Research method

For MPH students
By Berhanu Senbeta (MPH, Ass’t
prof)
5/15/2023
Research Methodology
1 Introduction to RM

INTRODUCTION TO
RESEARCHCH
5/15/2023

Learning Objectives
After completing this course, you will be able to:
Define research
 Describe characteristics of research
Identify the different types of research
Describe the broad divisions (steps) involved in the
research process
Develop research proposal
Manage research projects
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Learning Objectives…
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Identify components of proposal in detail
Discuss on how to select research title
 Discuss on the whole processes of Research
methodology including study design.
Describe and discuss the components of research
report (thesis).

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What is research?

Definition
Research is the systematic collection, analysis
and interpretation of data to generate new
knowledge and answer a certain question or solve
a problem.
It is a scientific investigation aimed at learning
new facts, testing ideas, etc.
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Research = Identifying Problems &
Designing Appropriate Action
Established methods must be used in
both!!
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Introduction to RM
7

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Health Research
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Health research is the process of obtaining
systematic knowledge and technology which can be
used for the improvement of the health of individual
groups.
 It provides the basic information on the state of
health and diseases of the population.
 It aims to develop tools to prevent and cure illness
and mitigate its effects and it attempts to develop
better approaches to health care for the individual
and community. (Davies 1991)

Cont’d….
5/15/2023
Health Research is a systematic collection, analysis and
interpretation of data to solve a health problem.
Purpose of Health Research
 To generate knowledge essential to effectively promote
the health of the population.
 Without that knowledge, effective action is
impossible because it has no logical or empirical
basis.

Health systems research
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It supports health development
 It is a component of health research
 It is ultimately concerned with improving the health of a
community by enhancing the efficiency and
effectiveness of the health system as an integral part of
the overall process of socioeconomic development.

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What is health system?

Definition of “Health system”
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o Health system is:
 A set of cultural beliefs about health and illness that
forms the basis for health-seeking and health-
promoting behavior.
 Health system includes all activities whose primary
purpose is to promote, restore or maintain health.

Cont’d…
5/15/2023
 It consists of:
 What people believe and know about health & illness
 What they do to remain healthy & cure diseases
 Beliefs and action are usually closely connected
 For example, in a society if people perceive germs
as the cause of disease, they will look for modern
health care.

Cont’d…..
5/15/2023
Essential features of Health System Research:
It should focus on priority problems
It should be action oriented
It require integrated multidisciplinary approach

Cont’d….
5/15/2023
The research should be participatory in nature
(from policy makers to community members)
Research must be timely
Emphasis should be placed on comparatively
simple, short-term research designs that yield
practical results.

Characteristics of research
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It demands a clear statement of the problem
 It requires a plan
 It builds on existing data, using both positive
and negative findings
 New data should be collected as required

Good Research
 Is simple
 Has clear question (s)
 Good rationale
 Appropriate methodology
 Clear expectation of the outputs
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Why do we conduct Research?
A research is done in order:
To address gaps in knowledge
To expand knowledge
To improve practice through new ideas, new insights into methods
To make more informed choices/decisions based on available
information
To create data-base for policy-making as research provides an
understanding of the factors affecting desired outcomes
It helps to build skills (organizational, analytical, writing,
presentation, time management, etc.)
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Research
Basic Applie
d
Quantitati
ve
Qualitati
ve
Purpose Study
approach
Types of
Research

Types of Research
Basic research Applied research
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 Is designed to extend the
base of knowledge or for the
sake of understanding itself.
 Is necessary to generate
new knowledge and
technologies to deal with
major unresolved health
problems.
 Is necessary to identify
priority problems and to
design and evaluate
policies and programs
that will deliver the
greatest health benefit,
making optimal use of
available resources.
 Finds solutions to
problems

Applied research cont’d…
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In health system
 It helps to identify priority problems and to design
interventions and evaluate them
 It is ultimately concerned with improving the health of
people and communities:-
by enhancing efficiency and effectiveness of the
health system through providing information
(about priority problems, program evaluation and
best solutions) for decision making

Quantitative research Qualitative research
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 Concerned with
investigating things
which we could
observe and measure
in some way.
 Concerned with
developing
explanations of social
phenomena.
Types of Research cont’d….

