The document serves as an introduction to research methodology, detailing course objectives and outlining the key components necessary for conducting health research. It covers the definition of research, its characteristics, various research types, and the research process. Additionally, it emphasizes the importance of health research in improving healthcare systems, addressing health problems, and generating new knowledge applicable to both individuals and populations.

1. Introduction to Research
Methodology
Module facilitator: Wondmagegn D. (BSc. MSc. MPH. PhD
Candidate)

2. Course Description
• The research methodology course is designed to assist students in
developing their thesis research, which they are required to undertake as
part of the Programme.
• Students are expected to take the lead in identifying and perusing the
research area of their choice.
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3. Course objectives
At the end of this course, students will be able to:
• Define what a Research is.
• Differentiate research methods and methodologies
• List the major components of a research proposal.
• Describe the main components of a research report.
• Recognize benefits of health research.
• Describe steps of conducting a health research.
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4. Session Objectives
At the end of this chapter, students will be able to:
•Define the term research
•Describe the characteristics of research
•Explain the different types of research
•Describe the purpose of doing health research
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5. Outline
• Introduction/Definition
• Characteristics of research
• Types of research
• Health research
• Types of health research
• Steps involved in research
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6. 1. What is research?
2. What do you know about research?
3. Why researchers do research?
4. How do we do research?
5. What do you expect from this course?
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7. Introduction
• Definition
• Research is a scientific inquiry aimed at learning new facts,
testing ideas, etc.
• It is the systematic collection, analysis and interpretation of
data to generate new knowledge and answer a certain
question or solve a problem.
• It covers topics in every field of science and perceptions of
its scope and activities are unlimited.
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8. Cont’d
• Research helps us create new knowledge and develop proper
tools for the use of existing knowledge.
• Scientific research plays a very important role in our efforts
to maintain health and combating diseases.
• Not only does it enable health care providers to diagnose and
treat diseases, research also provides evidence for policies
and decisions on health and development.
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9. Cont’d
• It refers to a search for knowledge.
• A scientific and systematic search for pertinent
information on a specific topic.
• An art of scientific investigation.
• A “systematized effort to gain new knowledge.”
• A movement from the known to the unknown.
• A voyage of discovery
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10. • We all possess the vital instinct of inquisitiveness for, when
the unknown confronts us,
• we wonder and our inquisitiveness makes us probe and
• attain full and fuller understanding of the unknown.
• This inquisitiveness is the mother of all knowledge and
• the method, which man employs for obtaining the knowledge
of whatever the unknown, can be termed as research.
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11. Cont’d
 Therefore, research is the systematic collection, analysis
and interpretation of data to answer a certain question or
solve a problem.
 In science, research refers to exploration, discovery and
careful study of unexplained phenomena.
 It is a diligent systematic enquiry to validate and refine
existing knowledge and generate new knowledge (Burns &
Grove 2005)
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13. • Research is, thus,
• an original contribution to the existing stock of knowledge
making for its advancement.
• It is the pursuit of truth with the help of study, observation,
comparison and experiment.
• In short, the search for knowledge through objective and
systematic method of finding solution to a problem is
research.
• The systematic approach concerning generalization and
the formulation of a theory is also research.
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14. •As such the term ‘research’ refers to the systematic
method consisting of
•enunciating the problem,
•formulating a hypothesis,
•collecting the facts or data,
•analyzing the facts and
•reaching certain conclusions
• either in the form of solutions(s) towards the concerned
problem or in certain generalizations for some
theoretical formulation.
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15. OBJECTIVES OF RESEARCH
• Though each research study has its own specific purpose, we may
think of research objectives as falling into a number of following
broad groupings:
1. To gain familiarity with a phenomenon or to achieve new insights into it
(studies with this object in view are termed as exploratory or formulative
research studies);
2. To portray accurately the characteristics of a particular individual, situation
or a group (studies with this object in view are known as descriptive
research studies);
3. To determine the frequency with which something occurs or with which it
is associated with something else (studies with this object in view are
known as diagnostic research studies);
4. To test a hypothesis of a causal relationship between variables (such
studies are known as hypothesis-testing research studies).
