lectures on research

1. By
Prof. Dr. Md. Mamun Habib
School of Business & Entrepreneurship, Independent University, Bangladesh
Visiting Scientist, University of Texas, Arlington (UTA), USA
Editor-in-Chief, International Journal of Supply Chain Management (IJSCM), UK
mamunhabib@gmail.com, mamunhabib@iub.edu.bd,
mohammad.habib@uta.edu, mamunhabib@unirazak.edu.my
November 11, 2021
Organized by Dept. of Business Administration, FoB, Northern
University, Bangladesh
Workshop on
Essentials of Research Methods and Publications

2. Research: A Paradigm
• Academics:
i. Students (Learning, Research Project, Higher Studies - RA),
ii. Faculty Members (Innovation, Knowledge Creation & Dissemination,
Research Publications, Promotion)
• Industry: Industry based Research (Case Study – Singapore,
Malaysia…….). Macdonald, KFC, WalMart, Tesco,………
• Corporate: R & D Dept. (Telecom…….)
• Academia-Industry Collaboration
• Teaching based University to Research based University
• University Rankings: Research projects, Publications,
(Conference, Journal, Book chapters/books), etc.

3. Research – Explore Ideas

4. Research
• Research ---- Re-search (Search, again search)
 [Online searching – Prof. Google (Best Search Engine - Source of
Knowledge), Bing, Yahoo, YouTube, etc.
 Secondary data

5. Research
• Research ---- Re-search (Search, again search)
Online Searching
 Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com/
 Academia.edu: https://www.academia.edu/
 Research gate: https://www.researchgate.net
 Researcher ID (Thomson Reuters): http://www.researcherid.com/rid/
 Scopus Id (Elsevier): https://www.scopus.com/
 ORCID: http://orcid.org/
 IEEE: http://www.ieee.org/
 IRED: http://theired.org/
 IETI: www.ieti.net
Networking place for Researchers (Professional Site)

6. How Could you Search Research Papers?
• Research ---- Re-search (Search, again search)
Online Databases
 Emerald Management Plus
 ELSEVIER - Scopus (SciVerse)
 ProQuest
 EBSCOhost
 SciVerse – ScienceDirect
 Web of Science (Thomson Reuters)
 IEEE Xplore
 ACM Digital

7. How Could you Search Research Papers?
• Research ---- Re-search (Search, again search)
- Open Access
 INTECH, ExcelingTech, SciencePG, IRED, etc. - Open Access
Publisher
- […………………………OPEN ACCESS and INTECH……………………]
- Traditional (Conventional) Access
 McGraw Hill, SAGE, Winston, Amazon.com, NOVA, LAP, Excel,
etc. - Traditional (Conventional) Publisher

8. How Could you Explore New Ideas?
• Research ---- Re-search (Search, again search)
Review Carefully
- Abstract
- Conclusion
- Findings
- Recommendation/Suggestions
- Limitations
- Implications
- Future works
- Introduction and so on (exclude statistical analysis if you
aren’t familiar)

9. Exploratory/Descriptive/Causal Research
1. Exploratory
– Initial research conducted to clarify and define the nature of a
problem
– Does not provide conclusive evidence
– Subsequent research expected
2. Descriptive
– Describes characteristics of a population or phenomenon,
objects, organizations
– Some understanding of the nature of the problem
3. Causal
– Conducted to identify cause and effect relationships

10. COMPLETELY
CERTAIN
ABSOLUTE
AMBIGUITY
CAUSAL
(Problem Clearly
Defined)
EXPLORATORY
(Unaware of Problem)
Explore/Descriptive/Causal Research
CERTAIN
DESCRIPTIVE
(Aware of Problem)

11. Basic and Applied Research
– Basic Research - Research conducted without a specific
decision in mind (This is pure research)
- [Exploratory Research/Empirical research – There is no
conclusive evidence] e.g. Ph.D. Research
– Applied Research (Research on real-life
problem/application)
– [Based on Exploratory research/ existing conceptual model]
e.g. Research on Traffic jam problem, Research on
KFC/McDonald

