Research questions and methodological approaches

¶ … Complexities and Simplicities of Research

Whether an academic or a working professional, research is often the primary objective of one's daily activity. Research not only imparts knowledge, but also allows one to understand how things work better, whether complex or simple, and present this information to bosses, professors, etc. thereby allowing these individuals to also broaden their knowledge and move the world forward. Research is thus very important. This paper will commence by addressing the question as to why research is conducted, and will continue with stressing the importance of clarity, assumption, literature, quality and data in research.

Why Do We Conduct Research?

The introductory paragraph above touched on this question a bit as well. Research is conducted because, frankly, we could not live our daily lives without knowledge, and this is exactly what research gives us. But what is research, exactly? Well, it could be defined as anything from looking on a map to find a street, to finding that street's significance in history, or its length, or the components from which it is made. We thus conduct research to be smarter, and more successful in our endeavors, but we also conduct it so that we may know more about the world around us and enrich our existence. Sometimes research is vital for life, especially in the scientific fields. Other times, it is essential for someone's success, such as in the political field. Research is conducted for a variety of reasons.

Other Components of Research

Research usually starts with a question, or a hypothesis. This question is vital, for it sets the purpose of the research, but also puts one on a certain track towards completing it. It also helps with clarifying the scope, which will be discussed further below. Research, especially, in an academic setting, is often descriptive or meant to evaluate something, since many times academics conduct research for these specific purposes.

Because of the various reasons as to why we conduct research, one must also be clear in his or her scope for conducting research. Clarity is vital not only because it provides a framework for study, but also because it communicates the true nature of the study to the community it addresses or that which reads it.

Clarity of research means that a paper, for example, follows a certain framework. This framework may include, at the beginning, a thesis statement, then a literature review, and a presentation of data. After these paragraphs it is vital to provide a conclusion that not only summarizes the scope of the research very clearly one again, but one that also summarizes the results of the research.

Another part of research is the assumption. Though many of us, when beginning a study, have assumptions as to how the research will manifest itself, or what we will find, we must always strive to base our conclusions on fact, not assumption. Thus, one must be careful to eliminate as many assumptions as possible when conducting research, and analyze any questions that may come up, especially if funding or time is not an issue, so that assumptions may be further eliminated.

Paradoxically, however, all research must start from assumptions. This is how we can move forwards. For example, we assume that something is true, and we test it. If it is not true, our assumption was wrong. However, all research must be founded upon certain assumptions that can either be negated or proved to be positive.

The next part about which I will speak is always a vital part of research, namely, the literature review. This part of any research, of any paper, is central because it provides one with already conducted research, the results of this research, and, of course, expert opinion on a particular subject.

The Literature Review should be included after the introduction and should have books, magazines, journals and internet articles as sources, from a variety of academics and professionals in a particular field. This will ensure that the research has a good basis and will not be repetitive. Furthermore, it will add a source of authenticity and officiality to the research.

The Literature Review must also be structured in a specific way. Everything must be cited, from the author, to the type of publication and to the name of the publication. For magazines, for example, volumes and numbers must be included both in footnotes and in the bibliography. Furthermore, when citing in the literature review it is imperative that one cite properly, and give the author credit for his or her work.

Another part of research that must be taken into account is the design of the research and how to gather data. First of all, there are Quantitative and Qualitative Designs. Quantitative designs refer to number related data collection means. Qualitative designs refer to those designs which employ non-numerical aspects. In qualitative designs, for example, one may employ surveys, or interviews, whereas in quantitative designs, one may employ data collection mechanisms such as SPSS.

The difference between Quantitative and Qualitative designs will vary with the research subject chosen. For social sciences, qualitative designs are often much better suited. For natural sciences, one often opts for quantitative designs. However, these lines are not rigid and one can, in fact, and especially to bolster studies, choose both quantitative and qualitative designs as part of one experiment.