RESEARCH

Research is an organized investigation into the study of materials and sources so as to prove facts and
attain new conclusion.

It is a scientific process which aims at establishing and testing observations in order to reach an
acceptable conclusion.

Different Types of Research

1. Quantitative research

2.Experimental research

3.Survey

4. Qualitative research

5. Focus group

6. Descriptive research

7. Case study

8. Statistics

9. Ethnography

10. Design

11. Observation

12. Cross-sectional study

13. Case control study

14. Basic research

15. Action research

16. Correlational Research

17.Cohort study

18. Deductive reasoning

19. Field research

20. Longitudinal study

21. Meta-analysis

22. Participant observation

23. Sampling

24. Content analysis

25. Exploratory research.

EXPLANATIONS:

1: QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH:

Quantitative research is a systematic study of events by gathering quantifiable (numerical) data and
carrying out statistical, computational or mathematical techniques.

It is a kind of research in which numerical informations are gotten for study.

2: EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH:

This is a study that solely heeds to a scientific research design.

It includes hypothesis, a variable that can be altered or manipulated by the experimenter and variables
that can be estimated, calculated and compared.

It is usually completed in a controlled environment.

3: SURVEY:

Survey is a list of questions aimed at extracting specific data from a particular group of people.

Survey may be conducted using the internet e.g phones and mails or along the streets.

4: QUALITATIVE RESEARCH:
Qualitative research involves collecting and analysing of non-numerical data e.g gender, marital status,
occupation etc to understand a concept, observation and opinions. It is the opposite of quantitative
research.

5: FOCUS GROUP:

A focus group is a research technique used to collect information through group interaction. The group
is made up of small carefully selected participants who discuss a given topic.

Focus groups are used to identify and explore how people think and behave, and it throws more light on
what, how and why questions in order to attend a conclusion.

6: DESCRIPTIVE RESEARCH:

Descriptive research is used to describe characteristics of a population or phenomenon being studied. It

does not answer questions about how/when/why the characteristics occurred. Rather it addresses the
"what" question (what are the characteristics of the population or situation being studied?)

Hence, descriptive research cannot describe what caused a situation. Thus, descriptive research cannot
be used as the basis of a causal relationship, where one variable affects another. In other words,
descriptive research can be said to have a low requirement for internal validity.

7: CASE STUDY:

A case study is aresearch approach that is used to generate an in-depth, multi-faceted understanding of
a complex issue in its real-life context. It is an established research design that is used extensively in a
wide variety of disciplines, particularly in the social sciences.

8: STATISTICS:

Statistics is the study and manipulation of data, including ways to gather, review, analyze, and draw
conclusions from data. The two major areas of statistics are

(1) Descriptive and (2) Inferential Statistics

DESCRIPTIVE STATISTICS summarize the characteristics of a data set. While INFERENTIAL STATISTICS
allow you to test a hypothesis or assess whether your data is generalizable to the broader population.

9:ETHNOGRAPHY:
Ethnographic research is qualitative research on a group of people and their behaviors and social
interactions within their own, native environment. It involves studying people in context, mainly making
observations rather than focusing on hard data and numbers.

A classic example of ethnographic research would be an anthropologist traveling to an island, living

within the society on said island for years, and researching its people and culture through a process of
sustained observation and participation.

10: DESIGN:

The research design refers to the overall strategy that you choose to integrate the different components
of the study in a coherent and logical way, thereby, ensuring you will effectively address the research
problem; it constitutes the blueprint for the collection, measurement, and analysis of data to be studied.

11: OBSERVATION:

Observation, as the name implies, is a way of collecting data through observing. This data collection
method is classified as a participatory study, because the researcher has to immerse herself in the
setting where her respondents are, while taking notes and/or recording. Observation data collection
method may involve watching, listening, reading, touching, and recording behavior and characteristics
of phenomena.

Observation as a data collection method can be structured or unstructured. In structured or systematic

observation, data collection is conducted using specific variables and according to a pre-defined
schedule. Unstructured observation, on the other hand, is conducted in an open and free manner in a
sense that there would be no pre-determined variables or objectives.

Moreover, this data collection method can be divided into overt or covert categories. In overt
observation research subjects are aware that they are being observed. In covert observation, on the
other hand, the observer is concealed and sample group members are not aware that they are being
observed.

12: CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY:

A cross-sectional study is a type of research design in which you collect data from many different
individuals at a single point in time. In cross-sectional research, you observe variables without
influencing them.
13: CASE CONTROL STUDY:

A case control study is a retrospective, observational study that compares two existing groups.
Researchers form these groups based on the existence of a condition in the case group and the lack of
that condition in the control group. They evaluate the differences in the histories between these two
groups looking for factors that might cause a disease.

14: BASIC RESEARCH:

Basic Research is a type of research used in the scientific field to understand and extend our knowledge
about a specific phenomenon or field. It is also accepted as pure investigation or fundamental research.

This type of research contributes to the intellectual body of knowledge. Basic research is concerned with
the generalization of a theory in a branch of knowledge; its purpose is usually to generate data that
confirm or refute the initial thesis of the study.

It can also be called foundational research; many things get built on this foundation, and more practical
applications are made.

15: ACTION RESEARCH:

Action research can be defined as “an approach in which the action researcher and a client collaborate
in the diagnosis of the problem and in the development of a solution based on the diagnosis”[1]. In
other words, one of the main characteristic traits of action research relates to collaboration between
researcher and member of organisation in order to solve organizational problems.

