INSTITUTE : University Institute of

Biotechnology
Department of biotechnology
Master of Science (Biotechnology)
Research Methodology and Biostatistics, BTT-
723

Dr Juhi Saxena
MSC NET PhD
E12213 DISCOVER . LEARN . EMPOWER
Course Objectives and Outcomes
Course Objectives

1 The primary objective of this course is to develop a research orientation among the students and to acquaint
them with fundamentals of research methods.
2 To understand formulation of research problem and understanding the concept of research designing.
Course outcomes
1Students will gain the knowledge about research and research design
2 Students will learn to create hypothesis, how to analyze them and their interpretation
3 Students will learn of research report writing and publishing of research work
4 Students will learn about statistical methods of analysis and software’s used for research purpose

2
 L5 Contents
• Types of Research

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 Classification of Research

Purpose wise

Uses Based

Techniques Based

Time Dimension

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 Purpose wise

Exploratory Research

Descriptive Research

Explanatory / Analytical

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Exploratory / Formulative Research
• It is preliminary study of an unfamiliar problem
about which the researcher has little or no
knowledge.

• It is usually takes the form of a pilot study.

• It does not aim at testing hypothesis.

• It just attempts to see what is there rather than to

predict the relationship.
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 Descriptive Research
• Descriptive research answers the questions
what, where, when and how.

• Undertaken with the aim of determining the characteristics of a

population or phenomenon.

• Previous knowledge of problem exists.

• It aims at identifying the various charactertistics of a

community/institutions/problem/socity under study, but it does
not deal with the testing of hypothesis.

• High degree of precision or accuracy required.

e.g. Chandigarh University.

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Examples
• Who are the main consumers of organic foods?
• How many students read the prescribed course literature?
• Where do most holiday-makers travelling overseas go?
• When do petrol stations tend to raise their prices?

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 Analytical Research / Explanatory Research
• Continuation of descriptive research

• The researcher go beyond merely analyzing and explaining

why or how it is happening.

• It focus on “Why” & “How”

•Measure the casual relationship.

•It is concerned with testing hypothesis and specifying

relationships.

• e.g. Job satisfaction decreases as working hours increasing.

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 Descriptive Research
1. Describes a situation, events or
social systems. It aims to
describe the state of affairs as it
exists.
2. In descriptive research studies,
the researchers have no control
over variables.
3. They can report only what has
happened or is happening.
4. Descriptive research deals with
questions like
‘How does X vary with Y?'
or
‘How does malnutrition vary
with age and income?’
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Explanatory Research
1. Aims at establishing the cause
and effect relationship.
2. The researcher uses the facts or
information already available to
analyze and make a critical
evaluation of the data /
information.
2. It focuses on Why & How
questions.
2. An example of explanatory
research is:
“ why Job satisfaction decreases
as working hours increases”?
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 Uses based

Basic /
Applied
Fundamental

Evaluation
Action Research Research

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 Basic / Pure / Fundamental / Theoretical
Research
• It is undertaken for the sake of knowledge without any
intension to apply it in practice.

• The main motivation is to expand man's knowledge , not to

create or invent something.

• We develop various theories in it.

• It lays the foundation for applied research.

• It is not problem oriented.

e.g. Newton’s contributions. Motivation Theories, Leadership

Theories, learning theories.
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 Applied Research
• It is carried on to find solution to a real life problem requiring an
action.
• It is problem oriented and action directed.
• In it knowledge of Basic research can apply practically.
• Applied research is designed to solve practical problems
of the modern world, rather than to acquire knowledge
for knowledge's sake.
• One might say that the goal of the applied scientist is to
improve the human condition .
• E.g. use of motivational theories to motive students for using
library facility.
• problems faced by teachers, policy planners and
administrators are mostly solved by applied research.

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 Applied Research
Theoretical / Basics/ Pure/
Fundamental Research
1. Tests theoretical concepts
in actual problem
1. To generate new
situations.
knowledge in the form of
new theory, facts and truth. 2. It is thus applied to
practical situations or
2. It verifies the old theory or contexts.
establishes a new one.
3. It discovers ways of
3. Has no immediate or applying them to solve
practical application. specific problems.
4. Its major concern is to 4. Basic research therefore,
identify, gather and use the can be treated as
empirical data to formulate,
building blocks for applied
expand or evaluate theory. research.
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 Evaluation Research
• Evaluation = Process of judging the merit or worth of
something
• Research
– application of scientific methods to answer questions.
• Evaluation Research – it is a systematically procedure
for assessing the effectiveness of social or economic
programme implemented.
• e.g. Family planning scheme, various govt. schemes,
education system etc.