Quantitative research…. Qualitative research …..
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 More concerned with
questions about:
 How much?
 How many?
 How often?
 To what extent? etc.
 It is concerned with the social
aspects of our world and seeks
to answer questions about:
 Why people behave the way
they do?
 How opinions and attitudes
are formed?
 How people are affected by
the events that go on around
them?
 How and why cultures have
developed in the way they
have?
Types of Research cont’d….

Qualitative research …..
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 Qualitative methods fill a gap in the public health toolbox.
 It help us to understand behaviors, attitudes, perceptions and
culture in a way that quantitative methods alone cannot. Hence
we use qualitative research alone or with quantitative research to
supplement it
In short
 Qualitative research is concerned with finding answers to
questions which begin with: Why, How & In what way.

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Comparison of quantitative
and qualitative research
approaches

General framework
Quantitative Qualitative
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 Seek to confirm
hypotheses about
phenomena
 Use more rigid
instruments style for
eliciting and
categorizing responses
to questions
 Use highly structured
methods such as
questionnaires, surveys
 Seek to explore
phenomena
 Use more flexible
instruments, iterative
style of eliciting and
categorizing responses
to questions
 Use semi-structured
methods such as in-
depth interviews, focus
groups, and participant
observation

Analytical objectives
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 To quantify variation
 To predict causal
relationships
 To describe
characteristics of a
population
 To describe variation
 To describe and
explain relationships
 To describe individual
experiences
 To describe group
norms

Question format
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 Closed-ended  Open-ended

Flexibility in study design
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 Study design is stable
from beginning to end
 Participant responses do
not influence or
determine how and
which questions
researchers ask next
 Study design is subject
to statistical
assumptions and
conditions
 Some aspects of the
study are flexible (for
example, the addition,
exclusion, or wording of
particular interview
questions)
 Participant responses
affect how and which
questions researchers
ask next
 Study design is iterative,
that is, data collection

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Introduction to RM
31
Empirical research and Conceptual
research

Empirical research
 It is data-based research, coming up with conclusions which are
capable of being verified by observation or experiment.
 The researcher must first provide himself with a working
hypothesis or guess as to the probable results.
 He then works to get enough facts (data) to prove or disprove his
hypothesis.
 Sets up experimental designs which he thinks will manipulate the
persons or the materials concerned so as to bring forth the desired
information
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Introduction to RM

Conceptual
 Conceptual research- is that related to some abstract idea(s)
or theory.
 It is generally used by philosophers and thinkers to develop
new concepts or to reinterpret existing ones.
 Personal idea but not evidence based
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Introduction to RM

Empirical research and Conceptual research
Conceptual research Empirical research
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Introduction to RM
34
Is generally related to
abstract ideas and
concept
It does not involve any
practical experiment
 Conclusion of the study area
drawn from evidence
verified by observation and
experience, rather than
theory and logic.
 Involves phenomena that are
observable and measurable.

Main components of any research
work
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1. Preparing a research proposal
2. Fieldwork (i.e., data collection)
3. Analyzing data and preparing research report
N.B. The roles of health managers and the community
should be identified in the various phases of the
research process.

Research Proposal
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 The development of a health project goes through a
number of stages.
 Formulation of the research proposal is the major
task in the process of developing a research project.
 Research proposal is a document that presents a plan
for a research project to reviewers for evaluation

Cont’d….
5/15/2023
 Can be supervised project - submitted to instructors
as part of education degree or
 present a proposed project to funding agency
 The proposal draws on all the preparatory steps of the
research process and pulls them together in a
document describing the rationale and the
methodology proposed for research.

Cont’d….
5/15/2023
 It helps to convince the reviewers that the
researcher is capable of successfully conducting
the research
Reviewers have more confidence that planned
project will be successfully completed if the
proposal is well written and organized

Cont’d…..
5/15/2023
 The proposal is a basis for approval and funding.
 After approval, the proposal is used as a blueprint
during implementation of the project.
 The process of developing research proposal is not
always linear.
 It is a usual practice to go up and down on the
developed proposal and make the necessary
revisions.

