A note on how to write aim and objective in a research

1. AIM AND OBJECTIVES OF A RESEARCH
Presented by,
Jijimol T
Third semester M. Pharm
Pharmaceutics
CPS, GMC, Kannur

2. RESEARCH AIM
• The term research aim usually refers to the main goal or overarching
purpose of a research project.
• To determine the study’s aim, the researcher must decide what its
overall, long-term aim is and describe the overall purpose (what should
be accomplished) in general terms.
• This ultimately enables the reader to judge whether the researcher has
achieved that purpose.
• A research aim is usually formulated as a broad statement of the main
goal of the research and can range in length from a single sentence to a
short paragraph.

3.  Predict
 Add to the knowledge base.
 Have a personal, social, institutional, and/or organisational impact.
 Measure change.
 Understand complex phenomena.
 Test new ideas.
 Generate new ideas.
 Inform constituencies.
 Examine the past.

4. • The aim should be made up of three parts that answer the below questions:
• Why is this research required?
• What is this research about?
• How are you going to do it?
• The first question, why, provides context to the research project,
• the second question, what, describes the aim of the research,
• the last question, how, acts as an introduction to the objectives which will
immediately follow.
• The easiest way to achieve this would be to address each question in its own
sentence, although it does not matter whether combine them or write multiple
sentences for each, the key is to address each one.

5. RESEARCH OBJECTIVE
• Research objectives are the specific statements indicating the key issues
to be focused on in a research project.
• Usually, a research project will have several specific research objectives.
• Research objectives indicate in more detail the specific research topics or
issues the project plans to investigate, building on the main theme stated
in the research aim.

6. • Newell and Burnard 2011 divided objectives in to two: Primary and
secondary.
• Primary - bound to achieved
• Secondary - incidental.
• It should be closely related to the research question, cover all aspects of
the problem, specific, ordered in a logical sequence, achievable, take into
consideration the available resources, including time, and mutually
exclusive of each other.

7. • Johnson and Christensen (2014) – 5 types of objectives
1. Exploration: It involves using mainly inductive methods to discover a
concept, construct, phenomenon or situation and advance understanding,
hypotheses or generalisations.
2. Description: It involves identifying and describing the antecedents,
nature and aetiology of a phenomenon.

8. 3. Explanation: It involves developing theory for the purpose of explaining
the relationships among concepts or phenomena and determining
reasons for the existence of events.
4. Prediction: It refers to using pre-existing knowledge or theory to predict
what will occur at a later point in time.
5. Influence: It relates to manipulation of the setting or variable to produce
an anticipated outcome.

9. SIGNIFICANCE OF OBJECTIVES
 It should always direct the researcher to follow the correct and proper
path throughout the study.
 Helps to organize the study clearly defined parts or phases.
 Facilitates the development of better research protocol, study design,
sample size collection, analysis, interpretation and utilization of data.
 Based on objectives, items are framed in questionnaire, tables are
general, results are interpreted and discussed.

10.  Doran’s (1981) criteria can be applied when setting research objectives.
These are:
 Specific
 Measurable
 Achievable
 Realistic
 Time constrained

11.  Specific – be precise about what you are going to do
 Measurable –you will know when you have reached your goal
 Achievable – Don’t attempt too much – a less ambitious but
completed objective is better than an over-ambitious one that you
cannot possibly achieve.
 Realistic – do you have the necessary resources to achieve the
objective – time, money, skills, etc.
 Time constrained – determine when each stage needs to be
completed.

12. TIPS FOR WRITING RESEARCH OBJECTIVES
Be concise
• One tip for writing strong research objectives is to write the objectives as
concisely as you can.
• Try to remove unnecessary words and filler to make the objectives as easy to
understand as possible. If possible, try to keep each individual objective to only
one sentence.
Keep your number of objectives limited
• It's also important to write only a few specific research objectives.
• Try to limit the number of objectives to five or less to help avoid getting
overwhelmed by trying to accomplish a long list of objectives and can also
choose one general objective and a few other specific, pointed objectives.

13. Use action verbs
• Using action verbs can help you measure whether you've accomplished your
research objective, and it can also make your objectives feel more actionable
and engaging.
• Eg:
1. Assess
2. Determine
3. Calculate
4. Compare
5. Explain
6. Describe

14. Be realistic
• Another tip for writing research objectives is to keep them realistic.
• Make sure you can achieve them with the time and resources you already
have.
• Unrealistic objectives can make you feel overwhelmed and discouraged,
so it's important to create objectives that you can realistically achieve.

15. Ask for feedback
• You can also improve your research objectives by asking a mentor or
colleague to review your research objective drafts. This can help you spot
any errors you might have missed and make your objectives more
understandable to other people.
Proofread and review your objectives
• It's also important to proofread and review your objectives to make sure
they're free of typos and other errors. Check your spelling and grammar to
ensure that your objectives appear professional and perfectly accurate.

16. • MISTAKES IN WRITING RESEARCH AIMS AND OBJECTIVES
 Making research aim too broad
 Having a research aim too broad becomes very difficult to achieve.
 Making research objectives too ambitious
 Be realistic about what you can achieve in the time you have available.
 Formulating repetitive research objectives

17. • DIFFERENCES BETWEEN AIMS AND OBJECTIVES
AIM OBJECTIVE
Describes “what” you intend to
achieve through your research
Focus on “how” you will achieve
the aim
Usually written in broad terms
covering the entire dissertation
Are specific statements
describing steps through which
the research aim will be
achieved
It is written as a single sentence
or a small paragraph
Should be written as a
numbered list
Focuses on long-term outcomes Focus on short-term and
immediate outcomes.

18. REFERENCE
1. Farrugia P, Petrisor BA, Farrokhyar F, Bhandari M. Research questions,
hypotheses and objectives. Canadian journal of surgery. 2010 Aug;53(4):278.
2. Doody O, Bailey ME. Setting a research question, aim and objective. Nurse
researcher. 2016 Mar 21;23(4).
3. https://www.discoverphds.com/advice/doing/research-aims-and-objectives
4. https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/research-objectives
5. https://learn.solent.ac.uk/mod/book/view.php?id=116233&chapterid=15294
6. https://www.medicineslearningportal.org/2017/04/research-aims-and-
objectives.html
7. https://www.researchprospect.com/how-to-write-dissertation-aims-and-
objectives/