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 Action Research
❑ Apply the knowledge in the form of Action.

❑ Action research emphasizes on the solution of a

problem/for improving an existing situation.

❑ It is simply a form of self reflecting enquiry

undertaken by participant (students) in social
situation.

❑ The goal of action research is both diagnostic as

well as remedial.

❑ Action research is focused on, immediate application

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 Example

Objectives of action research, by a teacher will be:

I. To identify problems and then to improve classroom

practices himself.

Example: As a teacher in a primary school you may find

some children in class V who face certain
difficulties in learning Mathematics despite your
best efforts.

Action research does apply scientific method to solve real-life

problems and helps in bringing a great improvement in
teachers’ subjective judgments and decisions

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 Techniques Based

• Experimental Research
• Co-relational Research
Quantitative • Causal Comparative Research
• Content Assessment Research
• Survey Method

• Historical Research
Qualitative • Case Study
• Focus Group Discussion

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 Quantitative Research

• Quantitative research involves analysis of numerical

data
• 'Quantitative research is a formal, objective,
systematic process in which numerical data are used
to obtain information about the world.’

This research method is used:

• To describe variables;
• To examine relationships among variables;
• To determine cause-and-effect interactions between
variables.'

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 Qualitative Research
• Qualitative research involves analysis of data such as
words, pictures or objects.

• Qualitative researchers aim to gather an in-depth

understanding of human behavior and the reasons that
govern such behavior.

• The qualitative method investigates the why and how of

decision making, not just what, where, when.

• Something which you cannot measure in terms of degree,

number it is known as qualitative.

• OR we can say when our aim is to description of any event,

problem, observation, it is known as qualitative.
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 Quantitative Research Qualitative Research

• Quantitative tests the • Qualitative research

theory. creates the theory.

• It collects & analysis • It collects & analysis words,

numerical values. symbols, objects.

• Quantitative research uses • It uses communication &

instruments. observation.

• In it researcher is a part of • In it researcher is a part of

Data gathering instrument. the data gathering process.

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 Quantitative Research Qualitative Research

• Quantitative data is • It does not help in

help to test hypothesis testing.
hypotheses.
• Qualitative data is more
'rich', time consuming.
• It is more effective.
• The aim is a complete,
detailed description.
• Its aims to develop the
statistical model.
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 Experimental Research
❖ Experimental designs seek to find out the cause and effect
relationship of the phenomenon under study.

❖It is designed to assess the effects of particular variables on a

phenomenon by keeping other variables constant/controlled.

❖It aims at determining “whether” and “ in what manner”

variables are related to each other.

❖Two similar groups, one is called 'experimental group' and

the other is 'control group' .

❖ Before starting the experimentation process, it needs to be

ensured that the two groups are similar in almost every respect.
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Examples
❖The effect of positive reinforcement on attitude toward school.

❖Higher the level of job commitment, lower the absentisum of

officers.

❖Educational level & income in biotech industries

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 Co-relational Research

I. Attempts to determine whether and to what degree, a

relationship exists between two or more quantifiable
(numerical) variables.

II. Correlation implies prediction but not causation.

III. The investigator frequently uses the correlation coefficient

to report the results of co relational research.

Examples:
The relationship between intelligence and self-esteem.
The relationship between anxiety and achievement.
The use of an aptitude test to predict success in an algebra
course.
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 Causal-comparative Research
• Attempts to establish cause-effect relationships among the
variables of the study.

• The attempt is to establish that values of the independent

variable have a significant effect on the dependent variable.

• This type of research usually involves group comparisons.

Examples:
❖ Education & Gender (male versus female),
❖Children with a working mother versus children without a
working mother.
❖Income and age. (Various age group people.)

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 Surveys Method
• Survey’s is a “fact finding” study.

• It is a method of research involving collection of data

directly from a population or a sample thereof at particular
time.
Features:
• It is always conducted in a natural setting. It is filed study.
• It seeks responses directly from the respondents.
• It can cover a large number of population.
• A survey covers a definite geographical area

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Content Assessment Research
• Content analysis is the systematic examination of written or
recorded communication in order to break down, identify,
and analyze the presence or relations of words, word
sense, characters, sentences, concepts, or common
themes.

• The focus of the analysis should be a critical examination,

rather than a mere description, of the content.

• Examples:
Student journals, essays, online discussions, thesis, book
review, or any form of written, visual, or oral communication.

