RESEARCH

METHODOLOGY

Research Concepts
 Agenda
• Research Basics
– What research is and is not
– Where research comes from
– Research deliverables

• Methodologies
– Research process
– Quantitative versus qualitative
 Research Basics
• What research is and isn’t
• Research characteristics
• Research projects and pitfalls
• Sources of research projects
• Elements of research proposals
• Literature reviews
 What Research Is
• Research is:

“…the systematic process of collecting and

analyzing information (data) in order to increase
our understanding of the phenomenon about
which we are concerned or interested.”1
 Research Characteristics
1. Originates with a question or problem.
2. Requires clear articulation of a goal.
3. Follows a specific plan or procedure.
4. Often divides main problem into subproblems.
5. Guided by specific problem, question, or hypothesis.
6. Accepts certain critical assumptions.
7. Requires collection and interpretation of data.
8. Cyclical (helical) in nature.
 Research Projects
• Research begins with a problem.
– This problem need not be Earth-shaking.

• Identifying this problem can actually be the

hardest part of research.
• In general, good research projects should:
– Address an important question.
– Advance knowledge.
 Research Project Pitfalls
• The following kinds of projects usually don’t
make for good research:
– Self-enlightenment.
– Comparing data sets.
– Correlating data sets.
– Problems with yes / no answers.
 High-Quality Research
(1 of 2)
• Good research requires:
– The scope and limitations of the work to be clearly
defined.
– The process to be clearly explained so that it can be
reproduced and verified by other researchers.
– A thoroughly planned design that is as objective as
possible.
 High-Quality Research
(2 of 2)
• Good research requires:
– Highly ethical standards be applied.
– All limitations be documented.
– Data be adequately analyzed and explained.
– All findings be presented unambiguously and all
conclusions be justified by sufficient evidence.
 Sources of Research Problems
• Observation.
• Literature reviews.
• Professional conferences.
• Experts.
 Stating the Research Problem
• Once you’ve identified a research problem:
– State that problem clearly and completely.
– Determine the feasibility of the research.
• Identify subproblems:
– Completely researchable units.
– Small in number.
– Add up to the total problem.
– Must be clearly tied to the interpretation of the data.
 Hypotheses
• Hypotheses are tentative, intelligent guesses as
to the solution of the problem.
– There is often a 1-1 correspondence between a
subproblem and a hypothesis.
– Hypotheses can direct later research activities since
they can help determine the nature of the research
and methods applied.
 Delimitations
• All research has limitations and thus certain
work that will not be performed.
• The work that will not be undertaken is
described as the delimitations of the research.
 Definitions
• Define each technical term as it is used in
relation to your research project.
– This helps remove significant ambiguity from the
research itself by ensuring that reviewers, while they
may not agree with your definitions, at least know
what you’re talking about.
 Assumptions
• Assumptions are those things that the
researcher is taking for granted.
– For example: a given test instrument accurately and
consistently measures the phenomenon in question.

• As a general rule you’re better off documenting

an assumption than ignoring it.
– Overlooked assumptions provide a prime source of
debate about a research project’s results.
 Importance of the Study
• Many research problems have a kind of
theoretical feel about them. Such projects often
need to be justified:
– What is the research project’s practical value?

• Without this justification, it will prove difficult to

convince others that the problem in question is
worth study.
 Research Proposals
• Research proposals are documents that
describe the intended research including:
– Problem and subproblems.
– Hypotheses.
– Delimitations.
– Definitions.
– Assumptions.
– Importance.
– Literature review.
 Literature Review
• A literature review is a necessity.
– Without this step, you won’t know if your problem has
been solved or what related research is already
underway.
• When performing the review:
– Start searching professional journals.
– Begin with the most recent articles you can find.
– Keep track of relevant articles in a bibliography.
– Don’t be discouraged if work on the topic is already
underway.
 Literature Review Pitfalls
(1 of 2)
• Be very careful to check your sources
when doing your literature review.
• Many trade magazines are not peer
reviewed.
– Professional conferences and journals often
have each article reviewed by multiple people
before it is even recommended for
publication.
 Literature Review Pitfalls
(2 of 2)
• The Internet can be a good source of
information. It is also full of pseudo-science and
poor research.
• Make sure you verify the claims of any
documentation that has not been peer reviewed
by other professionals in the computing industry.
 Processes & Methodologies
• Research Process.
• Common Methodologies.
• Methodology Comparison.
 Research Process
• Research is an extremely cyclic process.
– Later stages might necessitate a review of earlier
work.

• This isn’t a weakness of the process but is part

of the built-in error correction machinery.
• Because of the cyclic nature of research, it can
be difficult to determine where to start and when
to stop.
 Step 1: A Question Is Raised
• A question occurs to or is posed to the
researcher for which that researcher has no
answer.
– This doesn’t mean that someone else doesn’t already
have an answer.

