With the objective of To train the health professionals on health system research proposal development, To acquaint the participants with health research process, and To train basic managerial skills required to manage proposed health research. Research Questions, Objectives, and Hypothesis is important.

1. Health Research Proposal Development &
Research Management
Nepal Health Research Council (NHRC)
Ramshah Path, Kathmandu, Nepal
Research Questions, Objectives, and
Hypothesis
Ashok Pandey

2. Presentation
Contents
• Problem
• Formulating Research Questions
• Formulating Objectives
• Developing Hypothesis

3. Research
Fundamental questions
WHAT Objectives
Research questions
Hypothesis

4. Research
Questions
• Research studies do not
always contain hypotheses
• Exploratory and descriptive
studies may pose research
questions instead

5. What is a
researchable
question?
• Helps solve a problem, add to theory,
or improve current practice
– Most important –
• the core research problem
identified is expressed in a
specific question format
• the process to answer the
Research Question guides the
rest of the journey
• Needs to be usable, current, and clear
• The answer(s) to the question will
explain, describe, identify, predict or
qualify

6. Why
research
question?
• Everything flows from the
research question.
• It will determine
– the study design
– the population to be
studied,
– the setting for the study,
– the data to be collected,
– and the time period for
the study etc.

7. Sources for the RQ
Clinical Experience
Mentor
Literature Overview
Conferences
Research Experience

8. What kind
of
Questions
form
Research
Question
• What is the situation?
• What is the relationship between
the variables?
• What population is affected?
• When did the event happen?
• What factors are associated with
the condition?
• What caused the condition?
• What is the effect of an
intervention?

9. FINER criteria

11. How to
structure a
research
question?
PICO format
Population,
Intervention/exposure of
interest
Comparison/Control
Outcome
Sometimes additional T for
Time

13. Writing the
research
questions
What are the underlying
factors perceived by
community people related
to suicidal tendencies?
What is the level of
utilization of community
mental health clinic
services?
What is the effect of facility
based counseling in
managing the Depressive
Disorders?

14. Research
Questions
 Study
Designs
• What is the prevalence of raised
blood pressure among adults in
Province 5?
– Descriptive
• What are the factors associated
with ANC drop out in Arghakhanchi
district?
– Analytic
• How effective is health promotion
and education through mother’s
groups to reduce risk factors of
CVDs among adults in Province 5?
– Effect of interventions

15. RESEARCH OBJECTIVES

16. Research Objectives
• Core of the entire research work (paper)
• Fundamental note for what a research is all about
• Summarize what is to be achieved by the study
• Closely related to the statement of the research
problem
(in a research paper, usually the last paragraph or sentence
of Introduction section)
• Overview of the expected solution to the problems

17. Why should research objectives be developed?
• Focus the study (narrowing it down to essentials).
• Avoid the collection of data which are not strictly necessary
for understanding and solving the problem that is identified.
• Organise the study in clearly defined parts or phases.
• Get a clear understanding of what data type is involved.
• Get an idea of an appropriate study design.
Properly formulated, specific objectives will facilitate the
development of research methodology and will help to orient the
collection, analysis, interpretation and utilisation of data.

18. How should we state the objectives?
• Are clearly phrased in operational terms, specifying
exactly what you are going to do, where, and for what
purpose.
• Expressed in limited words that is minimally
essential, and one thing at a time.
• Cover different aspects of the problem and its
contributing factors in a coherent way and in a
logical sequence.
3Cs – Clear; Concise; Coherent

19. Types of
research
objectives
General objective: states what researchers
expect to achieve by the study in general term
(1-2 sentences, broad perspective)
Specific objectives:
– smaller, sequential, logically connected
parts of general objective
– They are the specific aspects of the topic
that we want to study within the
framework of research
– Should systematically address the
various aspects of the research problem
and key factors that are assumed to
influence or cause the problem
– Should specify what to do in the study,
where and for what purpose

20. Example
General Objective:
 To assess the present situation of
practices of indigenous medical
knowledge and its resources and to
find out the methods/techniques to
manage common ailments by the
traditional healers.
Specific Objectives:
1. To identify different forms of
traditional medical knowledge
holders/practitioners who are
practicing traditional health care
practices as a providers.
2. To estimate different types of
medications practices among
traditional healers.
3. To document the indigenous medical
knowledge and practice related
diversities on traditional medicine.
4. To determine the visitor frequency
and trends with different types of
treatment methods.

