Research Methods Reviewer PDF

What is RESEARCH? Research is an organized investigation and study of materials and sources to create facts and reach new inferences. Research has come up with developing appropriate solutions to improve the individual's quality of life (Walker, 2010). Research means an objective and systematic se...

What is RESEARCH? Research is an organized investigation and study of materials and sources to create facts and reach new inferences. Research has come up with developing appropriate solutions to improve the individual's quality of life (Walker, 2010). Research means an objective and systematic search for pertinent information on a specific topic. **Types of Research** **Descriptive Research** -- means describing the state-of-affairs -- Mostly involves primary data -- ex-post research **Analytical Research** -- means carrying out an analysis on a phenomenon -- Mostly involves secondary data -- ex-ante research **Basic Research** \- is the type of research that is purely direct application but increasing the nature of understanding about the problem. It develops the scientific theories to be more understandable to the readers. **Quantitative Research** \- Based on the measurement of quantity or amount **Qualitative Research** \- concerned with subjective attitude/quality/attributes/desires/feelings/etc. **Mixed Methods Research** \- a combination of qualitative and quantitative methodologies to gather data **Conceptual Research** \- about abstract ideas or theory **Empirical Research** \- data-based and subject to verification **Characteristics of Research** **Empirical** -- based on observations and experimentations of theories **Systematic** -- follows valid orderly and sequential procedures **Controlled** -- all variables, except those that are tested/experimented on, are kept constant. **Employs** **Hypothesis** -- refers to a search for facts, answers to questions, and solutions to problems. **Analytical** -- shows analytical procedure in gathering data **Objective** -- unbiased and logical **Original** -- it requires its own examination and produces the data needed to complete the study. **Research Ethics** Ethics are the rules of conduct in research **Plagiarism** The University of Oxford defines plagiarism as follows: "Presenting work or ideas from another source as your own, with or without consent of the original author, by incorporating it into your work without full acknowledgement. All published and unpublished material, whether in manuscript, printed or electronic form, is covered under this definition, as is the use of material generated wholly or in part through use of artificial intelligence (save when use of AI for assessment has received prior authorisation e.g. as a reasonable adjustment for a student's disability). Plagiarism can also include re-using your own work without citation. Under the regulations for examinations, intentional or reckless plagiarism is a disciplinary offence." **Types of Plagiarism** **Copying** \- using the same, or very similar, words to the original text (whether in a book, journal, website, or any other source) without either acknowledging the source or using quotation marks. This also applies to images, pictures and melodies. **Paraphrasing** \- changing a few words and phrases from the original but retaining too much of the original structure and expressions **Collusion** \- working with others but passing off the work as your own individual work **Duplication** \- submitting work for one module which had been prepared for another **Citation and Acknowledgment** To cite a source means to acknowledge the original authorship of any words or ideas taken from it. Citing requires two components: in-text citations and a list of full citations at the end of the paper. There are several styles used for citations, including APA, MLA, and the Chicago Manual of Style. **Responsibility and Accountability of a Researcher** - You have responsibilities to others - Honesty is essential in the substance of what you write. - Accurate descriptions are required of your work **Where do you stand? - Epistemology** - Make your theoretical perspective, or epistemology, clear at the outset - In many subjects it will initially be a challenging task to become aware of and understand all the current and past theoretical underpinnings of relevant research. - While doing qualitative research, reflect on the intertwined ethical, methodological, and epistemological - Data analysis is an ethical issue **Interpretation of Data** - Do not be too selective - Do not reject or ignore evidence **Ethics in relation to other people -- themes that need to be considered** - Use of language - Presenting yourself- honesty, deception, covert methods - Choosing participants - Freedom from coercion. Reward or not? - Gaining informed consent - Potential harm and gain -- participant involvement - Anonymity - Confidentiality - Dissemination - Dealing with records and disposal **Use of Language** - Be aware of: - Ageism - Cultural diversity - Disability - Gender - Sexual orientation - The words subject, participant, respondent, interviewee - Ageism - Cultural diversity - Disability - Gender - Sexual orientation - The words subject, participant, respondent, interviewee **Presenting yourself- honesty, deception, covert methods** - An ethically sound approach to research is based on the principle of honesty. - Some kind of information that could be of benefit to society can only be gained by covert methods? - If the argument is that of doing good without doing harm, remember that the prediction of the outcomes of the research are speculative. **Choosing Participants** - In some cases, participants choose themselves - Pressure, inadvertent or not might be exerted by enlisting friends or relatives - When making observations in a public place, the subjects of your study are not in a position to choose whether they are observed or not - Take care if the choice of participants is made by others - Particular precautions need to be taken with vulnerable subjects e.g. young, old, infirm, disadvantaged etc. **Gaining Informed Consent** - Clarity, brevity and frankness are key attributes - There may be several layers of consent required - There could be a conflict of interest between the management and those of the employees - Make it made clear and agreed at all levels - Getting consent from/for vulnerable people - The right to terminate their participation at any time **Participant Involvement** - Causing no harm and, if possible, producing some gain - Prediction the potential of the research methods and their outcomes for causing harm or gain. - The implications of involving people in your research are not always obvious - What sort of precautions should be taken? **Anonymity and Confidentiality** - Devise systems to ensure anonymity and confidentiality in the material accessible by other people. - Do this by allocating numbers to cases. **Dissemination** - There are standard procedures for making your work available to the public. - Publishing the results in the form of conference or journal papers, a web site or other types of publication. - Participants might request to be informed about the outcomes of the research. **Dealing with Records and Disposal** - A suitable time and method for disposal should be decided. - You might want to keep confidential data for longer than needed for your immediate project - One basic policy is to ensure that all the data is anonymous and non-attributable - When destroying data, make sure that it is disposed of in such a way as to be completely indecipherable