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PROCESS OF RESEARCH

The process of research answers the “How” of research, that is, how a research is
conducted. You must have studied about the process of carrying out a research study
in your First year. Here the steps in doing a research study are provided for your
recapitulation and clarification. We can divide the entire research process into six steps:

Step 1: Topic selection and Review of Literature
Step 2: Methodology
Step 3: Data collection, coding and analyses
Step 4: Findings, discussion and conclusion
Step 5: References
Step 6: Putting the research as a paper/ preparing a research paper

Let us discuss each of these steps in detail below.

(1) Topic Selection Process
(a) Generation and development of research ideas
Research always starts from an idea. How does that idea come? And when
you have an idea, how do you develop it?
 Discuss with your teachers and seniors like research scholars, consult the
experts in the field
 Read the literature – read in a focused manner and go in depth on a
specific area
 Ensure that the specific area you are exploring are addressing/concerned
with contemporary/recent issues, not old issues on which already lots of
research have been conducted.
How will you come to know about the current issues/concerns in the
field? Read recent journal articles.
 Once you are interested in one particular area, then have a general reading
of the theories etc. of the area and then move to the specific reading
related to your topic.
 Ideas can also be generated through observation of oneself as well as
other people around us in different situations and contexts.
A sense of curiosity, questioning the things, analyzing, synthesizing different
aspects, keenness, creativity, thinking in new ways – all will help us to
come up with ideas which then can be discussed or read through the
literature.

(b) Evaluation of ideas as research-worthy
Not all ideas can be pursued as research. One needs to know whether it can
be studied through research. A few things that we need to keep in mind here
are,
Going beyond the known. Ensure that we are not reinventing the wheel, i.e.,
it is already there studied widely in the field. Hence your idea need to go
beyond what is known. So do a thorough literature survey of the particular
area.
Feasibility. Idea should be testable. One should be able to conduct a study on
it. It should be feasible.
Resources availability. One should also assess one’s resources. Availability of
resources plays an important role – human, material and financial resources to
conduct the research
Interest. You should be really interested in the topic. It should excite you to
study the topic. Research is a long process requiring money, energy, time and
hard work. So the topic should be such that it will sustain your motivation
through the research journey.

(2) Review of Literature
It refers to finding out the related studies in the area of research you are interested in.
Refer to journals, books, electronic search, encyclopedias, handbooks, and databases
such as ERIC, JSTOR, PsychInfo, PubMed for doing the review of studies. Review
of literature helps you to know the theoretical background concerning your topic, find
out the studies related to the topic, and point out the research gaps. It helps in refining
your topic and brings more clarity about the research methodology.

Step 2: Methodology
(1) Objectives: It states in specific terms what you want to study.
(2) Hypotheses: These are tentative proposition/statement or assumption based on
the existing studies. We can propose either null hypothesis or alternate hypothesis
depending on the existing studies. The data collected is analyzed to see if it supports
or rejects the proposed hypotheses.
(3) Research Design
It is a plan, strategy or blueprint of how you will go about conducting the research
including the analyses of the data. It addresses how will you find answers to your
research problems. It ensures that the study is conducted with a proper plan/design to
achieve the objectives. It is not a faulty design or strategy.Thus it ensures or aims at
getting accurate, objective, un-biased, and valid results – objectivity, validity and
accuracy of the study procedures.
(4) Sample
Sample helps us to draw inferences regarding the study objectives from it to the
population. Hence proper sampling technique needs to be used and due attention
needs to be given to sample size, representativeness, and randomization.In Quantitative
research there is pre-determined sample size, sample randomization, and probability
and non-probability sampling. However,in Qualitative research, the focus is on nonprobability sampling, ensuring an information rich sample, and ongoing data collection
till a data saturation point.
(5) Tools
Quantitative research design uses standardized tools, or self developed questionnaire
having reliability, validity, and norms. Whereas qualitative research makes use of
interviews, observation, and focus group discussions. Primary sources and Secondary
sources both are used for data collection.

Step 3: Data collection, Coding and Analyses
Methodology is the main pillar of any research. It is like the blue print of any building.
Once it is finalized, one can further proceed with collecting data and analyzing it.

Step 4: Results, Discussion and Conclusion
Findings of the study need to be reported in terms of the proposed hypotheses. Next,
one needs to discuss these findings according to the earlier studies and theories. The
researcher highlights the key findings of the study and points out the implications of the
research study.

Step 5: References
References need to be written in the latest APA format (refer to www.apa.org).

Step 6: Preparing a research paper
The aim of any research ultimately is to disseminate the findings in the wider research
circle and academia so that it adds to the general pool of knowledge in the field.
Further, it will encourage discussion and interaction related to the research. Hence it is
important to conduct a proper research following all the guidelines of doing a research.

Thus the entire research process can be divided into three main phases such as deciding
the research topic (answers the ‘what’ of research), planning the research process
(focuses on the ‘how’ of research), and finally conducting (collecting the required data)
the research (Kumar, 2014, p. 35).

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