Duncan Mackenzie

02240785

Essay One

Understanding the Research Process

Student: LTCDR Duncan Mackenzie, RNZN

ID Number: 02240785

Paper Details: 149.790 Research Methods in Defence and Security

Assignment: One

Instructors Name: Dr Wil Hoverd

Due Date: 18 November 2015

For someone new to the concept of academic research, the process can seem
daunting. In its simplest form, we undertake research every day. In order to choose

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the best route to drive from one city to another on an overseas holiday, for example,
we take the information available, add some variables (traffic, weather forecast,
sightseeing opportunities, food stops etc.) and after analysing the pros and cons of
each variable we make an informed decision on a preferred route to take. In a more
complex, scholarly environment, research is focussed on introducing ‘new
knowledge’. As such, systematic processes are used to find out something not
known in the wider world; an opportunity to contribute to a body of knowledge. 1 Just
as it is with the holiday traffic route though, the research process requires planning,
commitment and persistence, and needs to be carefully navigated from conception
to arrival at the final destination.2

The aim of this essay is to introduce an understanding of the roles and the goal of
the research process. This will be done through describing various components of
the process, explaining the importance of the use of theory and literature review as a
part of the process, and highlighting the necessity of providing an argument in every
piece of academic writing.

The origins of the word ‘research’ are in French word ‘recercher’, which means “to go
about seeking.”3 Academic research requires imagination and creativity alongside
discipline and structure in the search for new knowledge,4 and as such a process
commensurate to the importance of the research should be used. In her book The
1
?
Zina O’Leary, The Essential Guide to Doing Your Research Project, ed. Jai Seaman, 2nd ed.
(London: Sage Publications, 2014). p2

2
?
Ibid. p18

3
?
‘Research’, Merriam-Webster, accessed 10 November 2015, http://www.merriam-
webster.com/dictionary/research.

4
?
O’Leary, The Essential Guide to Doing Your Research Project. p19

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Essential Guide to Doing Your Research Project, O’Leary doesn’t articulate a simple
definition of the research process, but over a series of chapters it can be deducted
that it is one which requires the researcher to explore a topic, develop a research
question, articulate a rationale, inform study with theory, design methods inclusive of
determining the primary source of data, and writing a literature review.5 A more
clearly articulated definition of the research process is offered by Grinnell and Unrau.
They recommend a detailed, 12-step process which requires the researcher to break
down the process into smaller, more discrete components:

1. Understand how research findings are used;

2. Develop Initial research topic and research question;
3. Refine research question through literature;
4. Review the literature;
5. Be aware of ethical and cultural issues;
6. Select Research approach;
7. Specify how variables are measured;
8. Select a sample;
9. Select a research design;
10. Select a data collection method;
11. Analyse the data; and
12. Write and disseminate the research report.6

Despite the differences between the two definitions, each of them focusses on two
important aspects of the research process, which are the ‘research topic’ and
‘research question’ in support of the academic argument.7 A research topic is a

5
?
Ibid. p 87-88

6
?
Richard Grinnell and Yvonne Unrau, Social Work Research and Evaluation: Foundations of
Evidence-Based Practice, 9th ed. (New York: Oxford University Press, 2011).

7
?
O’Leary, The Essential Guide to Doing Your Research Project. p32

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narrow area of interest that can be thoroughly researched and discussed within
directed guidelines,8 and is normally selected from an area of the researcher’s
interests.9 The research topic will become the central theme of the research project,
which can then be further refined in the format of a question which will drive the
research project.10 O’Leary states, “Developing a well-articulated research question
is essential because it defines the project, sets boundaries, gives direction and acts
as a frame of reference for assessing your work.”11 Research requires the
identification of, then work on, questions which need to be answered or topical
problems that need to be solved. As such, research requires critical thinking in order
to assess the situation and if necessary, revise the question based on new
information. The relationship between research topic and research question is one
of interdependence. A research topic without a refined question will not succeed as
the research parameters will be too wide. Similarly, it is important that an initial
research topic in order that it can be narrowed into an articulate, concise and
unambiguous research question through the art of critical thinking.12

8
?
‘Choosing a Topic’, College of San Mateo Library, accessed 10 November 2015,
http://www.smccd.edu/accounts/csmlibrary/tutorials/choosing.html.

9
?
O’Leary, The Essential Guide to Doing Your Research Project. p32

10
?
Ibid. p36

11
?
Ibid. p45

12
?
Ibid. p38

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The literature review forms an important component of a research project. The

literature review is “a critical survey of the academic publications and research on
the chosen topic”13 and is designed to inform readers of the topic, establish the
credibility of the researcher, and argue the need for, and relevance of, the
undertaken work.14 A literature review is not considered to be new research as it is
not producing new knowledge. Instead, it will provide a solid background to a
research paper’s investigation by determining what has already been written on a
topic, providing an overview of key concepts, identifying major relationships and/or
patterns, and will Identify strengths, weaknesses, gaps and conflicting evidence in
the research.15 Quick and Hall classify the literature resources into either primary or
secondary sources.16 Primary sources are those written by someone who has
conducted an original piece of research, and secondary sources are those
summarising or collating the results from primary sources.17 A potential issue that can
arise during the literature review is one of researcher bias, where the legitimacy of
literature review is reduced.18 In order to reduce the susceptibility to this, it is

13
?
‘What Is a Literature Review?’ (Massey University), accessed 14 November 2015,
http://owll.massey.ac.nz/assignment-types/what-is-a-literature-review.php.

