Research
Research is a systematic process of discovering new knowledge, expanding existing one, and solving practical problems. This process is documented in such a way that the same study can be conducted by the same person again which is called replication. Without documenting the research becomes unscientific. It is because the steps of research process are interlinked. So it is important for the researcher students to understand the steps in research process.
Steps in Research process
There are a series of systematic steps in research process through which the researcher must go so as to generate knowledge relevant to the topic. For effectively conducting research, it is important to understand the following steps in research process.
Step 1: Identification of research problem
The first step among the steps in research process is the identification of research problem or pose a research question. If the investigated problem is well-defined, it will guide the researcher through all stages of research process. A number of approaches are used for identification of research problem such as case studies, preliminary surveys, interviews, and observations.
Step 2: Review of literature
The second step among the many steps in research process is the review of related literature. After identification of research problem, the second step to review the literature relevant to the problem range. Review related to literature helps the researchers in providing the fundamental information about the problem. It helps the researchers to find the conducted studies related to this problem and what methods have been used in those studies. Furthermore, it also reveals that what conclusions have been drawn from those studies. This information helps the researcher in following the research process efficiently.
Step 3: Creation of hypothesis
Hypothesis is a tentative answer to the researchers’ research question which is yet to be tested. It states the researchers’ prediction about their expected findings. The next step among stages of research process is the development of hypothesis. This clarification requires the particular experience level on the part of researcher. This experience helps the researcher that the hypothesis is found in the study topic. This process helps him/her to focus their efforts and remain devoted to their goals.
Step 4: Research Design
The research design describes the ways of obtaining necessary information and thus helps in achieving the objectives and answering research questions. It helps in testing the hypothesis, answer research questions and provide decision making insights. This step/stage among stages of research process plan helps in reducing time, money, and effort required for gathering evidence. There are four categories of this plan.
- Exploration and surveys
- Experiments
- Data analysis
- Observation
Step 5: Description of population and sample
The fifth step among the steps/ stages of research process is the description of population and sample. In this step it is decided that what will be the population of the study. The population doesn’t necessarily contain people, it may also comprise of events, objects, organizations, etc. After deciding about the population, the next step is the selection of sample that particular population. The sample is always a part of the whole population.
Step 6: Development of instrumentation plan
Instrumentation plan is the strategy of the study and provides a road map about the persons who will participate, when, how, from where the information will be collected. This strategy is made up of many factors. This plan consists of the decision regarding the selection of the population and then selection of sample from the population. This plan is created by the researcher of the study.
Step 7: Data Collection
After establishment of instrumentation plan, the real investigation starts with data collection. This is an important stage among many stages of research process because it provides the necessary information required for answering the research question. This data is collected either from literature, or from subjects to answer the research questions. The acquisition of the data may be in the form of words on a survey, questionnaire, observations, or from literature. After collection of data the next
steps of research is that of data analysis.
Step 8: Data Analysis
The first step is to decide that why you need data analysis. Then researchers will be required to clean and categorize the collected data. It is because not all data is good data. So it is important to remove duplicate data, anomalous data and other irregularities in the data. After that the researchers may apply one of the four types of data analysis such as descriptive, diagnostic, predictive and prescriptive.
Step 9: Report writing
This is the important step among steps of research. The researcher must also thoroughly review the report and make any necessary adjustments, such as adding crucial details, rearranging of content, grammatical and spelling checks, and so on. A near-final report is created after ongoing polishing. The report is effective when it is able to effectively and fully express the aim of the research without compromising the report’s quality. The presentation should be engaging enough to pique the audience’s interest in the study objectives. This presentation can be improved by using diagrammatic representation and handouts, as well as interacting with the audience. When the report has been successfully presented, it is time to publish it so that the general public is aware of the research.