21. Title: Together but alone: The effect of men's
migration on mental health of their left behind wives
General Objective: to explore why and how migration of men
effect the mental health of their left-behind wives.
Specific Objective:
Please think and make the specific objective

22. Some verbs commonly used in writing
objective
General objective
• Assess
• Describe
• Investigate
• Explore
• Characterize
Specific objective
• Identify
• Define
• Estimate
• Determine
• Develop
• Demonstrate
• Compare
• Classify
• Measure
• Examine

23. KNOWLEDGE DOMAIN
Identify
Label
List
Match
Count
Define
Describe
Draw
Select
State
Name
Outline
Point out
Quote
Read
Recite
Recognize
Record
Repeat
Reproduce

24. APPLICATION DOMAIN
Add
Apply
Calculate
Change
Complete
Compute
Demonstrate
Discover
Examine
Graph
Interpolate
Modify
Manipulate
Operate
Prepare
Produce
Show
Subtract
Translate
Use
Solve
Classify
Divide

25. COMPREHENSION
Associate
Compute
Convert
Defend
Discuss
Distinguish
Estimate
Explain
Summarize
Extend
Extrapolate
Generalize
Give example
Infer
Paraphrase
Predict
Rewrite

26. ANALYSIS DOMAIN
Analyze
Arrange
Breakdown
Combine
Design
Detect
Develop
Subdivide
Utilize
Diagram
Differentiate
Discriminate
Illustrate
Infer
Outline
Relate
Select
Separate

27. SYNTHESIS DOMAIN
Categorize
Combine
Compile
Compose
Create
Drive
Design
Devise
Explain
Generate
Integrate
Modify
Order
Organize
Plan
Prescribe
Propose
Rearrange
Reconstruct
Revise
Summarize
Specify

28. EVALUATION DOMAIN
Appraise
Assess
Compare
Conclude
Contrast
Criticize
Critique
Determine
Grade
Interpret
Judge
Justify
Measure
Rank
Support
Test

29. RESEARCH HYPOTHESES
more than a guess
परिकल्पना

30. What is a
hypothesis?
• A prediction or explanation of the
relationship between one or more
independent variables
(PREDISPOSING/RISK FACTORS)
and one dependent variable
(OUTCOME/CONDITION/DISEASE)
• A HYPOTHESIS is a prediction of a
relationship between one or more
factors and the problem under
study that can be tested.

31. Definitions of
Hypothesis
• “A hypothesis is a conjectural
statement of the relation
between two or more variables”.
(Kerlinger, 1956)
• “Hypothesis is a formal
statement that presents the
expected relationship between
an independent and dependent
variable.”
(Creswell, 1994)

32. Hypotheses
Shape and guide a research study in terms of:
• identification of study sample size
• what issues should be involved in data collection
• the proper analysis of the data
• data interpretation

33. Hypothesis Formulation
• Formulate a hypothesis
• Frame the hypothesis in a
format that is testable
• Test the hypothesis

34. Hypothesis Formulation
• Observations from:
– Literature (review PubMed on topic area)
– Natural experiments (e.g. migrant studies)
– Multi-national comparisons
– Descriptive studies (assessment of person,
place, and time characteristics)
– Creativity

35. Suppose a study is being conducted to answer questions about
differences between two regimens for the management of
diarrhea in children:
the new type of ORS and the time-tested
indigenous herbal solution made from locally available herbs.
One question that could be asked is:
“Is there a difference in
overall improvement (after three days of treatment)
between the new ORS and the herbal solution?"
Example

36. Yes
No
There could be only two answers to this question:

37. Null Hypothesis
A null hypothesis is usually a statement that there is no
difference between groups or that one factor is not
dependent on another and corresponds to the No answer.
"There is no difference between such improvement”

38. Alternate Hypothesis
Associated with the null hypothesis there is always another
hypothesis or implied statement concerning the true
relationship among the variables or conditions under study
if no is an implausible answer.
This statement is called the alternate/research/scientific
hypothesis and corresponds to the Yes answer.
Non Directional
"There is a difference between the improvement achieved by a
three days treatment with the ORS and that of the herbal solution"
(alternate hypothesis).

39. Types of Alternate Hypothesis:
Directional vs. Non-Directional
• Non-directional hypothesis
– Shows the existence of a relationship between
variables but no direction is specified
• Directional hypothesis
– Specifies the direction of the relationship
between independent and dependent variables

40. More Examples
• Null hypothesis
– There is no difference in efficacy of mood disorder management
between counseling alone and counseling combined with
medication
• Non-directional hypothesis
– There is a difference in efficacy of mood disorder management
between counseling alone and counseling combined with
medication
• Directional hypothesis
– Counseling combined with medication results in greater efficacy
compared to counseling alone in Mood disorder patients

41. Example Hypotheses:
POOR
Eating junk food is associated with the
development of cancer.
GOOD
The human papilloma virus (HPV) subtype 16 is
associated with the development of cervical
cancer.
41
Hypothesis Framing

42. Topic vs. RQ vs. Hypothesis
Interest: A general interest in a specific field
Topic: A broad idea requiring further analysis – Could
include population, variables, etc.
RQ: Brings a piece of the topic into focus?
Hypothesis: A tentative explanation that accounts for a
set of facts and can be tested.
- Conjectural statement that identifies the predicted
relationship between two or more variables.

43. Eg. Topic vs. RQ vs. Hypothesis
Interest: Endocrinology. Type II DM.
Topic: Vit. D3 and its relationship to Type II DM
RQ: Does administration of 4’000 IU of Vit. D3 daily
in addition to Metformin in adults with newly
diagnosed T2DM improve glycemic control,
compared to Metformin alone?
Hypothesis: Our expected answer for the RQ!

44. Newton
“Disappointment is
when a beautiful
hypothesis is
destroyed by an
ugly fact”
44

45. Conclusion
From research problem to hypothesis, a social science example

46. Thank you