The document provides a comprehensive overview of research, its objectives, methodologies, approaches, and types. It highlights the significance of conducting research systematically and describes the steps involved in the research process, including problem formulation and research design. Additionally, it discusses various types of research frameworks, such as qualitative vs. quantitative and applied vs. fundamental research.

1. INTRODUCTION TO RESEARCH
Meaning of research
Research in simple terms ,refers to search for knowledge.
It is also known as scientific and systematic search for
information on a particular topic or issue or the art of scientific
investigation.
Objectives of research
The objective of research is to discover answers to questions by
applying scientific procedures. I.e. the main aim of research is to
find out truth which is hidden and has not yet been discovered.

2. Although every research has its own specific objectives
,research objectives may be broadly grouped as follows:
i. To gain familiarity with or get new insights into a
phenomenon. i.e. formulative research studies.
ii. To accurately portray the characteristic of a particular
individual ,group or a situation.ie descriptive research
studies.
iii. To analyze the frequency with which something occurs i.e
diagnostic research studies.
iv.To examine a hypothesis of a causal relationship between
two variables. I.e hypothesis –testing research studies.

3. Research methods versus methodology
Research methods include all those techniques /methods
that are adopted for conducting research.
Research methodology
-The way of systematically solving the research problem.
-It is a science of studying how research is conducted
scientifically.
-Under it ,the researcher acquaints himself with the various
steps generally adopted to study a research problem, along
with the underlying logic behind them.
The researcher must know the research techniques
/methods and also the scientific approach /methodology.

4. Research approaches
There are two main approaches to research namely
quantitative and qualitative approach.
The quantitative approach involves the collection of
quantitative data ,which are put to rigorous quantitative
analysis in a formal and rigid manner.
This approach further includes experimental, inferential and
simulation approaches to research.
The qualitative approach uses the method of subjective
assessment of opinions ,behavior and attitudes.
Research in such a situation is a function of the researcher’s
impressions and insights.

5. Types of research
These are the different types of research
Descriptive Vs analytical
Descriptive research comprises surveys and fact finding
enquiries of different types.
The main objective of descriptive research is describing
the state of affairs as it prevails at the time of study.
He can only report what has happened or what is
happening but researcher has no control over the
variables.eg frequency of shopping, preference of people
etc.

6. The methods used for descriptive research are
survey methods of all kinds including comparative
and correlational methods.
In analytical research ,the researcher has to use
already available facts or information and analyze
them to make a critical evaluation of the material.

7. Applied and fundamental
Research can also be applied or fundamental
research.
An attempt to find a solution to an immediate
problem encountered by a firm ,an industry ,a
business ,organization, or the society is known as
applied research.
On the other hand ,fundamental research mainly
concerns generalizations and formulation of a
theory.

8. 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.
The various available statistical and econometric methods
are adopted for analysis in such research.

9. Qualitative research is concerned with qualitative
phenomenon i.e phenomenon relating to or
involving quality or kind. Eg when interested in
investigating the reasons as to why people behave
or do certain things.
Qualitative research aims at discovering the
underlying motives and desires using in depth
interviews for that purpose.(attitude or opinion
research

10. Conceptual Vs Empirical
A research related to some abstract idea or theory is
known as conceptual research.
This type of research that does not involve
conducting any practical experiments.
It is based on observing and analyzing already
existing concepts and theories. The researcher can
observe their surroundings and develop brand-new
theories, or they can build on existing ones.
Empirical research exclusively relies on observational
or experience with hardly any regard for theory and
system.

11. Importance of knowing how to conduct research
i. Provides training to new researchers and enables them to
do research properly.
ii. Inculcate the ability to evaluate and utilize the research
findings with confidence.
iii. Equips the researcher with tools that help him observe
things objectively.
iv.The knowledge of methodology helps the researcher
consumer to evaluate research and make rational
decisions.

12. Qualities of a researcher
A good researcher should be committed to the ‘articles
of faith’ of the scientific methods of research.
A researcher should be in his/her truest sense.
Significance of research
All progress is born of inquiry and inquiry leads to
invention.
It brings out the significance of research increased
amounts of which makes progress possible.
Research encourages scientific and inductive thinking
besides promoting the development of logical habits
and organization.