12. Qualitative Versus Quantitative Research
• Purpose
– Descriptive and conclusive versus Exploratory and no
conclusive evidence
• Small versus large samples
• Broad range of questioning versus structured
questions
• Subjective interpretation versus statistical analysis
• Examples: Philosophy, Psychology, Anthropology,
Sociology versus Business Administration,
Engineering

13. Research Publications

14. Research Publications
 Teaching + Students Projects = Publications
 Service +Theory = Publications
Various Types of Publications
 Conference Paper
 Journal Paper
 Book Chapters/Editorial Book
 Book (Sole Author Book)

15. Outline of Research Publications

16. Outline of a Research Publication
 Title
 Abstract
 Keywords
 Section I – Introduction
 Section II – Literature Review/Related works
 Section III – Methodology
 Section IV – Model Development/Theory Development
 Section V – Presentation of Data/Data Analysis/Discussion/
Model Evaluation
 Section VI – Conclusions
 Acknowledgements
 References
 Appendices

17. Title*
- Professional scientific academic language (within 10-12
words)
- Review and observe the style of previous titles (from conference
proceedings, journals)
- Initially Select at least 5/6 titles, then rethink, and brainstorm
to come up final title
- Example 1: “An Empirical Study on Educational Supply Chain
Management”,
- Example 2: “An Exploratory Research on Academic Supply
Chain”, etc.
- [Try to avoid name of organization, country, etc.]
* [Title is the most significant for any research paper]

18. Abstract**
- Professional academic language (in brief, within 100 words to
300 words)
- Rationale (General Background)
- Objectives of the Paper
- What type of the study/Type of Data
- Sample, Sampling procedure, Statistical Tools (if you use)
- Findings of the study
- Novelties/Contribution of the paper
- Keywords (3-5 words that would be available many times in the
inside of the paper)
** [Abstract is very significant for any research paper, however,
quality of the paper is also reflected in Abstract]

19. I. Introduction
- Rationale [General background]
- Research Objectives [Analyze/explore/investigate/illustrate/
demonstrate………………, relationship/comparative/review
………………………, develop/construct model……….]
- Significance [Why your topics/study are significant]
- Scope [Population, Sample, what kind of research, Variables,
limitations]
- Structure [Outlines of next sections of this paper]
- (Statement of problems, research questions, hypotheses,
definition of terms) – Additional (Not Mandatory)

20. II. Literature Review/Related Works
• Theory [e.g. Definition of SCM]
• Related Review Literature [e.g. SCM in Service Industry]
• Previous study [e.g. Any specific research of SCM in Hospital]
[Avoid Plagiarism – Rewording (Synonyms/Thesaurus), Tense/Voice Change,
Rewrite (Paraphrasing)]
[Turnitin/iThenticate Software (Similarity Index)] – Ethics in Research
(Originality)

21. III. Methodology
• Methods of Research Used
- Type of Research (Exploratory Research/Descriptive Research/Causal
research)
- Qualitative/Quantitative research
- Exploratory Research [Survey research technique –primary data]
• Research Hypothesis (from Research Questions)
– Null Hypothesis (No relationship) and Alternate Hypothesis (a relationship)
– Two-tailed test (Unknown direction) and One-tailed test (Known direction)
• Operationalization of variables
– Dependent/Independent variables (from model)
– Operational component (Questionnaire) – 5 Point Likert Scale, Simple
attitude scale
– Measurement scale – Nominal/Ordinal/Interval/Ratio Scale

22. III. Methodology
• Respondents [Sample size determination by
formula/table/reference]
• Sampling Procedures [Probability and Non-probability
Sampling]
– Probability Sampling [Known Population] – Simple Random sampling/
Systematic Sampling/ Stratified Sampling/Cluster Sampling/ Multi stage
Area Sampling
– Non probability sampling [Unknown Population] – Convenience
sampling/Judgment sampling/ Quota sampling/ Snowball sampling

23. Table 1. Sample size for ±5%, ±7% and ±10% Precision Levels Where Confidence
Level is 95% and P=.5.
Size of Sample Size (n) for Precision (E) of:
Population ±5% ±7% ±10%
100 81 67 51
125 96 78 56
150 110 86 61
175 122 94 64
200 134 101 67
225 144 107 70
250 154 112 72
275 163 117 74
300 172 121 76
325 180 125 77
350 187 129 78
375 194 132 80
400 201 135 81
425 207 138 82
Taro Yamane Table 1

