RESEARCH is a systematic, methodological and ethical process of enquiry and investigation that is aimed at advancing knowledge. Research usually begins with the identification of a problem followed by formulation of research questions or objectives.

1. INTRODUCTION TO RESEARCH WRITING
WEBINAR
DAY 1 (6TH JANUARY, 2022)
ORGANIZED BY NEF, ABSU CHAPTER
LECTURE 1:
INTRODUCTION TO RESEARCH
EFFIONG FORTUNE
DIRECTOR FOR RESEARCH, TORASIF

2. OBJECTIVES OF THIS MODULE
 At the end of this module, you should be able to:
 Understand the concept of research
 Understand the types of research articles
 Understand the different sections of a research
manuscript
 Learn tips for engaging in research
 Understand the benefits of engaging in research
Introduction
to
Research
-
Effiong
Fortune

3. RESEARCH?
 Just close your eyes for a minute and utter the word
research to yourself.
Introduction
to
Research
-
Effiong
Fortune

4. RESEARCH?
 What comes to your mind?
 Do you picture a lab filled with scientists
experimenting with Bunsen burners and test tubes?
or a character akin to Einstein who writes
dissertations on complicated subjects? or someone
gathering data on how students in Nigerian tertiary
institutions feel about the COVID19 vaccine
 Most certainly, all these image depict various
aspects of research.
Introduction
to
Research
-
Effiong
Fortune

5. RESEARCH?
 RESEARCH is a systematic, methodological and
ethical process of enquiry and investigation that is
aimed at advancing knowledge.
 Research usually begins with the identification of a
problem followed by formulation of research
questions or objectives.
 Proceeding from this the researcher determines
how best to answer these questions and so decides
what information to collect, how it will be collected,
and how it will be analysed in order to answer
the research question.
Introduction
to
Research
-
Effiong
Fortune

6. WHAT MAKES A RESEARCH?
 Reliability - Is the research study repeatable? – in
other words, are the metrics utilized trustworthy and
consistent? Will the results be the same if I repeat
the measurements in the same conditions?
 Replication - This refers to the idea that the
procedures (methodology) employed in the study
are reported in sufficient detail that a second
researcher could repeat the study.
Introduction
to
Research
-
Effiong
Fortune

7. WHAT MAKES A RESEARCH?
 Validity – This concerns the integrity of conclusions
that are generated through a research study. There
are a number of issues raised here including
 (1) does the metric used accurately reflect the
concept being researched?
 (2) Is the causal relationship strong - can we be
confident that X causes Y?
 (3) Can we be certain that our findings can be
extrapolated outside of the research context?
Introduction
to
Research
-
Effiong
Fortune

8. STAGES OF THE RESEARCH PROCESS
 The main stages of research can be summarised below:
 1. Establish a general field of interest; discuss with
supervisor/tutor
 Your target date for this stage =
 2. Undertake preliminary & background reading on the
subject to be researched to discover what is known
already and to suggest the choice of an appropriate
research methodology.
 Your target date for this stage =
Introduction
to
Research
-
Effiong
Fortune

9. STAGES OF THE RESEARCH PROCESS
 3. Narrow your ideas to a workable topic or
research proposal and give it a title. Decide on the
most appropriate methods for gathering data
 Your target date for this stage =
 4. Preparation of information gathering ‘tools’, e.g.
questionnaires, interview sheets etc (if relevant) &
then information gathering stage.
 Your target date for this stage =
Introduction
to
Research
-
Effiong
Fortune

10. STAGES OF THE RESEARCH PROCESS
 5. Collation, analysis and interpretation of research
data.
 Your target date for this stage =
 6. Write first draft of research project report.
 Your target date for this stage =
 7. Revision, editing and revision of manuscript;
submission of manuscript
 Your target date for this stage =
Introduction
to
Research
-
Effiong
Fortune

11. TYPES OF RESEARCH ARTICLES
 Primary articles (original research articles, case
reports/case series, and technical notes)
 Secondary articles (narrative review articles and
systematic reviews)
 Special articles (letters to the editor,
correspondences, short communications, editorials,
commentaries, and pictorial essays), and tertiary
and gray literature
Introduction
to
Research
-
Effiong
Fortune

12. PRIMARY RESEARCH
 Primary research (some journals call it original
article) is information gathered through *self-
conducted* research methods.
 In primary research, you collect the original data
from the field, analyze and present your result.
 The goal of primary research is to answer specific
questions.
 Primary research involves you administering the
questionaire, going to the field, working in the lab,
or in any way you are the one generating the
primary data. It can be hectic
Introduction
to
Research
-
Effiong
Fortune

13. SECONDARY RESEARCH
 This is a research conducted by using data from
previous studies.
 In secondary research, you use data that has
already been generated to argue your point.
 This data could be data from original articles or
from another secondary research.
 In secondary research, you gather already
generated data, analyze it and report.
 It is usually easier to write secondary articles than
original articles although Journals accept original
articles easily than secondary articles
Introduction
to
Research
-
Effiong
Fortune