Cont’d….
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 Research proposal is written before the research
project begins
 It describes the research problem, its importance
and gives detailed account to the methods that will
be used and why they are appropriate

Cont’d….
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The following questions should be clearly answered
before trying to develop research proposal.
Is there evidence to indicate that the research proposal
focuses on a problem of priority importance?
 Was the given health problem identified by relevant
groups of the health system?

Cont’d….
5/15/2023
 Was the problem adequately analyzed to include
all possible contributory factors from different
sectors?
 Was it clearly stated?

Components of a proposal
 Title
 Summary
 Introduction
 Objective
 Methodology
 Ethical considerations
 Work plan
 Dissemination and Utilization of Results
 Budget
 References
 annex 5/15/2023

Title
 Should be in line with your general objective
 Should tell readers what your study is about and where
it will be done
 Do not use abbreviation to write title
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Title…
 A good title is defined as the fewest possible words that
adequately describe the contents of the paper
 The title is extremely important and must be chosen with great
care as it will be read by thousands, whereas few will read the
entire paper
 Indexing and abstracting of the paper depends on the accuracy of
the title
 An improperly titled paper will get lost and will never be read
45 5/15/2023
Introduction to RM

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Introduction to RM
46
 Titles should neither be too short nor too long as to be meaningless
 Waste words (studies on, investigations on, a, an, the etc) should
not be used
 Syntax (word order) must be very carefully considered
 It should contain the keywords that reflect the contents of the paper
 It should be concise, specific and informative
 It should capture the fundamental nature of the experiments and
findings

How to Prepare the Title
 Make a list of the most important keywords
 Think of a title that contains these words
 The title could state the conclusion of the paper
 The title NEVER contains abbreviations, chemical formulas,
proprietary names or jargon
 Think, rethink of the title before submitting the paper
 Be very careful of the grammatical errors due to faulty word order
 Avoid the use of the word “using”
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Introduction to RM

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Introduction to RM
48
 Titles should neither be too short nor too long as to be
meaningless
 Waste words (studies on, investigations on, a, an, the etc) should
not be used
 Syntax (word order) must be very carefully considered
 It should contain the keywords that reflect the contents of the
paper
 It should be concise, specific and informative
 It should capture the fundamental nature of the experiments and
findings

Criteria for selecting a research topic
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1. Relevance
2. Avoidance of duplication
3. Urgency of data needed (timeliness)
4. Political acceptability of study
5. Feasibility of study
6. Applicability of results
7. Ethical acceptability

Relevance
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o The topic you choose should be a priority problem.
 How large or widespread is the problem?
 Who is affected?
 How severe is the problem?
o Try to think of serious health problems that affect a great
number of people or the most serious problems that are
faced by managers in the area of your work.
o All the community members and local managers have an
interest in solving it.

Avoidance of duplication
 Before you decide to carry out a study, it is important
that you find out whether the suggested topic has been
investigated before, either within the proposed study
area or in another area with similar conditions.
 If the topic has been researched, the results should be
reviewed to explore whether major questions that
deserve further investigation remain unanswered.
 If not, another topic should be chosen.
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Urgency of data needed (timeliness)
 How urgently are the results needed for making a
decision or developing interventions at various levels
(from community to policy)?
 Consider which research should be done first and
which can be done later.
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Political acceptability
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 It is advisable to research a topic that has the interest
and support of the local/national authorities.
 This will increase the chance that the results of the study
will be implemented.
 Under certain circumstances, you may feel that a study is
required to show that the government’s policy needs
adjustment.
 If so, you should make an extra effort to involve the
policy-makers concerned at an early stage, in order to
limit the chances for confrontation later.

