APP 005

• Research is a systematic process of collecting and analyzing data and information for some purpose.
• Research is a systematic attempt to provide answers to questions.
• Today, research has become a tool for finding ways to solve problems and improve the lives of people.
• Through research, medicines for diseases considered to be without cure before, were discovered.
• Research studies cited as part of the background information of your introduction should not include very specific, lengthy explanations.
• Secondary source materials can be articles in newspapers or popular magazines, book or movie reviews, or articles found in scholarly journals that discuss or evaluate someone else's original research.
• This should be discussed in greater detail in your literature review section.
• Research is also the reason for the continuous improvement of the gadgets being enjoyed by all people today.
• Research comprises “creative work undertaken on a systematic basis in order to increase the stock of knowledge, including knowledge of man, culture and society, and the use of this stock of knowledge to devise new applications.” - OECD (2002) Frascati Manual.
• “In the broadest sense of the word, the definition of research includes any gathering of data, information and facts for the advancement of knowledge.” - A broad definition of research given by Martyn Shuttleworth.
• Another definition of research is given by Creswell who states that – “Research is a process of steps used to collect and analyze information to increase our understanding of a topic or issue”.
• Research design refers to the overall strategy that you choose to integrate the different components of the study in a logical way, ensuring that you will effectively address the research problem.
• Main Research Designs: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed methods.
• Qualitative research is a scientific research used to collect non-numerical data through different qualitative research methods like observational methods, Face-to-Face interviews, case studies.
• After choosing a specific topic for your academic paper, you need to state it as a clear research problem that identifies all the issues that you’ll address.
• A good title should be interesting to the reader, reflect the tone of the writing, contain important keywords, and accurately indicate the subject and scope of the study.
• Any research starts with a problem that you derive from the topic that attracts your attention after general reading, classroom discussions, etc.
• A research problem is a statement about an area of concern, a condition to be improved, a difficulty to be eliminated, or a troubling question that exists in scholarly literature, in theory, or in practice that points to the need for meaningful understanding and deliberate investigation.
• Techniques in narrowing down a broad topic include stating the broad topic, describing the broad area more specifically, asking familiar questions, and naming a specific topic to the broad topic to make it a focused topic.
• Effective titles in academic research papers have several characteristics: they indicate accurately the subject and scope of the study, avoid using abbreviations, use words that create a positive impression and stimulate reader interest, use current nomenclature from the field of study, identify key variables, both dependent and independent, may reveal how the paper will be organized, suggest a relationship between variables which supports the major hypothesis, and are limited to 10 to 15 substantive words.
• A research problem does not state how to do something, offer a vague or broad proposition, or present a value question.
• The purpose of a problem statement is to introduce the reader to the importance of the topic being studied, place the problem into a particular context that defines the parameters of what is to be investigated, and provide the framework for reporting the results and indicating what is probably necessary to conduct the study and explain how the findings will present this information.
• For your research problem to be effective, make sure that it has these basic characteristics: reflecting on important issues or needs, basing on factual evidence, being manageable and relevant, suggesting a testable and meaningful hypothesis, and formulating your research problem with ease.
• Participants of the research are asked open-ended questions rather than asking close-ended questions through surveys and questionnaires.
• Qualitative research establishes a relationship between the cause and effect of a situation.
• Qualitative research is a casual design where one observes the impact caused by the independent variable on the dependent variable.
• Quantitative research is used to gain an understanding of underlying reasons, opinions, and motivations.
• Quantitative research is also used to uncover trends in thought and opinions, and dive deeper into the problem.
• Mixed methods research is characterized by the combination of at least one qualitative and one quantitative research component.
• The research problem should have a specific research method, such as a survey method.
• The research problem should have specific research limitations, such as limitations on the generalizability of the study results.
• The research problem should have specific research analysis, such as statistical analysis.
• The research problem should have specific research tools, such as a questionnaire.
• The research problem should have specific research applications, such as applications in a classroom setting.
• The research problem should not be too vague or broad, and can be made more specific by aspects, time periods, or events.
• Naturalistic research refers to studying real-world situations as they unfold naturally; non-manipulative and noncontrolling; the researcher is open to whatever emerges.
• The research problem should be interesting enough to stimulate motivation.
• The research problem should have specific research conclusions, such as a conclusion about the effectiveness of a teaching approach.
• A powerful research problem should be interesting, relevant, specific and focused, and researchable.
• The research problem should have specific research costs, such as costs of materials or time.