Research methodology

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Research:AWayofThinking
Unit-I
Introduction to Research Methodology
Prof. Sanjay Shekhawat, SSBT COET Jalgaon

Research Methodology
Topics for discussion -
1. Meaning of Research,
2. Need of Research,
3. Research Methods vs. Methodology
7/31/2020 2Prof. Sanjay Shekhawat, SSBT COET Jalgaon

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
TYPES OF RESEARCH:
(i) Descriptive vs. Analytical: Descriptive research includes
surveys and fact-finding enquiries of different kinds. The
major purpose of descriptive research is description of the
state of affairs as it exists at present.
The main characteristic of this method is that the researcher
has no control over the variables; he can only report what has
happened or what is happening.
Examples: frequency of shopping, preferences of people, or
similar data.
The methods of research utilized in descriptive research are
survey methods of all kinds, including comparative and
correlational methods.7/31/2020 3

A research study classified as a descriptive study
attempts to describe systematically a situation, problem,
phenomenon, service or programme, or provides
information about, say, the living conditions of a
community, or describes attitudes towards an issue.
For example, it may attempt to describe the types of
service provided by an organisation, the administrative
structure of an organisation, the living conditions of
indigenous people in the outback, the needs of a
community, or the attitudes of employees towards
management. The main purpose of such studies is to
describe what is prevalent with respect to the
issue/problem under study.
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Analytical research is a specific type of research that
involves critical thinking skills and the evaluation of
facts and information relative to the research being
conducted. A variety of people including students,
doctors and psychologists use analytical research
during studies to find the most relevant information.
From analytical research, a person finds out critical
details to add new ideas to the material being
produced.
In analytical research, on the other hand, the
researcher has to use facts or information already
available, and analyze these to make a critical
evaluation of the material.
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Prof. Sanjay Shekhawat, SSBT COET Jalgaon7/31/2020 6

Applied vs. Fundamental ( Basic):
Applied research aims at finding a solution for an immediate problem
facing a society or an industrial/business organisation, whereas
fundamental research is mainly concerned with generalisations and with
the formulation of a theory.
“Gathering knowledge for knowledge’s sake is termed ‘pure’ or ‘basic’
research.”
Research concerning some natural phenomenon or relating to pure
mathematics are examples of fundamental research.
Thus, the central aim of applied research is to discover a solution for
some pressing practical problem, whereas basic research is directed
towards finding information that has a broad base of applications and
thus, adds to the already existing organized body of scientific
knowledge.
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1. Albert Einstein introduced it to the world in 1905, the
Special Theory of Relativity, and its subsequent expansion to
include his ideas on gravitational force in 1916 with the
publication of the General Theory, has remained stubbornly
conceptual in nature.
Examples of Fundamental Research:
2. Quantum theories of matter
3. Use of Steam as a fuel in engine
Examples of Applied Research:
1.Applied research to improve agricultural crop production
2. Applied research to treat or cure a specific disease.
3. Development in Engine Technology.

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Quantitative vs. Qualitative:
Quantitative research is based on the measurement of quantity or
amount. It is applicable to phenomena that can be expressed in terms of
quantity.
Qualitative research, on the other hand, is concerned with qualitative
phenomenon, i.e., phenomena relating to or involving quality or kind.
TYPES OF RESEARCH:
Quantitative research, deals with data that are numerical or that
can be converted into numbers. The basic methods used to
investigate numerical data are called ‘statistics’. Statistical
techniques are concerned with the organisation, analysis,
interpretation and presentation of numerical data. Statistics is a
huge area of study with wide application across many disciplines.

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TYPES OF RESEARCH:
Quantitative Research
Quantitative Research is used to quantify the problem by way of
generating numerical data or data that can be transformed into
usable statistics. It is used to quantify attitudes, opinions, behaviors,
and other defined variables – and generalize results from a larger
sample population. Quantitative Research uses measurable data to
formulate facts and uncover patterns in research. Quantitative data
collection methods are much more structured than Qualitative data
collection methods. Quantitative data collection methods include
various forms of surveys – online surveys, paper surveys, mobile
surveys and kiosk surveys, face-to-face interviews, telephone
interviews, longitudinal studies, website interceptors, online polls,
and systematic observations.