Feasibility
 Look at the project you are proposing and consider the
complexity of the problem and the resources you will
require to carrying out your study.
 Emphasis should be given first to manpower, time,
equipment and money that are locally available.
 Finally, explore the possibility of obtaining technical
and financial assistance from external sources.
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Applicability of possible
results/recommendations
 Is it likely that the recommendations from the study
will be applied?
 This will depend on management capability , willingness
of the authorities and availability of resources for
implementing the recommendations.
 Also the opinion of the potential clients and of responsible
staff will influence the implementation of
recommendations.
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Ethical acceptability
We should always consider the possibility that we
may inflict harm on others while carrying out
research.
 Review the following:
 How acceptable is the research to those who will be
studied?
 Can informed consent be obtained from the research
subjects?
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Ethical acceptability cont’d…
5/15/2023
 Will the condition of the subjects be taken into account?
 For example, if individuals are identified during the
study who require treatment, will this treatment be
given? What if such treatment interferes with your
study results?
 Will the results be shared with those who are being
studied?
 Will the results be helpful in improving the lives or
health of those studied?

SCALES FOR RATING RESEARCH
TOPICS
Relevance
1. = Not relevant
2. = Relevant
3. = Very relevant
Avoidance of duplication
1. = Sufficient information already available
2. = Some information available but major issues not
covered
3. = No sound information available on which to base
problem-solving 5/15/2023

Cont’d….
Urgency
1. = Information not urgently needed
2. = Information could be used right away but a delay of
some months would be acceptable
3. = Data very urgently needed for decision-making
Political acceptability
1. = Topic not acceptable to high level policymakers
2. = Topic more or less acceptable
3. = Topic fully acceptable 5/15/2023

Cont’d…
Feasibility
1. = Study not feasible, considering available resources
2. = Study feasible, considering available resources
3. = Study very feasible, considering available resources
 Applicability
1. = No chance of recommendations being implemented
2. = Some chance of recommendations being implemented
3. = Good chance of recommendations being implemented
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Cont’d….
Ethical acceptability
1.= Major ethical problems
2.= Minor ethical problems
3.= No ethical problems
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Individual Assignment
 Identify your own research topic and develop a
research proposal.
 After development of proposal, you need to present it
to the class and defend it.
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Summary
Should reflect:
 Problem Statement/background (why)
 Research objectives
 Methods (how)
 Duration/Work plan
 Total Budget
 Keywords
 Keep to about 250-350 words
 No need of citing references
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Introduction
 Can be divided into 3 sections or the concepts of the 3
sections can be merged together
 Sections:
 Statement of the problem
 Literature review
 Justification of the study
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Statement of the problem
What is a problem?
• A problem is a gap or a difference between what is
expected or desired to be and the actual condition
exists.
• A problem is a perceived difficulty, a feeling of
discomfort about the way things are, or a
discrepancy between what someone believes
should be the situation and what the situation is in
reality. 5/15/2023

Cont’d…
 A problem statement is a concise and precise well
documented, detailed description of the nature,
scope, causes, severity and the impact of a problem
to be addressed and the need for the proposed
project or research.
 Thus a problem statement is the specific description of
a problem which is essential to understand it properly.
5/15/2023

Cont’d…
 A problem statement is the initial step before
undertaking into any kind of research.
 A well formulated and effective problem statement
ensures the research success.
 A good problem statement is always specific and
focused to a particular issue.
 Vague problem statement will raise a question on the
importance of the research.
5/15/2023

Sources of Research Problem
 Research problems could be generated from the mind of
individuals with some knowledge or life experience
 Magnitude of a problem and situational analysis also
give some clues to how research problems are generated
 Other sources for research problems are:-
 Literature reviews
 Professional conferences
 Experts in the area of interest
5/15/2023

Cont’d….
5/15/2023
 For example the experience of antiretroviral
therapy(ART) implementers could help to pose a
questions about research problems in the area of
HIV/AIDS.
Perceived discrepancy or gaps can also trigger a
certain kind of research question.