14
?
O’Leary, The Essential Guide to Doing Your Research Project. p99

15
?
‘Writing a Literature Review’ (Queensland University of Technology), accessed 14 November
2015, http://www.citewrite.qut.edu.au/write/litreview.jsp.

16
?
Julie Quick and Susan Hall, ‘Part One : An Introduction to the Research Process’, Journal of
Perioperative Practice 25, no. 4 (2015). p79

17
?
Ibid. p79

18
?
Ibid.

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important for the researcher to be aware of biases and either be able to set them
aside using a systematic appraisal framework, or to formally acknowledge them.19
The literature review may result in a further refinement of the research question and
will assist in the development of a research thesis through the analysis of theories.

All research projects will contain theory, which helps to explore the research
question.20 According to Silverman, research findings are to be assessed in relation
to the theoretical perspective from which they derive and to which they may
contribute, 21 and as research questions are inevitably theoretically informed, theories
are needed to help address even quite basic issues. Therefore, a theory component
is important as it “becomes a framework for the entire study, an organising model for
the research questions or hypotheses and for the data collection procedure.”22 There
are two main functions of theory in a research paper. Firstly, to guide the research
by helping to identify what the problem is, what the concepts or variables are, and
what the results should be. Secondly, theories can reveal new insights into a topic,
especially when theories from different disciplines are used to show new analogies
and ways of interpreting the topic.23

19
?
Jill K. Jesson, Lydia Matheson, and Fiona M. Lacey, Doing Your Literature Review:
Traditional and Systematic Techniques (London: Sage Publications, 2011). p127

20
?
John W Creswell, Research Design (International Student Edition): Qualitative, Quantitative,
and Mixed Methods Approaches, 4th ed. (New York: Sage Publications, 2013),
doi:10.4135/9781849208956. p51

21
?
David Silverman, Doing Qualitative Research, ed. Katie Metzler, 4th ed. (London: Sage
Publications, 2013). p72

22
?
Creswell, Research Design (International Student Edition): Qualitative, Quantitative, and
Mixed Methods Approaches. p59

23

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The use of theory will vary depending on the type of research being undertaken. In
social science, for example, Creswell identifies that the three major models used in
research are quantitative, qualitative and mixed methods.24 Firstly, quantitative
research has the objective of testing or verifying a method,25 with theory being used
deductively and placed towards the beginning of the study and a discrete section of
a research proposal usually devoted to presenting the theoretical aspects.26
Secondly, qualitative research has the objective of understanding phenomena
through exploration and interpretation, with theory being used inductively.27 Theory
could be generated as the final outcome of a study and placed at the end of the
project, or at the beginning of the project in order to provide a lens to shape what is
looked at and the research questions asked. 28 Thirdly, mixed-method research
employs quantitative and qualitative models either concomitantly or sequentially.
mixed method research uses theory as a framework to inform aspects of design as

?
‘Research and the Research Process’ (University of Tamper, Finland), accessed 13
November 2015, https://www15.uta.fi/FAST/FIN/RESEARCH/research.html.

24
?
Creswell, Research Design (International Student Edition): Qualitative, Quantitative, and
Mixed Methods Approaches. p51-79

25
?
Ibid. p59

26
?
Ibid.p51

27
?
‘The Role of Theory in Research: Theoretical and Conceptual Frameworks’ (University of
Leicester), accessed 13 November 2015, http://www2.le.ac.uk/departments/beyond-distance-
research-alliance/learning inn/workshop-resources-1/phd-research-day-21-february-2012/chris.ppt.

28
?
Creswell, Research Design (International Student Edition): Qualitative, Quantitative, and
Mixed Methods Approaches. p51

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the researcher collects, analyses and interprets quantitative and qualitative data. 29
Furthermore all theories that are applied in the research will need to be explained in
order to fulfil the requirements of academic oversight as a part of the governance
and approval process.

In order to attain approval to undertake a research project, the researcher needs to

‘sell’ the project by articulating the merits of the research question and proposed
methods.30 This is achieved through a ‘research proposal’, which aims to
communicate an approval authority what the researcher is proposing, why the
research is important, and that the research is sufficiently competent to do it.31 The
structure of the research proposal will depend on the complexity of the project, but
may include sections detailing the researcher’s intent regarding the project
background and objectives, question and topic, literature review, intended theoretical
framework(s), methodology (how and why data will be collected), ethical
considerations (for data collection), communication of results and its significance
towards the creation of new knowledge and importantly, when the project will be
completed and budgetary requirements.32 Furthermore, the proposal will allow the
researcher’s nominated supervisor to provide feedback before and during the
project, so that the final submission is of an appropriate study. Moreover, as the
research proposal may require funding, a ‘contract’ between the researcher and the
approving body may be entered into upon approval, whereby the researcher is

29
?
Ibid. p75

30
?
O’Leary, The Essential Guide to Doing Your Research Project. p83

31
?
‘Research Proposal Structure’ (Massey University), accessed 14 November 2015,
http://owll.massey.ac.nz/assignment-types/research-proposal-structure.php.

