Research

• Research


  An art of scientific investigation, a careful and detailed study into a specific problem, concern or issue using the scientific method, regarded as a systematic efforts to gain new knowledge
• Research


  • Systematic because there is a definite set of procedures and steps which you will follow
  • Organized in that there is a structure or method in going about doing research
  • Finding answers is the end of all research
• Questions


  Central to research, if there is no question, then the answer is of no use, research is focused on relevant, useful, and important questions
• Research paper


  A piece of academic writing that provides analysis, interpretation, and argument based on in-depth independent research
• Sections of a research paper

  • Abstract
  • Introduction
  • Literature review
  • Methodology
  • Results (findings)
  • Discussion
  • Hypothesis
  • Conclusion
• Abstract


  A short summary of your completed research
• Introduction


  Provides background information about the topic, states the research problem or question
• Literature review


  Involves summarizing, analyzing, and synthesizing existing scholarly articles, books, and other sources relevant to the research topic
• Methodology


  Outlines the systematic approach or procedures used to conduct the study, explains how the research was designed, the methods employed to collect and analyze data, and the rationale behind these choices
• Results (findings)


  Presents the outcomes of the study based on the data collected and analyzed
• Discussion


  The section of a research paper whose purpose is to interpret and describe the significance of your findings in light of what was already known about the research problem being investigated
• Hypothesis


  A statement or expectation or prediction that will be tested by research
• Conclusion


  Intended to help the readers understand why your research should matter to them after they have finished reading the paper
• Population


  The entire group that you want to draw conclusions about, can mean a group containing elements or anything you want to study, such as objects, events, organizations, countries, species, organisms, etc.
• Sample


  Refers to a subset of individuals, items, or events selected from a larger population to study, a smaller part or subgroup of the population, the specific group within a population that you will collect data from
• Reasons for sampling


  • Necessity - it's simply not possible to study the whole population due to its size or inaccessibility
  • Practicality - it's easier and more efficient to collect data from a sample
  • Cost-effectiveness - there are fewer participants, laboratory equipment, and researcher costs involved
  • Manageability - storing and running statistical analyses on smaller datasets is easier and reliable
• Respondents


  Answer (respond/reply to) questionnaires in quantitative research
• Participants


  Participate and answer questions in qualitative studies, involves much more detailed answers than quantitative research
• Variable


  Any factor, trait, or condition that can be manipulated, controlled for, or measured in an experiment
• Independent variable


  The variable in an experiment that is changed or manipulated
• Dependent variable


  The variable that responds to the changes, the variable being tested and measured
• Research instrument


  Any tool that you may use to collect or obtain data, measure data, and analyze data that is relevant to the subject of your research
• Questionnaire

  The main instrument for collecting data in survey research, basically a set of standardized questions, often called items, which follow a fixed scheme in order to collect individual data about one or more specific topics
• Data

  Any information that has been collected, observed, generated, or created to validate original research findings
• Reference


  The last page of a research paper that lists all the sources you used in your study, gives credit to authors you have consulted for their ideas
• Appendix


  Serves as a space for materials that help clarify your research, but do not belong in the main text, where researchers attach a copy of their research instrument such as interview transcripts, questionnaires or surveys
• Conjunction


  Conjunctions connect words or group of words
• Coordinate


  • A coordinate conjunction connects words or groups of words that are independent of each other
  • Coordinating conjunctions connect words, phrases, and independent clauses
• Coordinate conjunctions (FANBOYS)


  • For
  • And
  • Nor
  • But
  • Or
  • Yet
  • So
• Subordinate


  • A subordinate conjunction connects a subordinate clause with the clause on which it depends, the independent clause
• Subordinate conjunctions (SWABITS)


  • Since
  • When
  • Although
  • Because
  • If
  • That
  • So that
• Correlative conjunctions


  Conjunctions that are used in pairs
• Examples of correlative conjunctions


  • Both... and
  • Not only... but also
  • Either... or
  • Neither... nor
  • Though... yet
  • Although... yet
  • Since... therefore
• Conjunctive Adverbs are classed as coordinating conjunctions
• Conjunctive Adverb


  A conjunctive adverb joins two independent clauses, or sentences
• Examples of conjunctive adverbs (THAMOS)


  • Therefore
  • However
  • As a matter of fact
  • Meanwhile
  • Otherwise
  • Still
• Other examples of conjunctive adverbs


  • Accordingly
  • Also
  • Besides
  • Consequently
  • Finally
  • Indeed
  • Instead
  • Likewise
  • Moreover
  • Nevertheless
  • Then