This document provides an overview of the research process. It discusses that research requires an entrepreneurial spirit to develop new ideas. The key stages of research are outlined as formulating the problem, literature review, developing hypotheses, research design, performing research, data analysis and interpretation, and findings. Some challenges of research include properly documenting ideas and writing theses in a scholarly manner. Researchers must analyze limited aspects of problems and learn more about specific topics. The document also discusses developing a questioning attitude and ensuring the research problem is significant, feasible, unambiguous and free of hazards.

1. 1
Dr. Ahsen Maqsoom

2. SEQUENCE OF PRESENTATION
I. Introduction
II. What is research?
III. Research Process
2

3. For carrying out impactful research, an entrepreneurial
spirit is required to spawn new and innovative ideas.
This spirit for the pursuit of truth and the extension of
boundaries of knowledge means nothing if not documented
properly.
Thesis / dissertation should be written in a scholarly and
presentable manner acceptable internationally.
3

4. 4

5. 5

6. 6

7. 7

8. Although the requirements for research vary according to
different fields of specialization, certain features of
organization, arrangement, format and presentation are
common to most of such research work.
8

9. 9

10. 10

11.  A systematic investigation into and study of
materials and sources in order to establish facts
and reach new conclusions.
 A systematic inquiry to investigate hypotheses,
suggest new interpretations of data or texts, and
pose new questions for future research to
explore.
 Creative work undertaken on a systematic basis
for increasing the stock of knowledge, including
that of humans, culture and society, and the use
of this stock to devise new applications
11

12. I. Formulating the research
problem
II. Literature survey
III. Developing the hypothesis
IV. Preparing the research design
V. Performing the research
VI. Data analysis, generalization
and interpretation
VII. Findings and the way forward
12

13. 13

14.  One of the most difficult phases of a research project is the choice of a suitable
problem (TRUE/FALSE)
 A researcher can be compared to an ant, which brings its single grain of sand to
the anthill (TRUE/FALSE)
 Great discoveries usually happen by accident or sheer luck (TRUE/FALSE)
 Researchers are specialists rather than generalists (TRUE/FALSE)
14

15.  Analyze limited aspects of broad problems
Q: Why can’t we afford to do more than this?
 Learn more and more about less and less until we know everything about
nothing
15

16. What are some of the obstacles which may
discourage a person from undertaking research?
16

17. Beginners possess real problem awareness
17

18.  Classroom
 School
 Community
 Own teaching experiences
 Class discussions
 Seminars/workshops/paper
presentations
 Internet
 Out-of-class exchanges of ideas with
fellow students and professors
 Reading assignments
 Consultation with…
 Course instructor; Advisor; Major
Professor; Faculty member 18

19.  You need to have an inquisitive and imaginative mind
 You need a Questioning attitude
 Wonder why?
19

20.  Is the problem/topic significant enough?
 Is it feasible (practical/possible for me to do it)?
 Is it free of unknown hazards/dangers?
 Is it clear (unambiguous)?
20

21.  Narrowing the focus
 Population
 Situation (time, condition, subject availability, researcher’s readiness,
resources available, etc.)
 Measurements
 Issue(s) dealt with?
 Setting the scope of the problem
(“this is my line…I won’t go beyond it…”)
21

22. 22