24. Table 2. Sample size for ±3%, ±5%, ±7% and ±10% Precision Levels Where Confidence Level is 95% and P=.5.
Size of Sample Size (n) for Precision (E) of:
Population ±3% ±5% ±7% ±10%
500 a 222 145 83
600 a 240 152 86
700 a 255 158 88
800 a 267 163 89
900 a 277 166 90
1,000 a 286 169 91
2,000 714 333 185 95
3,000 811 353 191 97
4,000 870 364 194 98
5,000 909 370 196 98
6,000 938 375 197 98
7,000 959 378 198 99
8,000 976 381 199 99
9,000 989 383 200 99
10,000 1,000 385 200 99
15,000 1,034 390 201 99
20,000 1,053 392 204 100
25,000 1,064 394 204 100
50,000 1,087 397 204 100
100,000 1,099 398 204 100
Taro Yamane Table 2

25. Non-probability Sampling
• Convenience Sampling: Customers attitude towards
Robinson department – anybody available to answer the
questionnaire
• Judgment Sampling: Customers attitude toward Bank of
Bangkok - Case study of Bank of Bangkok Headquarter (200
branches of Bank of Bangkok)
• Quota Sampling: Customers attitude towards Green Product
of Lemon. Target 400 respondents, therefore, choose 45
respondents from each 9 branches.

26. Probability Sampling
• Simple Random Sampling: Selection form I.D. number, Social
security number, Bank account number
• Systematic Sampling: Choose odd or even or every nth name
from the list will be drawn. Set the system by yourself. Say,
after 3 systematically
• Stratified Sampling: BRACU undergraduate students attitude
towards KFC.
Undergraduate students would be divided by-
– Freshmen 500 200
– Sophomore 450 180
– Junior 300 120
– Senior 250 100
1500 600

27. III. Methodology
• Data Collection (Primary data – Survey/Raw data or/and
Secondary data)
• Full-Survey Questionnaire ( 400+ respondents in Ph.D.) – Primary
Data
– Secondary Data (International Conference Papers, International Journal
Papers, Books Chapters/Books through Online databases - Emerald,
PROQUEST, IEEE, JSTOR, Science Direct, SciVerse, etc.)
- Open Access Publishers (InTech, Sciyo.com, etc.)

28. IV. Model/Theory Development
• Theoretical Framework [From previous study]
• Conceptual framework /Research Framework/
Conceptual Model/ Research Model [Original work]
• Modified/Edited Version
• Revise the Existing Theory/Reposition the Theory

29. V. Data Analysis/Discussion
• Statistical Treatment of Data (Different Statistical Tools)
- Excel
- SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Sciences)
- Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) Technique
through AMOS (Analysis of Moment Structure),
LISREL (Linear Structural Relations), PLS
(Partial Least Squares)
• Pre-test : Pilot-test (Experts as Respondents) [30 – 50
respondents], Reliability Analysis (Cronbach’s Alpha, α)
• Output of Statistical Tools (through graphical or tabular
presentation)
• Demographic Data
- Analysis of Gender by using Frequency and Percentage
- Analysis of Age by using Frequency and Percentage
- Analysis of Education Level by using Frequency and Percentage
- Analysis of Income per month by using Frequency and Percentage

30. V. Data Analysis/Discussion
- Descriptive Analysis
- Frequency and Percentage
- Arithmetic mean
- Standard deviation
- Inferential Analysis (Hypothesis Testing)
– Null Hypothesis/Alternate Hypothesis
– Two-tailed test (Unknown direction) and One-tailed test (Known
direction)
– Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) Technique through
AMOS/LISREL/PLS, etc.
- SEM includes general linear model and common factor analysis
 Factor Analysis (Confirmatory Factor Analysis – CFA and Exploratory
Factor Analysis - EFA)