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Example of Quantitative Research
Let’s say you wanted to know the average height of all
professional basketball players. To conduct that research, you
could do a survey and call up each player on the phone and ask
them for their height. You could physically find them and
measure them. OR Opt for secondary research and simply
compile the data from websites.
As you can see, quantitative research can come in many forms,
including surveys, observation, experimentation, and secondary
research. All of these techniques will help you obtain numerical
(“quantitative”) data.
Awesome examples of quantitative data is forecasting about
world population in next 10 years.
TYPES OF RESEARCH: Quantitative vs. Qualitative:

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TYPES OF RESEARCH:
Qualitative Research
Qualitative Research is primarily exploratory research. It is
used to gain an understanding of underlying reasons,
opinions, and motivations. It provides insights into the
problem or helps to develop ideas for potential quantitative
research. Qualitative Research is also used to uncover trends
in thought and opinions, and dive deeper into the problem.
Qualitative data collection methods vary using unstructured
or semi-structured techniques. Some common methods
include focus groups (group discussions), individual
interviews, and participation/observations. The sample size is
typically small, and respondents are selected to fulfil a given
quota.

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TYPES OF RESEARCH: Quantitative vs. Qualitative:
Example of Qualitative Research
Imagine you work at online shopping company like Amazon, etc
and your roll is to carry out the costumer satisfaction level, then
you will collect the feed back of costumer through telephone,
email, responses on website in the form of star rating. It is a
qualitative research.
You have a little form for each costmer that asked “how was your
experience today?” Let’s assume there are 100 responses,
including comments like “great, satisfactory, poor, average, etc.

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TYPES OF RESEARCH:
Conceptual vs. Empirical:
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.
Conceptual research is defined as a methodology
wherein research is conducted by observing and analyzing already
present information on a given topic. ... It is related to abstract
concepts or ideas. Philosophers have long used conceptual
research to develop new theories or interpret existing theories in a
different light.
Conceptual research focuses on the concept or theory that explains or
describes the phenomenon being studied. What causes disease? How
can we describe the motions of the planets? What are the building
blocks of matter? The conceptual researcher sits at his desk with pen in
hand and tries to solve these problems by thinking about them.

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TYPES OF RESEARCH:
Empirical research is based on observed and measured phenomena
and derives knowledge from actual experience rather than from
theory or belief.
For example: Pharmaceutical companies use empirical research to
try out a specific drug on controlled groups or random groups
to study the effect and cause.
Empirical research is basically a research that uses empirical
evidence. Empirical evidence refers to evidence verifiable by
observation or experience rather than theory or pure logic. Thus,
empirical research is research studies with conclusions based on
empirical evidence. Moreover, empirical research studies are
observable and measurable.

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TYPES OF RESEARCH:
Steps in Empirical Research:
The main difference between conceptual and empirical research is
that conceptual research involves abstract ideas and concepts,
whereas empirical research involves research based on
observation, experiments and verifiable evidence.

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TYPES OF RESEARCH:

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TYPES OF RESEARCH:
Nicolaus Copernicus was a mathematician and astronomer, who
formulated a model of the universe that placed the Sun rather than
Earth at the center of the universe, who had formulated such a
model some eighteen centuries earlier. It is a example of Conceptual
research.
Pharmaceutical companies use empirical research to try out a
specific drug on controlled groups or random groups to study the
effect and cause.
An empirical research study can also be carried out to determine
the effects of a new drug on specific groups of people. The
researcher may expose the research subjects to controlled
quantities of the drug and observe research subjects to controlled
quantities of the drug and observe the effects over a specific period
of time in order to gather empirical data.