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Process of content assessment
It is 3 steps process:-

1. Planning

2. Gathering Data

3. Analysis &
Reporting Results

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 Qualitative Research

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 Historical Research
• It is a study of past records and other information sources
with a view to reconstructing the problem.

• It is descriptive in nature and it is a difficult task.

• Historical research is involved with the study of past events.

Example:

❖ Effects of decisions of the United States Supreme Court on

American Education in 1948.

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 Case study
• It is an in-depth comprehensive study of a person,
a social group, an episode, a process, a situation,
a programme, a community etc.
• It is one of the most popular method of research.

• It purpose may be understand the life cycle of the

unit under study or
Interaction between factors that explain the
development over a period of time.

E.g. a study of work culture of animation industry., a

study of RIICO Industry
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 Focus group Discussion
• It is a form of qualitative research.

• In which a group of people are asked about their

perceptions, opinions, beliefs, and attitudes towards
a product, service, concept, advertisement, idea, or
packaging.

• In it participants are free to talk with other group

members.

• e.g.:- Increase Petrol Prices

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 Panel

Longitudinal Time Series

Time
Dimension
Cohort
Cross
Sectional

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 Longitudinal Panel Research
• The study of a population over time

• Longitudinal panel research is a type of research method used to

discover relationships between variables that are not related to
various background variables.

• It is a research that study a person / group over a set

period of time. Normally to find out the effect of some
variables.
e.g.
• A study of a group students of B.Com course over a period of 3
years to find out the causes of low result.
• When try to discover the causes of criminality, researcher may
track 50 children over a 30 years period in order to find a
common factor / reason b/w those children who have become
criminal.
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 Time series
• A "time series" is in which a single population
group of defined size is studied over a period of
time .

• It is a measurements of factors and variables of

interest at specified time intervals.

• The aim is to detect trends of changes in

group.

• such as variations in incidence rates of disease or

other health-related phenomena in response to
particular interventions.

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 Cohort Study
• It Involves selecting a group based on a specific
event such as birth, geographic location or
historical experience.

• A cohort is a group of people who share a

common characteristic or experience within a
defined period (e.g., are born, are exposed to a
drug or vaccine or pollutant, or undergo a certain
medical procedure).

• It is one type of clinical research design

• Thus a group of people who were born on a day

or in a particular period, say 1948, form a birth
cohort.
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 Cross sectional
• The study of a population at a single point in time.
Different different groups will study at a time.

• This normally refers to the analysis of large-scale

sample surveys, such as the British Election Study.

• Cross-sectional analysis is useful for studying the

association and correlation between variables at the
individual, rather than aggregate level.
• E.g.
Research methodology 1st group analysis, B.Tech group analysis,
Faculty & Students analysis one time to draw the conclusion
about University.
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 Purpose
Qualitative To provide rich narrative
descriptions with words of
phenomena that enhance
understanding.
Quantitative To describe phenomena
numerically to answer specific
questions or hypotheses.
Basic To increase knowledge and
understanding of phenomena.
Applied To solve practical educational
problems.
Evaluation To make a decision about a
program or activity.
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Examples from daily life
Observations of school renewal
teams to understand the role of
parents.
The relationship between
amount of homework and
student achievement.
Understand how feedback
affects motivation or learning
styles of adolescents.
Determine best approach to
train teachers to use portfolios
for assessment.
Decide whether to keep or
phase out a pre kindergarten
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program.
 Purpose
Action To improve practice in a
school or classroom.
Non- To describe and predict
Experimental phenomena without
manipulating factors that
influence the phenomena.
Experimental To determine the causal
relationship between two or
more phenomena by direct
manipulation of factors that
influence student
performance or behavior.
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Examples
Determine which grouping
procedure results in the
highest achievement for all
students.
Determine the relationship
between socioeconomic
status and attitudes.
Determine which of two
approaches to teaching
science results in the highest
student achievement.
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If the purpose is: To improve enzyme activity by modifying
the physical and chemical parameters

Classify the above purpose for the type of research ?

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 References
• E Book https://study.sagepub.com/sites/default/files/Wilson%202014%20-
%20CH1.pdf
• Kothari C.R., Research Methodology: Methods and Techniques, New Age
International publishers, 2nd Edition.
• Bordens K.S., Abbott B.B., Research and Design Methods, 6th Edition,
TMH Publishing Company Limited.
• Pandey, P., & Pandey, M. M. (2015). Research methodology: Tools and
techniques. Romania: Bridge Center.
• Video link for introduction of research
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nv7MOoHMM2k
• Other important link
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/325846733_INTRODUCTION_T
O_RESEARCH
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THANK YOU