is a crucial component of your study plan.
There are two main choices you will have to make while organising your
techniques.

Key Characteristics of Research include:

Research plays a crucial role in advancing knowledge, informing decision-
making, and addressing societal challenges across various disciplines and
industries. It serves as a foundation for innovation, progress, and continuous
learning in the academic, scientific, and professional communities.
1. Systematic Approach: Research follows a structured and organized
process, involving clearly defined steps from problem identification to data
analysis and interpretation.
2. Purposeful Inquiry: Research is driven by specific objectives, such as
exploring new areas, describing phenomena, explaining relationships
between variables, or predicting outcomes.
3. Empirical Evidence: Research relies on empirical evidence obtained
through observation, experimentation, or data collection from real-world
sources.
4. Objective Analysis: Research involves objective analysis and interpretation
of data, aiming to minimize bias and subjectivity.
5. Generalizability: Research strives for results that can be generalized
beyond the specific context of the study, contributing to broader knowledge
and understanding.
6. Ethical Conduct: Research adheres to ethical principles and guidelines,
ensuring the protection of participants' rights, confidentiality, and integrity
in research practices.

PURPOSE OF RESEARCH
Research serves the purpose of acquiring new knowledge, understanding
phenomena, solving problems, or validating existing theories. It's a systematic
process of inquiry that involves collecting, analyzing, and interpreting data to
answer specific questions or test hypotheses. Here's an overview:

1. Exploratory: To explore new areas or phenomena, often with the aim of

generating new hypotheses. As the name implies, exploratory investigations
are carried out by researchers to investigate a set of questions. It's possible
that the data and solutions don't provide a resolution to the apparent issue. It
is started in order to address novel issues that have never been investigated
previously. The groundwork for more conclusive data collecting and
analysis is laid by this exploratory data analysis approach.
2. Descriptive: To describe characteristics or phenomena as they exist, without
altering them. It focuses on using a data collection approach to increase
knowledge about current challenges. Research that uses descriptive methods
explains how a sample population behaves. The study only needs one
variable to be conducted. Descriptive studies have three main goals: to
describe, explain, and validate the results. Consider a study done to
determine whether or not 21st-century top management executives have a
moral claim to a sizeable portion of the profits made by their companies.

3. Explanatory: To establish causal relationships between variables,

explaining why certain phenomena occur. Research on causality or
explanatory factors is carried out to determine the effects of particular
modifications to currently accepted practices. Conducting experiments is the
most widely used method. As an illustration, consider a study done to
determine how rebranding affects consumer loyalty.

4. Predictive: To forecast future outcomes based on present data and trends.

BASIC CONCEPTS
1. Hypothesis: A tentative statement or proposition that predicts a relationship
between variables. It's formulated based on existing theories or observations
and serves as a guide for research.
2. Variables: Factors or characteristics that can vary and are studied in
research. They can be independent (the cause) or dependent (the effect)
variables.
3. Independent Variable (IV): The variable that is manipulated or controlled
by the researcher to observe its effect on the dependent variable.
4. Dependent Variable (DV): The variable that is measured or observed to
determine the effect of the independent variable.
5. Control Variable: Variables that are kept constant or controlled to prevent
them from influencing the relationship between the independent and
dependent variables.
6. Operationalization: Defining variables in measurable terms, allowing
researchers to quantify and manipulate them.

RESEARCH DESIGN
Experimental Design: Involves manipulating one or more variables to observe
their effect on another variable. It allows researchers to establish cause-and-
effect relationships. Explore the core of RCTs (randomised controlled trials),
which are experiments. RCTs carefully evaluate the effectiveness of therapies
or treatments by randomly assigning participants to experimental and control
groups, demonstrating distinct cause-and-effect linkages.

Quasi-Experimental Design: Similar to experimental design but lacks random

assignment of participants to groups. Choose Non-equivalent Group Designs as
a practical option when randomization isn't an option. Robust research conduct
is ensured by these designs, which enable ethical comparison across many
groups without random assignment.

Correlational Design: Examines the relationship between variables without

manipulation. It determines the degree and direction of association between
variables. Use correlational studies to explore the world of correlations and
examine the links between variables without drawing conclusions about
causality. Gain understanding of the intricate network of relationships that
shapes research environments.
Descriptive Design: Focuses on describing characteristics of a population or
phenomenon without investigating relationships between variables. Explore the
depths of survey research data collection to get insights about traits, beliefs, and
attitudes. Take part in in-depth investigation with Case Studies, breaking down
unique phenomena to reveal deep revelations.

Longitudinal Design: Studies conducted over an extended period to observe

changes in variables over time. A developmental psychologist tracks the
cognitive, emotional, and social development of a group of kids from birth to
adolescence.

