Research Process

Steps involved in Research Process in Research Methodology

However, the following order concerning various steps provides a useful procedural guideline regarding the research process:

1.      Formulating the research problem

2.      Review the literature

3.      Extensive literature survey

4.      Developing the hypothesis

5.      Preparing the research design

6.      Determining sample design

7.      Collecting the data

8.      Execution of the project

9.      Analysis of data

10.  Hypothesis testing

11.  Generalizations and interpretation, and

12.  Preparation of the report or presentation of the results, i.e., formal write-up of conclusions reached.

A brief description of the above stated steps will be helpful.

1.      Formulating the research problem: There are two types of research problems, those which relate to states of nature and those which relate to relationships between variables. At thievery outset the researcher must single out the problem he wants to study, i.e., he must decide the general area of interest or aspect of a subject-matter that he would like to inquire into.

The best way of understanding the problem is to discuss it with one’s own colleagues or with those having some expertise in the matter. In an academic institution the researcher can seek the help from a guide who is usually an experienced man and has several research problems in mind.

2.      Review the literature: The researcher must at the same time examine all available literature to get him acquainted with the selected problem. He may review two types of literature—the conceptual literature concerning the concepts and theories, and the empirical literature consisting of studies made earlier which are similar to the one proposed. The basic outcome of this review will be the knowledge as to what data and other materials are available for operational purposes which will enable the researcher to specify his own research problem in a meaningful context.

3.      Extensive literature survey: Once the problem is formulated, a brief summary of it should be written down. For this purpose, the abstracting and indexing journals and published or unpublished bibliographies are the first place to go to. The earlier studies, if any, which are similar to the study in and should be carefully studied. A good library will be a great help to the researcher at this stage.

4.      Development of working hypotheses: After extensive literature survey, researcher should state in clear terms the working hypothesis or hypotheses. Working hypothesis is tentative assumption made in order to draw out and test its logical or empirical consequences.

5.      Preparing the research design: The research problem having been formulated in clear cut terms, the researcher will be required to prepare a research design, i.e., he will have to state the conceptual structure within which research would be conducted. The preparation of such a design facilitates research to be as efficient as possible yielding maximal information.

There are several research designs, such as, experimental and non-experimental hypothesis testing.

6.      Determining sample design: All the items under consideration in any field of inquiry constitute ‘universe’ or ‘population’. A complete enumeration of all the items in the ‘population’ is known as a census inquiry. It can be presumed that in such an inquiry when all the items are covered no element of chance is left and highest accuracy is obtained. But in practice this may not be true.

7.      Collecting the data: In dealing with any real life problem it is often found that data at hand are inadequate, and hence, it becomes necessary to collect data that are appropriate. There are several ways of collecting the appropriate data which differ considerably in context of money costs, time and other resources at the disposal of the researcher. Primary data can be collected either through experiment or through survey.

·         By observation:

·         Through personal interview:

·         Through telephone interviews:

·         By mailing of questionnaires:

·         Through schedules:

The researcher should select one of these methods of collecting the data taking into consideration the nature of investigation, objective and scope of the inquiry, financial resources, available time and the desired degree of accuracy.

8.      Execution of the project: Execution of the project is a very important step in the research process. If the execution of the project proceeds on correct lines, the data to be collected would be adequate and dependable

9.      Analysis of data: After the data have been collected, the researcher turns to the task of analyzing them. The analysis of data requires a number of closely related operations such as establishment of categories. Thus, researcher should classify the raw data into some purposeful and usable categories. In brief, the researchers can analysis the collected data with the help of various statistical measures.

10.  Hypothesis-testing: After analyzing the data as stated above, the researcher is in a position to test the hypotheses, if any, he had formulated earlier. Do the facts support the hypotheses or they happen to be contrary? Hypothesis -testing will result in either accepting the hypothesis or in rejecting it. If the researcher had no hypotheses to start with, generalizations established on the basis of data may be stated as hypotheses to be tested by subsequent researches in times to come.

11.  Generalizations and interpretation: If a hypothesis is tested and upheld several times, it may be possible for the researcher to arrive at generalization, i.e., to build a theory. As a matter of fact, the real value of research lies in its ability to arrive at certain generalizations. If the researcher had no hypothesis to start with, he might seek to explain his findings on the basis of some theory. It is known as interpretation.

12.  Preparation of the report or the thesis: Finally, the researcher has to prepare the report of what has been done by him