• The question needs to be converted to an

appropriate problem statement like that
documented in a research proposal.
 Step 2: Suggest Hypotheses
• The researcher generates intermediate
hypotheses to describe a solution to the
problem.
– This is at best a temporary solution since there is as
yet no evidence to support either the acceptance or
rejection of these hypotheses.
 Step 3: Literature Review
• The available literature is reviewed to determine
if there is already a solution to the problem.
– Existing solutions do not always explain new
observations.
– The existing solution might require some revision or
even be discarded.
 Step 4: Literature Evaluation
• It’s possible that the literature review has yielded
a solution to the proposed problem.
– This means that you haven’t really done research.

• On the other hand, if the literature review turns

up nothing, then additional research activities
are justified.
 Step 5: Acquire Data
• The researcher now begins to gather data
relating to the research problem.
– The means of data acquisition will often change
based on the type of the research problem.
– This might entail only data gathering, but it could also
require the creation of new measurement
instruments.
 Step 6: Data Analysis
• The data that were gathered in the previous step
are analyzed as a first step in ascertaining their
meaning.
• As before, the analysis of the data does not
constitute research.
– This is basic number crunching.
 Step 7: Data Interpretation
• The researcher interprets the newly analyzed
data and suggests a conclusion.
– This can be difficult.
– Keep in mind that data analysis that suggests a
correlation between two variables can’t automatically
be interpreted as suggesting causality between those
variables.
 Step 8: Hypothesis Support
• The data will either support the hypotheses or
they won’t.
– This may lead the researcher to cycle back to an
earlier step in the process and begin again with a new
hypothesis.
– This is one of the self-correcting mechanisms
associated with the scientific method.
 Common Methodologies
• Methodologies are high-level approaches to
conducting research.
– The individual steps within the methodology might
vary based on the research being performed.

• Two commonly used research methodologies:

– Quantitative.
– Qualitative.
 Methodology Comparison
Quantitative Qualitative
• Explanation, prediction • Explanation, description
• Test theories • Build theories
• Known variables • Unknown variables
• Large sample • Small sample
• Standardized instruments • Observations, interviews
• Deductive • Inductive
 Types of Research
1. DESCRIPTIVE / ANALYTICAL
SURVEY (EX – Uses facts or
POST FACTO) information already
Survey & fact finding available and
enquiries analyze to make
State of affairs as it exits critical evaluation
No control over variables
Try to discover causes
(ex- post facto)
 Types of Research
2. APPLIED FUNDAMENTAL
Finding a solution for an (BASIC OR PURE)
immediate problem & Concerned with
not rigorous / flexible generalizations &
in application of the formulation of
conditions theory
Knowledge for
knowledge’s sake
(i.e.: pure or basic
research)
 Types of Research
3. QUANTITATIVE QUALITATIVE
Measured and expressed in
terms of quantity • Involves quality or
Expression of a property or kind
quantity in numerical • Helps in having
terms insight into
Quantitative research helps: problems or cases
- Precise measurement
- Knowing trends or
changes overtime
- Comparing trends
 Types of Research
4. CONCEPTUAL EMPIRICAL
• Related to some • Relies on
abstract idea or experience or
theory (for thinkers & observation, i.e.,
philosophers) data based
• Relies on literature research
• Capable of being
verified by
observation or
experiment
• Experimenter has
control over
variables
 Types of Research
4. CONCEPTUAL EMPIRICAL
• Related to some • Relies on
abstract idea or experience or
theory (for thinkers & observation, i.e.,
philosophers) data based
• Relies on literature research
• Capable of being
verified by
observation or
experiment
• Experimenter has
control over
variables
Categorization of Research Design
1. The degree of formulation of problem
a. Exploratory or Formulated
b. Descriptive, Diagnostic, Analytical
2. The topical scope
a. Historical study
b. Survey
c. Case study, Episodes, Story of experience
d. Statistical study
3. Research environment, i.e.: field or lab setting
4. The time dimension
a. Cross Sectional (One time)
b. Longitudinal, Trend, Follow-up or Cohort studies
5. The mode of data collection
a. Survey
b. Observational
Categorization of Research Design
Cont

6. The manipulation of the variables under study

a. Experimental (Hypothesis Testing )
b. Ex post facto  generating hypotheses
7. The nature of the relationship among variables
a. Causal/ Prediction
b. Descriptive/ Relational
(i) Association
(ii) Correlation
8. Conceptual ( Fundamental, Basic, Pure) versus
Empirical (Applied, Action)
9. Conclusion oriented versus Decision oriented
10. Qualitative versus Quantitative
 References
1. Leedy P. D. and Ormrod J. E., Practical Research:
Planning and Design, 7th Edition. 2001.