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Criteria of Good Research:
Scientific research to satisfy the following criteria -
1. The purpose of the research should be clearly defined and common
concepts be used.
2. The research procedure used should be described in sufficient detail
to permit another researcher to repeat the research for further
advancement, keeping the continuity of what has already been attained.
3. The procedural design of the research should be carefully planned to
yield results that are as objective as possible.
4. The researcher should report with complete frankness, flaws in
procedural design and estimate their effects upon the findings.
Cont…

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5. The analysis of data should be sufficiently adequate to reveal its
significance and the methods of analysis used should be
appropriate. The validity and reliability of the data should be
checked carefully.
6. Conclusions should be confined to those justified by the data of
the research and limited to those for which the data provide an
adequate basis.
7. Greater confidence in research is warranted if the researcher is
experienced, has a good reputation in research and is a person of
integrity.

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The qualities of a good research are
1. Good research is systematic
2. Good research is logical
3. Good research is empirical
4. Good research is replicable

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Suppose you want to go out for a drive. Before you start, you must
decide where you want to go and then which route to take. If you
know the route, you do not need to consult a street directory, but,
if you do not know the route, then you need to use one. Your
problem is compounded if there is more than one route. You need
to decide which one to take. The research process is very similar to
undertaking a journey. As with your drive, for a research journey
there are also two important decisions to make. The first is to
decide what you want to find out about or, in other words, what
research questions you want to find answers to. Having decided
upon your research questions or research problems, you then
need to decide how to go about finding their answers. The path to
finding answers to your research questions constitutes research
methodology.
Research Problem:

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➢ A research problem is the problem or issue that leads to the
need for a study.
Research Problem:
➢ It can originate from many potential sources.
➢ It may come from an extensive literature review.
➢ The sources of research problems are often multiple.

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Research Problem:
What is a Research Problem Statement?
A Research problem statement is a clear description of the
issue (problem) which also includes a vision and methods
used to make ways into solving the problem. Basically, it’s a
clear, concise description of the issues that need to be
addressed.
“A problem well stated is half solved” — Charles Kettering

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Research Problem:
Formulating a research problem is the first and most important
step in the research process. A research problem identifies your
destination, what you intend to re-search.
You should examine it thoroughly, carefully and critically. The
main function of formulating a research problem is to decide
what you want to find out about.
Broadly speaking, any question that you want answered and any
assumption or assertion that you want to challenge or
investigate can become a research problem or a research topic
for your study.

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The importance of formulating a research problem:
A research problem is like the foundation of a building. The type
and design of the building are dependent upon the foundation. If
the foundation is well designed and strong you can expect the
building to be also. The research problem serves as the
foundation of a research study: if it is well formulated, you can
expect a good study to follow.

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The importance of formulating a research problem:
Research problem provides direction and defines the purpose(s) of
any particular research, which could be one or combination of the
followings:
i. The filling of existing knowledge gap
ii. Knowledge of the relationship among different aspects of nature
or phenomenon
iii. Testing and verification of new or old body of knowledge,
theories or beliefs.
iv. The need for theory construction
v. Resolution and clarification of contradictory findings or classical
problems
vi. Informing changes in present practice?

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Need of defining a problem:
The definition of a problem serves the following purposes:
1. The definition of a problem sets the direction of the study.
2. The definition reveals the methodology or procedure of the
study.
3. The definition helps the researcher to control subjectivity or
biases of the researcher.
4. The definition of the problem suggests and specifies the
variables to be taken up into the investigation through a problem
involved into so many variables.
5. The-definition makes the research work practicable.

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Considerations in selecting a research problem:
A
• Interest and Ethical issues
• Manageable, Specific and Clear
B
• Measurement of concepts
• Level of expertise
C
• Relevance
• Availability of data

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Need of defining a problem:
The definition of a problem serves the following purposes:
1. The definition of a problem sets the direction of the study.
2. The definition reveals the methodology or procedure of the
study.
3. The definition helps the researcher to control subjectivity or
biases of the researcher.
4. The definition of the problem suggests and specifies the
variables to be taken up into the investigation through a problem
involved into so many variables.
5. The-definition makes the research work practicable.

