What is Research?

Definition:
Noun – the systematic investigation into and study of materials
and sources in order to establish facts and reach new
conclusions.
Verb – to investigate systematically.
Research is a process of systematic inquiry that entails collection
of data, documentation of critical information, and analysis and
interpretation of that data/information. It is a careful
consideration of study regarding a particular concern or
research problem using scientific methods. Research is an art of
scientific investigation or technique. It is a process to discover
new knowledge. Research can be used to develop or
contribute to generalizable knowledge.
 Types of Research
Primary Research Secondary Research
Research that has involved the collection of While primary research involves active
original data specific to a particular research participation from the researcher themselves,
project (Gratton & Jones, 2010). When doing secondary research involves the summary or
primary research, the researcher gathers synthesis of data and literature that has been
information first-hand rather than relying on organized and published by others. When doing
available information in databases and other secondary research, researchers use and analyze
publications. data from primary research sources.
Secondary research is widely used in many fields of
This type of research is often carried out with
study and industries, such as legal research and
the goal of producing new knowledge, which
is why primary research is also referred to as market research. In the sciences, for instance, one
original research. By doing primary research, of the most common methods of secondary
researchers aim to answer questions that research is a systematic review. In a systematic
haven’t been answered or even asked before. review, scientists review existing literature and
This degree of originality sets primary studies on a certain topic through systematic
research apart from secondary research. methods, appraising all available studies to
synthesize their findings (Fitchburg State
University, 2020).
 Primary vs Secondary Research

Primary Research Secondary Research

• Data is collected by the Data is collected by other researchers
researcher themselves Based on data that has been previously
• Based on raw data analyzed
• High level of involvement from Low level of involvement from the

the researcher researcher

• Data collected fits the Existing data may or may not fit the
researcher’s requirements
researcher’s needs
Fast, low-cost
• Expensive, time-consuming
 Types of Primary Research
Qualitative
Qualitative research is a type of research that Quantitative
involves collecting and analyzing non- Quantitative research is a research
numerical data (e.g., text, video, or audio) to method that involves collecting and
understand concepts, opinions, or analyzing numerical data. It is used to find
experiences. It's often used to gather in-
patterns, make predictions, test causal
depth insights into a problem or generate
new ideas for research. This type of research relationships, and generalize results to
is commonly used in the humanities and wider populations. Quantitative research is
social sciences, including anthropology, the opposite of qualitative research, which
sociology, education, health sciences, history, involves collecting and analyzing non-
etc. numerical data such as text, video, or
audio.
 Sources of Secondary Research
Researchers have plenty of options to explore when it comes to doing secondary research. The
following sources can assist researchers in doing secondary research:
• Academic peer-reviewed journals These often include original research undertaken by authors
or researchers themselves.
• Published books and articles Many books reference primary-source materials, along with an
analysis from the author.
• Government agencies Many government agencies maintain archives or databases of documents
and reports, which contain data that can prove to be useful to researchers.
• Educational institutions Colleges and universities do a significant amount of research and
produce data that can be requested by researchers.
• Commercial information sources Information sources such as newspapers, magazines, and TV
shows can also prove to be useful sources for secondary research. These sources provide
firsthand information and insights into political agendas, market research, and economic
developments for instance (Bhat, 2020).
Data/Information
 Instruments
• The term research instrument refers to any tool that you may use to collect or obtain data, measure
data and analyse data that is relevant to the subject of your research.
• Research instruments are often used in the fields of social sciences and health sciences. These tools
can also be found within education that relates to patients, staff, teachers and students.
• The format of a research instrument may consist of observations, questionnaires, surveys,
interviews, checklists or simple tests. The choice of which specific research instrument tool to use will
be decided on by the researcher. It will also be strongly related to the actual methods that will be used
in the specific study.
• A good research instrument is one that has been validated and has proven reliability. It should be
one that can collect data in a way that’s appropriate to the research question being asked.
• The research instrument must be able to assist in answering the research aims, objectives and
research questions, as well as prove or disprove the hypothesis of the study.
• It should not have any bias in the way that data is collect and it should be clear as to how the
research instrument should be used appropriately.
Reliability
Research is often described as ‘systematic inquiry which is valid and reliable’.
Reliability in research refers to the degree to which an instrument is interpreted in the same way by all the
subjects being interviewed. In other words, the questions asked and the terms used should not be
ambiguous or have multiple meanings.
The reliability of an instrument therefore depends on the consistency with which the questions are
interpreted in a variety of places over a period of time.
Validity
Research is valid when the questions asked and the methods used are likely to produce relevant answers to
the questions posed by the researcher.
The questions must be about what is being studied.