32
?
Ibid.

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required to provide updates in the event that the project deviates from the approved
structure.

An argument is an important component of all academic writing and fundamental one

if new knowledge is being introduced. The aim of an argument, or thesis, is to
formally present evidence that supports a particular claim or position regarding an
issue of interest to the target audience.33 Academic writing must be based on a
logical structure which is the author’s own way of viewing the topic. In developing an
argument the researcher will likely come across a range of positions, which are
sometimes opposed to each other. It is important that each of the positions is
evaluated in order to decide which one is more valid than another. The author has to
choose those ideas from the literature that are useful to support a stated position and
show the inadequacies of other ideas that contradict that position. This will enable
the researcher to decide which position to take and therefore establish a starting
point for the academic writing. The persuasive strength rests on the skills of the
author’s effort to persuade through the use of rational, emotional and stylistic tools of
language.34

In conclusion, research is undertaken at varying levels every day. Academic

research, however, is subject to a higher level of rigour to ensure that an argument is
developed through a systematic investigation known as the research process. The
research process will identify a topic which is then further refined to generate a
research question, the answer to which the author will promote through persuasive
argument. The literature review, whilst not being new research, will inform the
researcher of what has, and has not, been subject to previous research. This may in
turn identify where gaps in research exist and will assist the development of a

33
?
‘Writing Arguments: An Overview’ (Colorado State University), accessed 14 November 2015,
http://writing.colostate.edu/guides/guide.cfm?guideid=53.

34
?
‘Essay Writing’ (University of Sydney), accessed 14 November 2015,
http://sydney.edu.au/stuserv/documents/learning_centre/ESSAYW3B.pdf.

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research thesis through the analysis of theories. Various models, such as

quantitative, qualitative and mixed methods used in social science research, are
used to analyse evidence to support and argument. The process itself is captured,
in detail, in the research proposal, which is then submitted to an approving authority
for the research to be undertaken. The most important element of the proposal is
that the argument is clearly articulated, as by doing so the research proposal will be
shown to provide new knowledge in a concise, convincing manner.

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References:
‘Choosing a Topic.’ College of San Mateo Library. Accessed 10 November 2015.
http://www.smccd.edu/accounts/csmlibrary/tutorials/choosing.html.
Creswell, John W. Research Design (International Student Edition): Qualitative,
Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches. 4th ed. New York: Sage
Publications, 2013. doi:10.4135/9781849208956.
‘Essay Writing.’ University of Sydney. Accessed 14 November 2015.
http://sydney.edu.au/stuserv/documents/learning_centre/ESSAYW3B.pdf.
Grinnell, Richard, and Yvonne Unrau. Social Work Research and Evaluation:
Foundations of Evidence-Based Practice. 9th ed. New York: Oxford University
Press, 2011.
Jesson, Jill K., Lydia Matheson, and Fiona M. Lacey. Doing Your Literature Review:
Traditional and Systematic Techniques. London: Sage Publications, 2011.
O’Leary, Zina. The Essential Guide to Doing Your Research Project. Edited by Jai
Seaman. 2nd ed. London: Sage Publications, 2014.
Quick, Julie, and Susan Hall. ‘Part One : An Introduction to the Research Process.’
Journal of Perioperative Practice 25, no. 4 (2015).
‘Research.’ Merriam-Webster. Accessed 10 November 2015. http://www.merriam-
webster.com/dictionary/research.
‘Research and the Research Process.’ University of Tamper, Finland. Accessed 13
November 2015. https://www15.uta.fi/FAST/FIN/RESEARCH/research.html.
‘Research Proposal Structure.’ Massey University. Accessed 14 November 2015.
http://owll.massey.ac.nz/assignment-types/research-proposal-structure.php.
Silverman, David. Doing Qualitative Research. Edited by Katie Metzler. 4th ed.
London: Sage Publications, 2013.
‘The Role of Theory in Research: Theoretical and Conceptual Frameworks.’
University of Leicester. Accessed 13 November 2015.
http://www2.le.ac.uk/departments/beyond-distance-research-alliance/learning
inn/workshop-resources-1/phd-research-day-21-february-2012/chris.ppt.
‘What Is a Literature Review?’ Massey University. Accessed 14 November 2015.
http://owll.massey.ac.nz/assignment-types/what-is-a-literature-review.php.
‘Writing a Literature Review.’ Queensland University of Technology. Accessed 14
November 2015. http://www.citewrite.qut.edu.au/write/litreview.jsp.
‘Writing Arguments: An Overview.’ Colorado State University. Accessed 14
November 2015. http://writing.colostate.edu/guides/guide.cfm?guideid=53.

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