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REVIEW OF LITERATURE:
For any specific research work to occupy the place in the
development of a discipline, the researcher must be thoroughly
familiar with both previous theory and research. To assure this
familiarity, every research work has as one of its early stage, a
review of the theoretical and research literature.
In research methodology the term literature refers to the
knowledge of a particular area of investigation of any discipline
which includes theoretical, practical and its research studies.
A L.R. contains a critical analysis and the integration of
information from various sources, as well as consideration of any
gaps in literature and possibilities for future research.

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Purpose of L.R.:

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Primary Sources -
The term primary source is used broadly to embody all sources
that are original. Primary sources provide first-hand information.
Sources of Literature:
A secondary source is a source that provides non-original or
second hand data or information. Secondary sources are written
about primary sources.
Secondary Sources -

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Systematic reviews search, appraise and collate all
relevant empirical evidence in order to provide a
complete interpretation of research results.
We must adopt a comprehensive,
objective and reproducible search
strategy to capture all relevant sources
of evidence. In doing so, you can be
confident of having incorporated all the
appropriate material for the topic at
hand. A thorough search strategy should
involve multiple databases, registries,
sources of grey literature, conference
proceedings and abstracts.

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Systematic reviews offer a number of benefits.
For starters, they deliver a clear and comprehensive overview of
available evidence on a given topic.
Moreover, SRs also help identify research gaps in our current
understanding of a field. They can highlight methodological
concerns in research studies that can be used to improve future
work in the topic area.
Lastly, they can be used to identify questions for which the available
evidence provide clear answers and thus for which further research
is not necessary.

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A monograph is a special type of book written on a single
specialized topic, devoted mainly for research works; could pose
some unsolved problems and may provide detained explanation
of some research papers.
So, it is like a big survey paper, but it does not appear in journals;
it rather appears the way most books appear. A book is written
works on a broad range of topics belonging usually to the same
subject area.
Unlike review papers, a research paper is a document containing
original results or findings.
The word monograph is derived from the Greek "mono" (single)
and grapho (to write), meaning "writing on a single subject".
Monograph
Example: AIR-WATER FLOW IN HYDRAULIC STRUCTURES

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Sources of Literature:Patents OR Intellectual Property Rights
A patent for an invention is the grant of a property right to the
inventor. Patents are granted for new, useful and non-obvious
inventions for a period of 20 years from the filing date of
a patent application, and provide the right to exclude others from
exploiting the invention during that period.
THE OFFICIAL LEGAL RIGHT TO MAKE or SELL AN INVENTION FOR
A PARTICULAR NUMBER OF YEARS.

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Sources of Literature: Research Databases
Research databases are organized collections of computerized
information or data such as periodical articles, books, graphics and
multimedia that can be searched to retrieve
information. Databases can be general or subject oriented with
bibliographic citations, abstracts, and or full text.
Google Scholar
Index Copernicus
Indian Citation Index
J-Gate
Web of Science

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Sources of Literature: WWW or Internet

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The gap, also considered the missing piece or pieces in the research
literature, is the area that has not yet been explored or is under-
explored.
Identifying gap areas from literature and research database
A research gap is, simply, a topic or area for which missing or
insufficient information limits the ability to reach a conclusion for a
question.

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Gap analysis is used to compare where you are against where you
would like to be. This helps you identify the gaps between these
two states, and come up with an action plan to close them.

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HYPOTHESIS:
✓ Hypothesis is a formal question that researcher intends to
resolve.
✓ Hypothesis is a predictive statement, capable of being tested
by scientific methods, that relates an independent variable to
some dependent variable.
“Students who receive counselling will show a greater increase
in creativity than students not receiving counselling”
Or
“the automobile A is performing as well as automobile B.”