13.  Categories of research knowledge
 The ways of developing and accessing knowledge come in three ,somewhat
overlappingbroad categories.
i. Observation –the most fundamental way of obtaining information from a
source. Observation takes different forms e.g measurements in a lab
,survey among a group of subjects, time it takes for a firm ware to run etc.
This observational data needs to be processed in some form and this leads
to the second category of knowledge ,the model.
ii. Models-are approximated ,often simplified ways of describing sometimes
very complex interactions in form of statistical relationship, a figure or a set
of mathematical equations. Eg the modelling equation captures the
relationship between different attributes or the behavior of the device in
an abstract form and enables us to understand the observed phenomena.
iii. The final category is a way of arranging or doing things through processes
,algorithms, procedures , arrangements,or reference designs to get a
certain desired result.

14. Good research involves systematic collection and
analysis of information and is followed by an
attempt to infer a little beyond the already known
information in a way that is a significant value
addition.
Usually engineering research is a journey that
transverses from a research area (eg control
systems) to the topic ( eg control of microbial fuel
cells) and finally into the problem(adaptive
control of single chamber microbial fuel cells)
Area →topic → problem.

15. Research process
 Comprises a series of steps or actions required for effectively
conducting research and for sequencing of these steps. They
include:
1. Formulating the research problem
2. Extensive literature survey
3. Developing hypothesis
4. Preparing the research design
5. Determining the sample design
6. Collecting data
7. Execution of the project
8. Analysis of data
9. Hypothesis testing
10.Generalization and interpretation through a report.

16. Planning to do research –done already
Use of CPM AND GANNT CHART.

17. Research problem
This is the first and foremost stage in the research process.
A researcher should first identify a problem ,formulate it to
make it amenable or susceptible to research.
 Research design
The most important part after identifying the problem.
Research design helps in deciding issues like what ,when
,where ,how much ,by what means etc. with regard to an
enquiry or research study.

18. Features of research design
i. It constitutes a plan that identifies the types
and sources of information required for the
research problem.
ii. It constitutes a strategy that specifies the
methods of data collection and analysis which
would be adopted.
iii.It specifies the time period of research and
monetary budget involved in conducting the
study.

19. Types of research design
Different types of research design may be broadly
categorized as :
1.Exploratory research design
2.Descriptive and diagnostic research design
3.Hypothesis testing research design.

20.  Hypothesis
 A hypothesis is a mere assumption or some supposition to be proved
or disproved.
 To a researcher is a formal question that he intends to resolve.
 Definition :a proposition or a set of proposition set forth as an
explanation for the occurrence of some specified group of
phenomena asserted merely as provisional conjecture to guide
some investigation or accepted as highly probable in the light of
established facts.
 Quit often ,the research hypothesis is a predictive statement
,capable of being tested by scientific methods that relates
independent variable to some dependent variable.
 Example of a hypothesis statement
“Students who receive counseling will show a greater increase in
creativity that students who do not receive counselling”.

22. Formulating the research problem
 There are two types of research problems-those that relates to states
of nature and those that relate to relationships between variables
 At the very onset ,the researcher must single out the problem he
would want to study.(must express the general area of interest –
matter that he would want to inquire into.
 Initially the problem may be stated in a broad general way and then
ambiguities if any relating to the problem be resolved.

23. Then the feasibility of a particular solution has to be
considered before a working formulation of the problem
can be set up.
The formulation of a general topic into a specific
research problem thus constitutes the first step in a
scientific enquiry.
Two steps are involved in formulating the research
problem which include; understanding the problem
thoroughly and rephrasing the same into meaningful
terms from an analytical point of view.

24.  One you put the question in general terms, it is up to the researcher to narrow it down and
phrase the problem in operational terms.

25. Formulating the research problem
What do you want to research about?
What will the topic of your work?
NB: A good topic should be short ,clear ,sharp and precise
enough to make the empirical content of the research
question evident and what an answer to that question would
mean.
Example of a non technical topic
Eg a cognitive researcher want to do research on (i) ‘memory’
–memory is far too broad.
(ii)narrowed to eg ‘human memory ‘-children memory -
’development of memory in children’ (still very broad)
because it subsume too many researchable questions but
getting better.