14. REVIEWS
 A review is a type of secondary research. It brings
together several work in a particular topic to assess
our level of knowledge in that topic and possibly the
gaps that exist for future research.
 Narrative reviews
 Systematic Reviews
 Meta analysis
 The difference between these three is mostly in the
methodology and in the word count
 For a good review, ensure you have at least 15
journal articles on that topic.
Introduction
to
Research
-
Effiong
Fortune

15. SPECIAL ARTICLES
 Special articles are a form of secondary research
 The main difference between special articles and
review articles is in the scope and word count
 They are more narrow in scope and have fewer
word count compared to review articles
 Examples are:
 Commentary
 Letters/Letter to the Editors
 Editorials
 Perspectives
 Opinion pieces
Introduction
to
Research
-
Effiong
Fortune

16.  TITLE
 AUTHOR(S)’ INFORMATION (Name, email and
Affiliation)
 ABSTRACT
 INTRODUCTION
 METHODOLOGY
 RESULTS
 DISCUSSION
 CONCLUSION
 REFERENCES
 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Conflict of Interest,
Authors Contributions
SECTIONS OF A TYPICAL RESEARCH
MANUSCRIPT
Introduction
to
Research
-
Effiong
Fortune

17. TIPS FOR EARLY CAREER
RESEARCHERS
 1. Interest/motivation: Engaging in Research
primarily boils down to interest because it can
sometimes be tedious as some takes weeks,
months or even years
 Passion is the fuel that would keep you moving in
the research game.
 2. Carve a niche: Research is very wide as it cuts
across every field or specialty. So you may need to
narrow your research interests which may be
related to work/field of study.
Introduction
to
Research
-
Effiong
Fortune

18. TIPS FOR EARLY CAREER
RESEARCHERS
 3. Learning, Unlearning & Relearning: Learning
Research is a continuous process and you learn
more as you start writing. Attending seminars like
this are also valuable
 4. Mentorship: Standing on the shoulder of Giants
is important too. You learn and climb faster when
you have a mentor
Introduction
to
Research
-
Effiong
Fortune

19. TIPS FOR EARLY CAREER
RESEARCHERS
 5. Being strategic:
 This section is all about intelligence. Students might
find a senior lecturer at their university to act as
their research assistant.
 This would provide you with excellent practical
experience.
 You might assist with data analysis, sharing/filling
out questionnaires, and so on.
 Your name will be added to the list of authors when
the work is published.
Introduction
to
Research
-
Effiong
Fortune

20. TIPS FOR EARLY CAREER
RESEARCHERS
 6. Network: Some research works can be pretty
tedious and you can’t do it alone so you need to
identify people with similar mindset and interest and
roll with them.
 Doing research alone can be pretty hectic, so you
may need to leverage on the power of your
networks to get things done.
Introduction
to
Research
-
Effiong
Fortune

21. TIPS FOR EARLY CAREER
RESEARCHERS
 7. Shooting your shot & dealing with rejections:
 Don't let the fear of rejection keep you from
submitting your work for publication to that journal
or submitting your abstract to that scientific
conference.
 Journal Editors may send your work back to you to
evaluate, revise, and resubmit until you get lucky.
Introduction
to
Research
-
Effiong
Fortune

22. BENEFITS AND RELEVANCE OF
ENGAGING IN RESEARCH
 1. Acquire relevant skills: Engaging in Research
would help to acquire some 21 century skills such
as critical thinking, analyzing skills and writing skills.
 2. Professional/career advancement: It would
give you an edge when applying for Masters, PhD
scholarship opportunities, applying for a job, a new
promotion, etc.
 In other words, when you add your publications and
other research accomplishments to your curriculum
vitae, it will give you a competitive advantage and
make you stand out (CV).
Introduction
to
Research
-
Effiong
Fortune

23. BENEFITS AND RELEVANCE OF
ENGAGING IN RESEARCH
 3. Broaden your network:
 Working on a research project may need you to
collaborate with people of various views and
nations to achieve a common aim.You would be
able to form valuable contacts and connections as
a result of this.
Introduction
to
Research
-
Effiong
Fortune

24. BENEFITS AND RELEVANCE OF
ENGAGING IN RESEARCH
 4. Access to opportunities:
 Your research abstract may be accepted for
presentation at Scientific Conferences as an oral or
poster presentation, and you may be awarded a full
or partial scholarship to attend.This is an excellent
opportunity to network with other scholars and
experts in your field. Such a chance, particularly for
undergraduates, would be far more beneficial.
Introduction
to
Research
-
Effiong
Fortune

25. BENEFITS AND RELEVANCE OF
ENGAGING IN RESEARCH
 5. Expanding one’s knowledge:
 Outside of the classroom, this would broaden your
viewpoint on a particular subject or issue, as well as
your grasp of a selected sector.Research provides
us with information about the world as well as the
skills we need to survive and better our lives.
Introduction
to
Research
-
Effiong
Fortune

26. REFERENCES
 1. SOAS. (2022). Retrieved 18 March 2022, from
https://www.soas.ac.uk/cedep-
demos/000_P506_RM_3736-
Demo/unit1/page_12.htm
 Adebisi, YA. (2020). Introduction to Research
writing. PDF
 Agboola, P. (2020). Basics of Research
Introduction
to
Research
-
Effiong
Fortune

27.  effiongfortuneb@gmail.com
THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME
Introduction
to
Research
-
Effiong
Fortune