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‘Hypo’ means tentative or subject to the verification and ‘Thesis’ means
statement about solution of a problem.
The world meaning of the term hypothesis is a tentative statement
about the solution of the problem. Hypothesis offers a solution of the
problem that is to be verified empirically and based on some rationale.
HYPOTHESIS:
A medical trial is conducted to test whether or not a new medicine
reduces COVID-19 by 25%. State the null and alternative hypotheses.
H0 : The drug reduces COVID-19 by 25%
Ha : The drug does not reduce COVID-19 by 25%
A hypothesis is a hunch, assumption, suspicion, assertion or an
idea about a phenomenon, relationship or situation, the reality or
truth of which you do not know.
Hypo + thesis = Hypothesis

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HYPOTHESIS:
CHARACTERISTICS OF HYPOTHESIS
1. It is conceptual in nature.
2. It is a verbal statement in a declarative form.
3. It has the empirical referent. It indicates the tentative
relationship between two or more variables.
4. It has a forward or future reference. A hypothesis is future
oriented.
5. It is the pivot of a scientific research. All the research activities
are designed for its verification.

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Null hypothesis
and
Alternative hypothesis
HYPOTHESIS:
If we are to compare method A with method B about its superiority
and if we proceed on the assumption that both methods are
equally good, then this assumption is termed as the null
hypothesis.
As against this, we may think that the method A is superior or the
method B is inferior, we are then stating what is termed as
alternative hypothesis.
The null hypothesis is generally symbolized as H0 and the
alternative hypothesis as Ha.

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When you construct a hypothesis stipulating that there is no
difference between two situations, groups, outcomes, or the
prevalence of a condition or phenomenon, this is called a null
hypothesis and is usually written as H0 and if there is
difference in two situations, groups, outcomes, or the
prevalence of a condition or phenomenon, this is called a
Alternate hypothesis and is usually written as Ha.
Null hypothesis
and
Alternative hypothesis

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The testing of a hypothesis:

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Process of Hypothesis Testing:
Formation of Hypothesis
Design of Experiment
Data Collection
Testing of Hypothesis
Lab Experimental setup
Survey
Computer
Programming, Design
,& Development
Mean, Mode, Median, etc
Statistical Software's
Statistical Methods

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The level of significance: This is a very important concept in
the context of hypothesis testing. It is always some percentage
(usually 5%) which should be chosen wit great care, thought
and reason. In case we take the significance level at 5 per cent,
then this implies that H0 will be rejected
Hypothesis Testing:
when the sampling result (i.e., observed evidence) has a less
than 0.05 probability of occurring if H0 is true.

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Hypothesis Testing:
IMPORTANT PARAMETRIC TESTS:
The important parametric tests are: (1) z-test; (2) t-test;
(3) χ2-test, and (4) F-test.
All these tests are based on the assumption of normality i.e., the
source of data is considered to be normally distributed.
Wilcoxon Rank Sum Test
IMPORTANT NON-PARAMETRIC TESTS:
Analysis of Variance (ANOVA)

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Numerous statistical software systems are available currently. The
commonly used software systems are –
Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS - manufactured by
IBM corporation),
Statistical Analysis System ((SAS - developed by SAS Institute North
Carolina, United States of America),
R (designed by Ross Ihaka and Robert Gentleman from R core
team),
Minitab (developed by Minitab Inc),
Stata (developed by StataCorp) and
the MS Excel (developed by Microsoft).
Hypothesis Testing:

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Q1. Define the term ‘ Research’. Enumerate the need of research.
Differentiate Research Methods and Research Methodology.
Q2. List the types of research. Explain Quantitative research and
Qualitative research.
Q3. Write Short notes on -
A. Conceptual Research
B. Empirical Research
C. Fundamental research
Q4. What do you understand from the phrase “ Review of Literature” .
Describe the objectives and significance of it.
Q5. What is Hypothesis? Explain Null and Alternative Hypothesis.
ASSIGNMENT -I

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REFERENCES

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