Cross-sectional Design: Collects data from a sample of the population at a

single point in time. Cross-sectional surveys gather information from a
representative group of respondents at one particular moment.

ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS IN RESEARCH

A researcher must adherence to ethical principles is typically overseen by
institutional review boards (IRBs) or ethics committees, which evaluate
research proposals to ensure they meet ethical standards before they are
conducted. Researchers are expected to follow ethical guidelines and
regulations relevant to their discipline and the specific context of their research.

Ethical considerations in research are paramount to ensure the well-being,

rights, and dignity of participants and to maintain the integrity and credibility of
the research process. Here are some key ethical principles that guide research
conduct:
Informed Consent: Participants should be fully informed about the purpose,
procedures, risks, and benefits of the research before they agree to participate.
They should have the right to withdraw from the study at any time without
consequences.
Privacy and Confidentiality: Researchers must ensure the confidentiality of
participants' personal information and data. Measures should be in place to
protect privacy, such as using anonymization techniques and secure data
storage.
Minimization of Harm: Researchers should minimize any potential harm to
participants, both physical and psychological. This includes avoiding
unnecessary risks and providing appropriate support and debriefing if
participants experience distress.
Beneficence: Research should aim to maximize benefits and minimize harm to
participants and society as a whole. The potential benefits of the research should
outweigh any potential risks.
Justice: Research should be conducted fairly and equitably, with equal
opportunities for participation and consideration of the distribution of risks and
benefits across different groups in society.
Respect for Persons: Researchers should respect the autonomy, dignity, and
rights of participants. This includes treating participants with respect, avoiding
coercion or undue influence, and obtaining informed consent from individuals
who have the capacity to make autonomous decisions.
Integrity and Accountability: Researchers should conduct research with
honesty, transparency, and accountability. This includes accurately reporting
findings, acknowledging conflicts of interest, and adhering to professional and
ethical standards.
Social Responsibility: Researchers have a responsibility to consider the
broader impacts of their research on society and the environment. This includes
addressing potential social, cultural, and environmental implications and
promoting the responsible use of research findings.
SOME AI TOOLS USED IN RESEARCH
1. ChatGPT
The OpenAI chatbot ChatGPT, which debuted in November 2022, is made to
comprehend and produce language that resembles that of a human, facilitating
interesting discussions and offering insightful answers on a range of subjects.
However, if you use ChatGPT for research, you may need to experiment with
the prompts and double-check the material you find there because, while the
articles on ChatGPT will provide you plenty of information to answer your
queries, it might not always be correct.

Academic scholars can benefit from ChatGPT in many different ways. It can
respond to particular queries about the subject of your study. It can also help in
the preliminary phases of a literature study by recommending important articles,
writers, or patterns (keep in mind that a thorough literature review utilising
reliable academic sources must come next).

Features
 Quick information retrieval
 Literature review support
 Easy-to-use interface to assign many kinds of tasks
 Idea generation and writing assistance

2. QuillBot
QuillBot is an AI-powered writing tool that helps users improve their writing
once they simply enter the text and explore the suggestions.

QuillBot, an advanced artificial intelligence (AI) writing tool, offers features

such as sentence rephrasing, article rewriting and AI-generated content creation.
QuillBot serves as a complete language processing and productivity tool with its
grammar checking and writing enhancement features. It aims to fulfill a variety
of writing requirements, including academic writing, blogging and
proofreading. As an AI language model, QuillBot helps users create well-
structured sentences and improves overall writing quality.

Features

 Plagiarism Checker.
 Create unique summaries using custom instructions.
 Faster processing speed.
 Premium recommendations.
 Compare Modes.
 Tone insights.
 Paraphraser History.

3. Grammarly
It reviews spelling, grammar, punctuation, clarity, engagement, and delivery
mistakes in English texts, detects plagiarism, and suggests replacements for the
identified errors. It also allows users to customize their style, tone, and context-
specific language.

Features:
 Correctness. Ensure your writing is mistake-free and polished.
 Tone Suggestions. Make the right impression every time.
 Full-Sentence Rewrites. Clean up tangled, hard-to-read sentences.
 Custom Style Guides.
 4. Mendeley
Mendeley is the best AI tools for research that can effectively reference
research papers. It organizes PDFs, crafts bibliographies, and annotates
scholarly documents accurately.

Features:
 Offer collaboration features to allow team members to collaborate,
share work, and find articles of interest.
 Integrate with standard academic procedures for managing research
papers.
 The web importer plugin will let you import all documents in one
place
 Search for annotations and notes in PDF documents with ease.