After data are obtained are obtained through questionnaire, interviews, observation or through secondary sources, they need to be edited. The blank responses, if any, have to be handled in some way, the data coded, and categorizing scheme has to be set up. The data will then have to be keyed in, and some software program used to analyze them. Editing Data have to be edited, especially when they relate to responses to open-ended questions of interviews and questionnaires, or unstructured observations. In other words, information that may have been noted down by the interviewer, observer, or researcher in a hurry must be clearly deciphered so that it may be coded systematically in its entirety. Lack of clarity at this stage will result later in confusion. The edited data should be identifiable through the use of a different color pencil or ink so that original information is still available in case Continue reading
Research Methodology
Contents and Layout of Research Report
Contents of Research Report The researcher must keep in mind that his research report must contain following aspects: Purpose of study Significance of his study or statement of the problem Review of literature Methodology Interpretation of data Conclusions and suggestions Bibliography Appendices These can be discussed in detail as under: (1) Purpose of study: Research is one direction oriented study. He should discuss the problem of his study. He must give background of the problem. He must lay down his hypothesis of the study. Hypothesis is the statement indicating the nature of the problem. He should be able to collect data, analyze it and prove the hypothesis. The importance of the problem for the advancement of knowledge or removed of some evil may also be explained. He must use review of literature or the data from secondary source for explaining the statement of the problems. (2) Significance of study: Research Continue reading
The Literature Review in Research
Once the research problem is identified and its delimitation made, review of literature is carried out. Sometimes literature review helps in problem identification. But this may be referred to as research reconnaissance. Literature Review means a review or study of literature relevant to the study taken up by the researcher. The literature may be i) research reports, ii) research papers, iii) reference books, iv) periodicals covering issues relevant to the topics of research, v) government policy notes and reports on issues relevant to the topics, vi) relevant statutes, case laws and legal pronouncements, vii) scholarly text books, etc. The literature may be published or unpublished (but must be authenticated), local, national and global, individual or organizational, periodic or one-time and so on. Read More: How to Write a Good Literature Review Objectives of Literature Review Review of research report is done to know what research works have already been done Continue reading
Significance of Research in Social Sciences
Social sciences refer to business, commerce, demography, psychology, sociology, etc. Social sciences directly involve people. Research in social sciences arena deals with the behavior of people in their different roles, such consumers, competitors, producers, executives, salespersons, leaders, workers, followers, teachers, students, opinion-makers, etc. Research in social sciences deals with the systematic method of discovering new facts or of verifying old facts, their sequence, inter-relationship, casual explanations and the natural laws which cover them. The importance that social science research wields today is immeasurable and enlarging. As social, business and economic problems abound, the significance of social research gets enhanced as it provides workable solutions. We know the objectives of social research are elaborate. From these emanate the significance of research. The following points bring out the significance of research in social sciences. Problems solving is the thrust of most researches. Social problems are felt directly by people and that research Continue reading
Basic Principles of Experimental Design
Experimental research designs, which can otherwise be called hypothesis-testing research designs, were originally made by R.A. Fisher in agricultural research in England. Experimental designs are generally used in experimental studies where hypothesis are tested. Experimental designs are now used in almost all the areas of scientific studies. Professor Fisher has enumerated three principles of experimental designs: 1. The principle of replication: The experiment should be reaped more than once. Thus, each treatment is applied in many experimental units instead of one. By doing so, the statistical accuracy of the experiments is increased. For example, suppose we are to examine the effect of two varieties of rice. For this purpose we may divide the field into two parts and grow one variety in one part and the other variety in the other part. We can compare the yield of the two parts and draw conclusion on that basis. But if we Continue reading
Documentary Sources of Information in Research
The documentary source is an important source of information for a researcher. A document is anything in writing a record, files or diaries, published or unpublished which can be extracted and used in research. It is a very valuable source of information for a research either in management or in social sciences. It may comprise office files, business and legal papers, biographies, official and unofficial records, letters, proceedings of any courts, committees, societies, Assemblies, and Parliaments, enactments, constitution, reports of surveys, or research of commissions, official statistics, newspaper editorials, special articles, company news, cases or company directors’ reports, etc. Documentation is the process of collecting and extracting the documents which are relevant to research. Documents may be classified into: Personal documents; Company documents; Consultants’ report and published materials; and Public documents. Personal documents are those that are written by or on behalf of individuals. They may include autobiographies, biographies, diaries, Continue reading