When does a research problem
exist?
 All research is set in motion by the existence of a
problem.
 Problems are the initiating force behind
research, but not all problems require research.
5/15/2023

Cont’d……
A potential research situation arises when three
conditions exist:
1. A perceived discrepancy exists between what is and
what should be.
2. The reason(s) for this difference should be unclear
3. At least two possible and plausible answers exist to
the question.
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Cont’d……
NB. If there is only one possible/plausible
answer to the question about the discrepancy,
then a research situation does not exist
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Example
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 Problem situation: In district “ Y “ a report showed
that in the first month there were 500 children under
one year old who started immunization, but at the end
of the year it was found that there were only 25 children
who completed their vaccination.
 Discrepancy: All the 500 children at district “Y
“should have completed their vaccination but only 5%
of those who started vaccination have completed.

Cont’d….
5/15/2023
 Problem (research) question: why only 5% of the
children completed their vaccination?
 Definite answer: Out of the 1 hospital, 2 health centers
and 10 health stations/post found in district “Y” only 2
health stations/posts were functioning, the rest were closed
due to insecurity in the area.
 In the above example, assuming that all the given facts are
true, there is no need of undertaking a research, since
definite answer is obtained to the problem situation.

Cont’d…
5/15/2023
 Problem situation: In district “Z” (population 150,000)
there are 2 health centers, 1 hospital and 15 health
stations/post and all of them function smoothly.
 However, at the end of the year it was found that the EPI
coverage was only 25%.
 Discrepancy: Although district “Z” had 100% availability
of health services and at least 80% of the children should
be fully vaccinated but the EPI coverage was only 25%

Cont’d…
5/15/2023
 Problem/research question: What factors influence the low
EPI coverage in district “Z”?
 Possible answers:
Mothers might have problems for not attending in the EPI
sessions.
The MCH, EPI, OPD, CDD, etc… programmes might not
have been integrated; hence children might have missed
opportunities in getting immunization.
The follow up of defaulting children might not be effective and
other reasons.
 Thus, the above problem situation is researchable.

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FORMULATING THE
PROBLEM STATEMENT

Cont’d…
o The first major section in a research proposal is the
‘statement of the problem’.
Why it is important to state and define the
problem well?
o Because a clear statement of the problem:
 Is the foundation for the further development of
the research proposal (research objectives,
methodology, work plan, budget, etc.).
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What information should be included
in the statement of the problem?
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Cont’d…
5/15/2023
1. A brief description of socio-economic, cultural
characteristics and the health-care system
 Include a few illustrative statistics, if available, to
help describe the context in which the problem
occurs.
2. A concise description of the nature, size,
distribution and severity of the problem.
 For a descriptive or evaluation study you will
elaborate the different components of the problem.

Cont’d…
3. An analysis of the major factors that may
influence the problem
 and a discussion of why certain factors need
more investigation.
4. A brief description of any solutions to the problem
that have been tried in the past,
 and why further research is needed (justification
for your study).
5/15/2023

Cont’d…
5. A description of the type of information expected
to result from the project and how this
information will be used to solve the problem.
6. If necessary, a short list of definitions of crucial
concepts used in the statement of the problem.
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Justification of the study
83
Introduction to RM 5/15/2023

Justification
• Why your research is needed?
E.g.
– Others not large enough
– Different populations
– Different intervention
84

Three Goals:
 Define your problem
Justify your problem
Explain your argument (i.e., what are you going to do in
this paper?)
85

Justifying Research Problems
Explain what is not known about the problem.
Why does the problem matter?
Provide documentation that this is actually a problem.
 Available results, findings, statistics, etc from other studies?
 Available literature that shows that this is a needed area of
inquiry?
 Remember: The simple fact that no one may have looked at
this problem is not sufficient justification.
86

Justification as Significance of the Study
What are the ways that the study will add to the scholarly
research/literature in the field?
How does the study improve practice?
How might the study improve policy?
…there are others…the key is to explain why this “problem”
is actually a problem at all.
87

Literature review
5/15/2023

Cont’d…
5/15/2023
 Literature review: is the act of searching for
information in areas related to the subject of
interest of the researcher.
 Literature review looks into:
What has been done
The gaps
The limitations
and the controversies, etc. in the areas related
to the subject desired to be studied.

