What are the general steps and sequence in the research process?
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In general, all research follows these main steps: The first step in the research process is to develop a research question. This can be a problem that needs to be solved, or some piece of information that is missing about a particular topic. Answering this question will be the focus of the research study. The researchers must now learn more about the topic they are investigating. This not only provides important background information about the issue they are researching, but it also tells them what other studies have already been conducted, how they were designed, and what those studies found. In research you often do not want to repeat old studies, but rather add something new to the field. Sometimes the original
research question may be too broad to examine – in this step, the researcher can use the knowledge they gained from their literature review to narrow the focus of their study to something more manageable. This involves more clearly defining the concepts being studied. This involves planning the specifics of a study protocol, such as who will participate; exactly what type of data will be collected; and how, when, and where the data will be
gathered. After a study protocol is developed, it must be submitted to a research ethics board. All studies involving human subjects require approval by an ethics board, whose job it is to protect the safety of the study participants. To learn about the specifics of ethics approval, please click here. Conducting
research studies often requires funding. Money is needed not only to support the work of the researchers and their teams involved in the study work, but also to pay for expensive equipment that might be required, and even to pay subjects who volunteer to participate. Researchers submit their plans for research to various funding agencies, who may choose to provide funding for research they believe to be important or valuable. Once the study has
been approved and funded, the actual collection of data can begin. Depending on the plan of the research, data collection can include surveys, observations, interviews, or medical tests with participants. Once the data has been collected, it must be analysed in order to answer the original research question. Just like there are many ways to design a research study, there are many ways to analyse the data afterwards. The appropriate methods
must be chosen in order to come up with a valid answer. Different sorts of products can result from a research study, depending on the original goals. Often research papers are published about the results, so that other researchers in the field can learn from the study. Sometimes the results can be used to influence policies and programs. The important thing to remember is that research is a collaborative process – it is
important that the knowledge is shared with others so that they can then build upon the results. The research process is not a linear process in which you must complete step one before moving on to step two or three. You don’t need to put off writing your paper until you’ve gathered all of your sources, in fact, you may want to start writing as soon as possible and adjust your search, thesis statement, and writing as you continue to work through the research process. For that reason, consider the following research process as a guideline to follow as your work through your paper. You can (and should!) revisit the steps as many times as needed to create a finished product. Next we’ll examine the research writing process through the example of Marvin, a student at Any College who gets advice from an online professor on writing his research paper. You’ll read bits and pieces of their dialogue throughout the module and come to understand how the research writing process can be compared to walking, talking, cooking, and eating. In the following dialogue, consider the professor’s recommendations to Marvin about how to think more deeply about his assignment and what angle to take for his paper. Just like Martin, you should begin your research by thinking about the importance of your topic and what about it you find interesting. It also helps to talk with someone about your paper, whether that be a friend, family member, classmate, teaching assistant, librarian, or professor. Getting Started: Walking to SourcesMarvin, a college student at Any College, sits down at his computer. He logs in to the “Online Professor (O-Prof),” an interactive advice site for students. After setting up a chat, he begins tapping the keys. Marvin: Hi. I’m a student in the physician assistant program. The major paper for my health and environment class is due in five weeks, and I need some advice. The professor says the paper has to be 6–8 pages, and I have to cite and document my sources. O-Prof: Congratulations on getting started early! Tell me a bit about your assignment. What’s the purpose? Who’s it intended for? Marvin: Well, the professor said it should talk about a health problem caused by water pollution and suggest ways to solve it. We’ve read some articles, plus my professor gave us statistics on groundwater contamination in different areas. O-Prof: What’s been most interesting so far? Marvin: I’m amazed at how much water pollution there is. It seems like it would be healthier to drink bottled water, but the plastic bottles hurt the environment. O-Prof: Who