Action study assumes social world to be constantly changing, both, researcher and research being one
part of that change.[2] Generally, action researches can be divided into three categories: positivist,
interpretive and critical.

Positivist approach to action research, also known as ‘classical action research’ perceives research as a
social experiment. Accordingly, action research is accepted as a method to test hypotheses in a real
world environment.

Interpretive action research, also known as ‘contemporary action research’ perceives business reality as
socially constructed and focuses on specifications of local and organisational factors when conducting
the action research.

Critical action research is a specific type of action research that adopts critical approach towards
business processes and aims for improvements.
16: CORRELATIONAL RESEARCH:

Correlational Research refers to a type of non-experimental research method that studies the
relationship between two variables with the help of statistical analysis.

Correlational research design does not study the effects of extraneous variables on the variables under
study.

In terms of market research, a correlational study is generally used to study quantitative data and
identify whether any patterns, trends, or insights exist between consumer behavior and market
variables such as; advertisements, discounts, as well as discounts on products.

17: COHORT STUDY RESEARCH:

Cohort studies are a type of research design that follow groups of people over time.
Researchers use data from cohort studies to understand human health and the environmental
and social factors that influence it.

The word “cohort” means a group of people. Cohort studies can be forward-looking of
backward-looking.

A forward-looking cohort study is also known as a prospective cohort study. “Prospective”

means that it relates to the future.

A backward-looking cohort study is also called a retrospective cohort study. “Retrospective”

means that it relates to the past.

To carry out prospective cohort studies, scientists identify a group of people to study and plan
the research in advance, collecting data over time. In retrospective cohort studies, scientists use
data that are already available for a particular group for their research.

18:

DEDUCTIVE REASONING RESEARCH:

Deductive reasoning is a logical approach where you progress from general ideas to specific
conclusions. It’s often contrasted with inductive reasoning, where you start with specific
observations and form general conclusions.

Deductive reasoning is also called deductive logic or top-down

19: FIELD RESEARCH:

Field research is defined as a qualitative method of data collection that aims to observe,
interact and understand people while they are in a natural environment. For example, nature
conservationists observe behavior of animals in their natural surroundings and the way they
react to certain scenarios. In the same way, social scientists conducting field research may
conduct interviews or observe people from a distance to understand how they behave in a
social environment and how they react to situations around them.

20: LONGITUDINAL STUDY:

A longitudinal study is a type of correlational research study that involves looking at variables
over an extended period of time. This research can take place over a period of weeks, months,
or even years. In some cases, longitudinal studies can last several decades.

Longitudinal design is used to discover relationships between variables that are not related to
various background variables. This observational research technique involves studying the same
group of individuals over an extended period.

21: META-ANALYSIS:

Meta-analysis is a statistical analysis that combines the results of multiple scientific studies.
Meta-analyses can be performed when there are multiple scientific studies addressing the same
question, with each individual study reporting measurements that are expected to have some
degree of error. The aim then is to use approaches from statistics to derive a pooled estimate
closest to the unknown common truth based on how this error is perceived.

22: PARTICIPANT OBSERVATION:

Participant observation (PO) is a research methodology where the researcher is immersed in

the day-to-day activities of the participants. The objective is usually to record conduct under
the widest range of possible settings. In this way, PO differs from naturalistic observation,
because the latter does not involve interaction between the researcher and participants. PO
was historically associated with a form of research in which the researcher resides for extended
periods of time in a small community. Currently, PO is used in a wide variety of settings, and
over varied periods of time, from single interactions to many years.

23: SAMPLING:

Sampling is a technique of selecting individual members or a subset of the population to make

statistical inferences from them and estimate the characteristics of the whole population.
Different sampling methods are widely used by researchers in market research so that they do
not need to research the entire population to collect actionable insights.

It is also a time-convenient and a cost-effective method and hence forms the basis of any
research design. Sampling techniques can be used in a research survey software for optimum
derivation.

Probability sampling: Probability sampling is a sampling technique where a researcher sets a

selection of a few criteria and chooses members of a population randomly. All the members
have an equal opportunity to be a part of the sample with this selection parameter.

Non-probability sampling: In non-probability sampling, the researcher chooses members for

research at random. This sampling method is not a fixed or predefined selection process. This
makes it difficult for all elements of a population to have equal opportunities to be included in a
sample.

24: CONTENT ANALYSIS:

Content analysis is a research tool used to determine the presence of certain words, themes, or
concepts within some given qualitative data (i.e. text). Using content analysis, researchers can
quantify and analyze the presence, meanings, and relationships of such certain words, themes,
or concepts. As an example, researchers can evaluate language used within a news article to
search for bias or partiality Researchers can then make inferences about the messages within
the texts, the writer(s), the audience, and even the culture and time of surrounding the text.

25: EXPLORATORY RESEARCH:

Exploratory research is defined as a research used to investigate a problem which is not clearly
defined. It is conducted to have a better understanding of the existing problem, but will not
provide conclusive results. For such a research, a researcher starts with a general idea and uses
this research as a medium to identify issues, that can be the focus for future research. An
important aspect here is that the researcher should be willing to change his/her direction
subject to the revelation of new data or insight. Such a research is usually carried out when the
problem is at a preliminary stage. It is often referred to as grounded theory approach or
interpretive research as it used to answer questions like what, why and how.