Cont’d…
5/15/2023
 It is the basis for further evaluation of the
proposal and the people at the back of the
proposal.
 It helps to consolidating knowledge to justify the
importance of a research proposal

Use of literature review
5/15/2023
It prevents duplicating work that has been done
before.
It increases your knowledge on the problem you
want to study and this may assist you in refining
your "statement of the problem".
It gives you confidence why your particular
research project is needed.
To be familiar with different research methods

Possible sources of literature review
5/15/2023
Computer based pertinent internet
websites(Pub/med, Google scholar, Hennery
etc)
Journals
Books (has weakness as they lack frequent
updating)
Pertinent report

Cont’d…
5/15/2023
 After collecting the required information the
investigator should decide in which order he/she
wants to discuss previous research findings:
from global to local
from broader to focused
from past to current

Cont’d…
5/15/2023
 While reviewing a literature, all what is known
about the study topic should be summarized
with the relevant references.
 This review should answer
How much is known?
 What is not known?
What should be done based on what is lacking?

Cont’d…
5/15/2023
 Literature review should be:-
• adequate
• relevant and critical
 Appropriate referencing procedures should always
be followed in research proposals as well as in
research reports.
 Emphasis should be give to both positive and
negative findings.
 Avoid any distortion of information to suit your own
study objectives.

Cont’d…
5/15/2023
 Summarize the findings and write a coherent
discussion by indicating the research gap which
supports the undertaking of your study.
 Emphasis should be given that citation of
pertinent information from any other source
should be always acknowledged

Conceptual framework
 It is diagrammatic representation of philosophical concerns,
theories, and methodological approaches toward scientific inquiry
that characterize a particular discipline.
 It is the diagram that identify and illustrate the relationships
among factors that influence outcome.
Example
Conceptual framework to assess the magnitude of mortality from
Tuberculosis.
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Figure 1: Conceptual frame work of Assessment of TB mortality
Source: Developed from different literatures
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Introduction to RM
99
Concept Mapping for a Literature Review
What is a Concept Map? Why might Concept Mapping be
useful for a Literature Review?
Concept Maps are graphic representations of topics, ideas,
and their relationships.
 They allow users to group information (such as research
sources) in related modules so that the connections between
and among the modules become more readily apparent than
they might from an examination of a list.

References
Methods of citations in preparing literature review:
A) Vancouver system
This system have been adopted as standard by over 300
biomedical journals
 For an article the following information should be noted:
Author(s)’ Surname followed by initials. Title of article. Name
of Journal. Year, Volume(number): page numbers of article.
 Example: Louria DB. Emerging- and re-emerging infections:
The societal variables. International Journal of Infectious
Disease. 1996, 1(2):59-62.
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References cont…
 For a book the following information should be
noted:
 Author(s)’ Surname followed by initials. Title of book.
Place: Publisher, Year, Edition
 Example: Abramson JH. Survey methods in
community medicine. Edinburgh: Churchill
Livingstone, 1990, 4th ed.
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References cont..
 For a chapter in a book, the reference can include:
 Author(s) of chapter (Surname(s) followed by initials).
Chapter title. In: Editor(s) of book, (Surname(s)
followed by initials). (eds). Title of book. Place:
Publisher, Year: Page numbers of chapter.
 Example: Todd J and Barongo L. Epidemiological
methods. In: Ng’weshemi J, Boerma T, Bennett J and
Schapink D (eds). HIV prevention and AIDS care in
Africa; A district level approach. Amsterdam: KIT
Press, 1997: 51-68. 5/15/2023

References cont..
B) The Harvard System
 In other journals and books it is common to put the year, between brackets,
straight after the name of the author(s).
 This is called the Harvard system.
 Name of the author(s) (year). Title. Place of Publication: Publisher
 Ex- Abramson JH (1990), 4th ed. Survey methods in community medicine.
Edinburgh: Churchill Livingstone.
 There are more systems in use for referencing to literature.
 Always carefully look what system is used in the journal you are submitting
an article to and follow it systematically.
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References cont…
 At present many journals use as few punctuation marks as
possible.
 Examples: In Harvard style, this looks as follows:
 Abramson JH (1990) 4th ed. Survey methods in
community medicine. Edinburgh: Churchill Livingstone.
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References cont…
 When you use the Vancouver system, you will use consecutive
numbers in the text to indicate your references
 At the end you will then list your references in that order, using
the format described above
 In Harvard System, put the surname of the author, year of
publication and number(s) of page(s) referred to between
brackets, (E.g. Shiva 1998:15-17)
 If this system of citation is used, the references at the end of the
proposal, should be listed in Alphabetical order.
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Introduction to RM
106
Reading assignment
1. Literature map
2. Difference between conceptual and theoretical
framework
3. How to construct conceptual framework?
4. Significance of conceptual framework
5. Origination of literature review
6. Approach of literature review