else might be interested in this? Marvin: Lots of people are worried about bad water. I might even get questions about it from my clients once I finish my program. O-Prof: OK. So what information do you need to make a good recommendation? Marvin thinks for a moment. Marvin: I don’t know much about the health problems caused by contaminated drinking water. Whether the tap water is safe depends on where you live, I guess. The professors talked about arsenic poisoning in Bangladesh, but what about the water in the U.S.? For my paper, maybe I should focus on a particular location? I also need to find out more about what companies do to make sure bottled water is pure. O-Prof: Good! Now that you know what you need to learn, you can start looking for sources. Marvin: When my professors talk about sources, they usually mean books or articles about my topic. Is that what you mean? O-Prof: Books and articles do make good sources, but you might think about sources more generally as “forms of meaning you use to make new meaning.” It’s like your bottled water. The water exists already in some location but is processed by the company before it goes to the consumer. Similarly, a source provides information and knowledge that you process to produce new meaning, which other people can then use to make their own meaning. A bit confused, Marvin scratches his head. Marvin: I thought I knew what a source was, but now I’m not so sure. O-Prof: Think about it. Sources of meaning are everywhere—for example, your own observations or experiences, the content of other people’s brains, visuals and graphics, experiment results, TV and radio broadcasts, and written texts. And, there are many ways to make new meaning from sources. You can give an oral presentation, design a web page, paint a picture, or write a paper. Marvin: I get it. But how do I decide which sources to use for my paper? O-Prof: It depends on the meaning you want to make, which is why it’s so important to figure out the purpose of your paper and who will read it. You might think about using sources as walking, talking, cooking, and eating. These aren’t the only possible metaphors, but they do capture some important things about using sources. Marvin: Hey! I thought we were talking about writing! O-Prof: We are, but these metaphors can shed some light on writing with sources. Let’s start with the first one: walking. To use sources well, you first have to go where they are. What if you were writing an article on student clubs for the school newspaper? Where would you go for information? Marvin: I’d probably walk down to the Student Activities office and get some brochures about student clubs. Then I’d attend a few club meetings and maybe interview the club leaders and some members about their club activities. O-Prof: OK, so you’d walk to where you could find relevant information for your article. That’s what I mean by walking. You have to get to the sources you need. Marvin: Wait a minute. For the article on student clubs, maybe I could save some walking. Maybe the list of clubs and the club descriptions are on the Student Activities web page. That’d save me a trip. O-Prof: Yes, the Internet has cut down on the amount of physical walking you need to do to find sources. Before the Internet, you had to either travel to a source’s physical location, or bring that source to your location. Think about your project on bottled water. To get information about the quality of a city’s tap water in the 1950s, you would have had to figure out who’d have that information, then call or write to request a copy or walk to wherever the information was stored. Today, if you type “local water quality” into Google, the Environmental Protection Agency page comes up as one of the first hits. Its home page links to water quality reports for local areas. Marvin pauses for a second before responding, thinking he’s found a good short cut for his paper. To be continued. . . Did you have an idea for improving this content? We’d love your input. What are the general steps to the research process?Depending on your familiarity with the topic and the challenges you encounter along the way, you may need to rearrange these steps.. Step 1: Identify and develop your topic. ... . Step 2 : Do a preliminary search for information. ... . Step 3: Locate materials. ... . Step 4: Evaluate your sources. ... . Step 5: Make notes. ... . Step 6: Write your paper.. What are the general steps in the sequence in the design process for researchers in the creative arts?What are the general steps and sequence in the design process for researcher in the creative arts? d. Identity a problem, develop research questions, select a research design, collect data, analyze data, present finding, discuss findings.
What are the 12 steps in the research process?What are the steps of the research process?. Identify the project topic. ... . Review any available literature. ... . Submit process for review. ... . Create an initial hypothesis. ... . Design the research approach. ... . Begin gathering data. ... . Analyze the results. ... . Create your report.. What are the 9 steps of research process?Research Process. Selecting the research area. ... . Formulating research aim, objectives and research questions or developing hypotheses. ... . Conducting the literature review. ... . Selecting data collection methods. ... . Collecting the primary data. ... . Data analysis. ... . Reaching conclusions. ... . Completing the research.. |