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16. Characteristics of Research
• It demands a clear statement of the problem
• It requires a plan (it is not aimlessly “looking” for something
in the hope that you will come across a solution)
• It builds on existing data, using both positive and negative
findings
• New data should be collected as required and be organized in
such a way that they answer the research question(s)
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17. Cont’d
• Research must be
• Purposeful: What do you want to be able to contribute?
• Targeted: Who are the audiences?
• Credible: Consider sources of information, method of data
collection, personnel involved…
• Timely: Is the information needed?
 Research is done to find solution to health problems.
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18. Types of Research
• Research is classified in different ways based on different
criteria.
• Some classify research as
• theoretical (basic) and applied research,
• descriptive and analytic research,
• quantitative and qualitative research,
• conceptual and empirical research.
• There is no clear dividing (overlap) line between one method
and the other
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19. Cont’d
•The classical broad division of research is:
•Basic and Applied research
• Basic research (also called fundamental or pure research)
• It is necessary to generate new knowledge and
technologies to deal with major unresolved health
problems.
• Primary objective: Advancement of knowledge and the
theoretical understanding of the relations among
variables
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20. Cont’d
Basic research is usually considered to involve a search for
knowledge without a defined goal of utility or specific
purpose.
Basic research is conducted to address fundamental
questions about the biological, behavioral, and social
mechanisms which underlie wellness and disease
Basic research provides the foundation for further,
sometimes applied research.
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21. Cont’d
Applied research (Operational Research)
•Is original work undertaken in order to acquire new
knowledge with a specific application in view.
•Is a research that seeks to solve practical problems.
•Primary objective: solving practical problems.
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22. Cont’d
•Applied research 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.
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23. Cont’d
•Based on data type utilized:
• Quantitative: phenomena that can be expressed in terms of
quantity
• e.g. The prevalence of Diarrhea among under five children
• The proportion of intestinal parasitic infection among patients who
visited MCM comprehensive specialized hospital
• Utilization of modern contraceptive methods among currently married
women
• Qualitative: Qualitative phenomena (those relating to
involving quality or kind)
• Qualitative research is concerned with developing
explanations of social phenomena.
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24. Cont’d
• Attempts to increase our understanding of why things are the
way they are in our social world and why people act the ways
they do.
• 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?
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25. Cont’d
• How people are affected by the events that go on around
them?
• How and why cultures have developed in the way they have?
• E.g.
• Perception of Bole people towards HIV/AIDS
• Attitude of MMC students towards language diversity
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26. Cont’d
• Based on study design used and results obtained in the study,
research is classified as:
• Descriptive research
• It is concerned with describing the problem with respect to time place and
person
• Analytic research
• It is focused on identifying the cause of the problem
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27. Health Research
• Health??
• Health research is the application of principles of research on
health.
• Health research is a systematic collection, analysis and
interpretation of data to solve a health problem.
• It is the generation of new knowledge using scientific method
to identify and deal with health problems.
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28. Cont’d
•Health research is the process of obtaining
systematic knowledge and technology which can be
used for the improvement of the health of
individuals/groups.
•It provides the basic information on the state of
health and diseases of the population
•Overall it encompasses scientific investigation and
inquiry into various aspects of human health and
well-being.
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29. • Health and health care research are needed
• in order to reduce the uncertainty associated with the diagnosis,
treatment and delivery of health care
• There is a massive spectrum of such research, ranging from
• laboratory investigations on single molecules in tightly-controlled
conditions, to
• observations on the complex behaviors within populations or
systems of health care delivery.
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30. Cont’d
• In most cases, health research has been divided into three
overlapping groups.
• Essential health research/Health services research
• Clinical research
• Biomedical research/Basic
• Epidemiological studies
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31. Essential health research
• focuses on studying the organization, delivery, and
effectiveness of healthcare services.
• to assure the quality of activities to deal with them.
• Much of this research comes within the category of health
service research but there will be elements of clinical
research and development of technology, depending on the
situation.
• healthcare systems, health policies, healthcare utilization
patterns, cost-effectiveness, patient outcomes, and patient
experiences to inform healthcare delivery and policy
decisions.
• The information, is essential and specific to each country for
planning and monitoring health services.
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32. Clinical research
• ranges from studies of the prevention and diagnosis of diseases
• through new methods of treatment to problems of care and rehabilitation.
• there will be overlap with the fields of essential and biomedical
research.