https://youtu.be/nvPz9MS_sdQ reliability and validity

RELIABILITY AND VALIDITY

 SAMPLE SELECTION
• A researcher who undertakes a survey involving large numbers of people will find it impractical or
even impossible to canvas the views of everyone in that population. He has to then ensure that he
takes a sample of the total population. The sample is a portion or fraction or subset of the total
population. It is assumed that the sample is *homogenous and that the characteristics found in the
sample may reasonably be expected to be found in the whole. When generalizations are to be made
about the total population this sample should accurately reflect the opinions, beliefs or choices of the
population. Therefore, it must satisfy two basic conditions:
➢ It must be numerically large enough to correctly reflect the views of the whole population. In other
words; it must be sufficient or adequate.
➢ All segments of the population indicated by relevant variables such as sex, age, social class,
occupation etc. are to be proportionately included in the sample. In other words, it must be
representative.

*homogeneous: [adjective] of the same or a similar kind or nature.

 TYPES OF SAMPLING
https://youtu.be/9PaR1TsvnJs
There are two types of sampling – probability and non-probability.

• Probability sampling, also known as random sampling, is one way of making sure that the sample is
representative of the population and that the procedure used in your research has validity. It ensures
that no member of the sample is likely to be preferred than another in the selection. The selection
cannot be predicted. Here the researcher’s bias is eliminated and the procedure becomes more
consistent and efficient.

• Non-probability sampling, also referred to as convenient sampling is used when the total extent of
the population is not known. The researcher selects the sample at his discretion not randomly. One
cannot guarantee validity and the absence of bias in this kind of selection and the results gathered
using this type of sampling may not be totally reliable. However, it has some advantages; it is less
expensive and uses less time and resources.
 CREDIBILITY OF INFORMATION
• Evaluating the Credibility of Your Sources https://youtu.be/bZ122WakNDY
• Remember, your use of sources is a means of supporting the argument you
make. This means that the sources you reference need to be credible and
authoritative. How do you know that your sources are of value? Ask yourself
the following questions:
• Author
• Audience
• Review Process
• Currency
• Perspective
• https://youtu.be/b5pP6vd99pI CRAAP
 Acknowledging Sources

You should acknowledge your sources whenever you use

a source of information: as your inspiration as the source of
a theory, argument or point of view for specific information
such as statistics, examples or case studies for images,
graphics or tables for direct quotation (using the author's
exact words) to paraphrase or summarise an author's work.
 Plagiarism
• What Is Plagiarism? Examples of plagiarism Why is it wrong?
• Plagiarism means using Copying parts of a text word for It makes it seem like these are
someone else’s work word, without quotation marks your own words.
without giving them
proper credit. In
academic writing, Paraphrasing a text by changing a It makes it seem like you came up
plagiarizing involves few words or altering the sentence with the idea, when in fact you
using words, ideas, or structure, without citing the just rephrased someone else’s
information from a source idea.
source without citing it
correctly. In practice, this
can mean a few Giving incorrect information about If readers can’t find the cited
different things. a source source, they can’t check the
information themselves.
Quoting so much from a source that it Even with proper citations, you’re not
makes up the majority of your text making an original contribution if you
rely so much on someone else’s words.

Reusing work you’ve submitted for a Even though it’s your own work, the
previous assignment, without citing reader should be informed that it’s not
yourself completely new but comes from
previous research.

Submitting a text written entirely by Not doing the work yourself is

someone else (e.g., a paper you bought academically dishonest, undermines
from a ghostwriter) your learning, and is unfair to other
students.
 References and Bibliography

While writing an assignment, article or book, the writer

often looks for the sources to generate an idea or data. In
this context, students usually misconstrue bibliography for
reference, but they are different, in the sense that you
give reference to the sources, that you have quoted in-
text, in the research report or assignment. But on the other
hand, in the bibliography, you create a list of all the
sources you have gone through to conceive the idea.
 BASIS FOR COMPARISON REFERENCE BIBLIOGRAPHY
Meaning Reference implies the list of sources, Bibliography is about listing out all
that has been referred in the the materials which has been
research work. consulted during the research work.

Based on Primary Sources Both Primary and Secondary

Sources
Arrangement Alphabetically and numerically Numerically

Includes Only in-text citations, that have Both in-text citations and other
been used in the assignment or sources, that are used to generate
project. the idea.

Supporting argument A reference can be used to support A bibliography cannot be used to

an argument. support an argument.

Used for Thesis and Dissertation Journal Papers and Research work