31. VI. Conclusions**
**[This section would be portfolio for the prospective researchers,
academicians, practitioners]
• Summary of findings (specific answer based on research
questions/hypothesis)
• Conclusions (Convert statistical language to academic
language)
• Recommendations (Specific suggestions for academicians/
practitioners)
• Further study
– Further study will come up from limitations
– The results may point to a new topic or hypothesis
– This may be variation on the original theory, variables used, sample
size or statistical model that has been refined and modified to obtain a
more accurate reflection of reality

32. VI. Conclusions**
**[This section would be portfolio for the prospective researchers,
academicians, practitioners]
• Contribution
– Academics (Research) for Prospective Researchers
– Industry (Corporate) for Application of Model/Recommendation
– Society (Betterment/Well-being)
• High Impact Research
[Basic Research will be transformed to Applied Research]

33. Bibliography/References**
Two (2) Styles [Mostly Used]
1. APA (American Psychological Association) System –
- Last name of Author, year of publication, e.g. (Lau, 2007) as text citations.
- Last name, first name (yr), title, name of publications, volume, pp. as
reference citations
2. Number-Reference (NR) System –
- [1], [2], [3] as text citations
- [1] Last name, first name, title, name of publications, yr, volume, pp. as
reference citations
…………Name of publications (Conference or journal paper, Book or book chapter)
** Please ensure all cited references must be used in the inside (as text)

34. Abstract
- Professional academic language (in brief, within 100 words to
300 words)
- Rationale (in brief)
- Main Objective [This study represents/demonstrates/
illustrates/encompasses/depicts/highlights……….Conceptual
model …… literature review……]
- What type of the study [Descriptive/Exploratory/Causal]
[Qualitative or Quantitative]
- Type of Data (Primary/Secondary Data)
- Sample [No. of Respondents], Sampling procedure
(Probability/Non-probability), Statistical Tools (SEM –
Structural Equation Modeling/Software)
- Findings of the study [Learning Outcomes of the paper]
- Novelties/Contribution of the paper (Contribution towards
Prospective Researchers, Academicians, Practitioners)
- Keywords (3-5 words) – prospective researchers will explore papers
based on keywords

35. Various Types of Papers
• Research paper
• Review paper
• Survey paper
• Case Study

36. Outline of a Review Paper
 Title
 Abstract
 Keywords
 Section I – Introduction
 Section II – Literature Review (Secondary Data)
 Section III – Methodology
 Section IV – Discussion
 Section V – Conclusions
 References

37. Outline of a Survey Paper
 Title
 Abstract
 Keywords
 Section I – Introduction
 Section II – Literature Review
 Section III – Methodology
 Section IV – Presentation of Data/Data Analysis (Based on Survey)
 Section V – Conclusions
 References

38. Outline of a Case Study
 Title
 Abstract
 Keywords
 Section I – Introduction
 Section II – Case Study
 Section III – Methodology
 Section IV – Discussion/Summary
 Section V – Conclusions
 References

39. Academic Writing

40. Features of Academic Writing
• Academic writing in English is linear
• It has one central point or theme with every
part contributing to the main line of argument,
without digressions or repetitions.
• Its objective is to inform rather than entertain.
• It is in the standard written form of the
language.
• It uses language precisely and accurately.

41. Features of Academic Writing
 There are eight main features of academic writing.
 Complex (Written language is relatively more complex than
spoken language)
 Formal (Academic writing is relatively formal)
 Precision (Facts and figures are given precisely)
 Objective (Written language is in general objective rather
than personal)
 Explicit (It is explicit about the relationships in the text by
using signalling words, e.g. however, in addition, nevertheless,
similarly, for example, particularly, including, etc.)
 Accuracy
 Hedged
 Responsible

42. Features of Academic Writing
 There are eight main features of academic writing.
 Complex
 Formal
 Precision
 Objective
 Explicit
 Accuracy (It uses vocabulary accurately)
 Hedged (By using “Hedging” you can make decisions about
your stance on a particular subject, or the strength of the
claims you are making)
 Responsible (You must be responsible for, and must be able
to provide evidence and justification for any claims you make)

43. Questions & Answers
THANK YOU FOR YOUR
ATTENTION !
mamunhabib@gmail.com, mamunhabib@iub.edu.bd,
mohammad.habib@uta.edu, mamunhabib@unirazak.edu.my