• Some of the research will be mainly of local importance;
• much will be useful for other individuals in other countries.
• Examples include clinical trials of disease prevention and the design of
new chemotherapeutic agents.
• Wherever clinical facilities exist, there is a potential for clinical
research.
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33. Basic/Biomedical research
• It is the most basic part of health research which demands
more resources, facilities and skilled investigators.
• laboratory-based investigations to understand
• fundamental biological processes,
• mechanisms of diseases, and
• the development of new diagnostic tools or therapeutic
approaches.
• The results of biomedical research are more often of
universal importance and thus of general significance.
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34. Cont’d
• Research in the context of public health
• aims to provide all aspects of information necessary for planning
and the effective implementation of a health system.
• For all communities, whether affluent or poor, health
research is the top priority.
• The research questions are formidable:
• how to join with policy makers and communities in
• assessing priority needs,
• planning, financing and implementing programs, and
• evaluating them in terms of coverage, efficiency and effectiveness.
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36. Cont’d
• What makes people to undertake research?
• Health research may be:
–curiosity-driven,
–needs-driven,
–profit-driven or
–opportunity-driven
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37. Curiosity-driven research
• Science is unpredictable: in fact, chance plays an important
role in scientific discovery.
• Many of the drugs we use today have been discovered in
research programmes designed for other purposes;
• Minoxidil (the drug for male baldness) was originally
developed and tested for the treatment of hypertension.
• Sildenafil (Viagra), used for the treatment of erectile
dysfunction, was discovered in a cardiovascular research
program.
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38. Needs-driven Research
• Governments would like to support research that will
promote the health of their populations or put priorities for
research.
• Health problem can be put as a priority for research,
depending on:
–Magnitude (burden)
–Seriousness (killing, disabling)
–Feasibility (recourses, cost-effectiveness)
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39. Profit-driven Research
• Private industry is becoming the major actor in health
research, in terms of funding or pursue research for profit.
–E.g. Pharmaceutical industry investments in research and
development surpassed public investments in four of the
countries (France, Japan, Switzerland and United
Kingdom).
• Only a very small share of the large research investment by
industry is addressed to the health problems of developing
countries.
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40. Opportunity-driven research
• As far as the individual researcher is concerned, research
may also be opportunity driven such as:
• the availability of funding, which may or may not
correspond to local priority needs or to the curiosity of
scientists.
• the opportunity to participate in multi-center international
research, or
• opportunities to participate in industry-sponsored research.
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41. Purpose of Health Research
• The ultimate goal of research in health is
• Generating knowledge essential for effectively
promoting the health of the population
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42. Types of Health research
Level of Analysis Object of Analysis
Conditions Responses
Individual Biomedical Research
(Basic biological processes,
structure and function of the
human body, pathological
mechanisms)
Clinical Research
(Efficacy of preventive,
diagnostic, and therapeutic
procedures, natural history of
diseases)
Population Epidemiologic Research
(Frequency, distribution, and
determinants of health)
Health Systems research
(Effectiveness, quality, and
costs of services: development
and distribution of resources for
care )
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43. Health Systems Research
• It is a component of health research.
• Research that supports health development
• 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 socio-economic
development.
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44. Cont’d
• Essential Features for Successful Health Systems Research
• Focus on priority problems
• Action oriented- aimed at developing solutions
• Multidisciplinary approach (from many disciplines)
• Participatory in nature (from policy makers to community
members)
• Must be timely.
• Simple, short-term designs
• Cost-effectiveness
• Results presented in formats most useful for
administrators, decision-makers and the community.
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46. Research Process
• Steps Involved in the Research Process
• Identifying a problem
• Preparing a research proposal
• Fieldwork (i.e., data collection)
• Analyzing data and preparing a research report
• Dissemination and application of results
• Research process is cyclical
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47. Planning
research
Implementing
research
Disseminating
findings
Application
Problem
identification
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49. Cont’d
• Research Design/Study design
• Refers to the overall structure or plan of the research
• Research Methods
• The practices and techniques used to collect, process and analyze the
data
• Which one is broad? Research design or research
methods?
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50. Main Components of Any
Research Work
• Preparing a research proposal
• Filed work (i.e. data collection)
• Analyzing data and preparing a research report
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