Formulating research Objectives
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 Research objective is the clear aim of the study to
be achieved at the end of the research under taking.
 It is a statement that clearly depicts the goal to be
achieved by research project.
 It was noted that the objective should be closely
related to the statement of the problem to depict
coherence.

Research objectives
Characteristics of good
objectives
 Logical & coherent
 Feasible
 Realistic – considering local
conditions
 Defined in operational terms
that can be measured
 Phrased to clearly meet the
purpose of the study
SMART
 Specific
 Measurable
 Achievable
 Realistic
 Time bound
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SMART Objectives
 Specific: Be precise about what you are going to achieve
 Measurable: Quantify the objectives
 Appropriate: Align with the needs of the target audience
 Realistic: Do you have the resources to make the objective
happen?
 Time-Specific: State when you will achieve the objective
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Why should research objectives
be developed?
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Cont’d…
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The formulation of objectives will help you to:
 Focus on the study (narrowing it down to essentials)
 Avoid the collection of data which are not strictly
necessary for understanding and solving the problem
you have identified.
 Organize the study in clearly defined parts or phases

Cont’d…
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 So the explicit formulation of study objectives is an
essential step in planning of study.
 It is said that "a question well-stated is a question half
answered" but a question that is poorly stated or
unstated is unlikely to be answered at all.

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When should the objective of a
research problem be prepared?

Cont’d…
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The objectives should be written after the statement of
the problem is developed and before the methodology
for the study is planned
 Because the objectives :
 flow from the statement of the problem, and show the
precise goal of the study
 guide the development of the research methodology and
 orient the collection, analysis and interpretation of data .

How should objectives be stated?
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Objective should be stated using "action verbs" that
are specific enough to be measured.
 Examples:- To determine, to compare, to verify, to
describe and to establish…etc.
Avoid the use of vague, non action verbs like
appreciate, understand and believe etc.

What formats can be used for stating
research objectives?
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 Research objectives can be stated as:-
 Questions: "The objective of this study are to answer
the followings…"
 Positive sentences: "The objectives of this study is to
determine…."
 Hypothesis: "The objective of the study is to verify
the following hypothesis.."

Cont’d…
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o The format chosen depends on the type of study that will
be under taken.
 If the study is descriptive or exploratory in nature, then
the objective are stated in the form of questions or
positive sentences.
 If the researcher knows enough to make predication
concerning what she/he is studying, then hypothesis
may be proposed.

Types of objectives
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General objectives
 States what researchers expect to achieve by the study in
general term.
 It is also the overall summary of the problem statement.
 It is linked to the title of the research in most cases.
 Example:- In study on missed opportunities for expanded
program of immunization in Fitche town, the general
objective is “To assess missed opportunities for expanded
program of immunization in Fitche town”

Cont’d…
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Specific objectives
 Are the tangible part of the general objective.
 It indicates the variable to be examined and measured
 Sort out the solutions for the problems mentioned in the
statement of the problems.
 The finding of the research measured through the
specific objectives to conclude on the outcome of the
research.

Cont’d…
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Example: Prevalence and factors associated with
hypertension among adults in Fitche town.
General objective:- To Assess the prevalence and
factors associated with hypertension among adults in
Fitche town, 2023.

Obj…
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Specific objectives
1. To assess the prevalence of
hypertension among adults in Fitche
town, 2023.
2. To identify factors associated with
hypertension among adults in Fitche
town, 2023.

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Thank you!!

Research method

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