Academic Writing

CM 4
Dr Abdul Ghafoor Chaudhry
 Researching

After identifying all of the ideas associated with the topic, facts and figures from
articles, newspapers, journals and other sources along opinions and comments
from people can also be used to support the points in the writing.
Before begging the research, relevant sources can be identified. Considerations
while identifying the sources.
What kind of information is needed and where can it be found?
type of information
Categorizes of the variousSource/Location
types of information and their sources.
Current event Newspaper | Online news feed
Statistics Government Census data | Economic and Social Research
Institute (ESRI)
Scholarly literature and Academic articles | Periodicals | Books
theories
Commercial products Company websites | Patents and standards
Local History Libraries | Government offices |Local news papers
• Table 3: Examples of where you might find different types of information
How much information is needed?

‫ ن‬at different sources of information, but, be careful not to get

It’s good ‫ن‬to look
bogged(‫ )د ھ س ج ا ا‬down in too many documents and end up feeling
overwhelmed. Consider the following:
1. do you need to consider all sides of the topic, for example, do you need to
research the benefits of exercise, or, do you need to research the benefits
and risks of exercise?
2. if you are required to do a comparison, you have to make sure that you
have similar amounts of knowledge and understanding of the elements
you are comparing
3. if you are required to discuss a topic, you will need to present a similar
number of points in agreement with as well as opposing the argument
4. how deep do you have to explore a topic, for example, are you required to
explain something about a topic or are you required to analyze key
elements of the topic?
Types of Research

There are two main types of research, primary and secondary, and
your assessment may require the use of either or a combination of
both.
Primary Research
Information that is gathered first hand by you, the researcher. It
may include surveys, interviews, observations, experiments, focus
groups.
Secondary Research
Information that is gathered from existing material (previously
gathered and presented by somebody else). This may include
information and data from books, brochures, leaflets, magazines,
newspapers, the internet, reports and other research papers.
Approaches to Primary Research

As primary research generally involves individuals, consideration must be given to factors including
consent of participants, integrity of the research, confidentiality of research responses, anonymity of
participants, research ethics and storage of data.
There are two approaches to primary research - qualitative and quantitative.
Qualitative research
Qualitative research is research that explores people’s attitudes or opinions towards a specific topic or
problem. It generally looks at the what/why/where/when/how questions. It is based upon people’s
reasons, opinions, motivations and behaviors. It can provide insight into a problem and can uncover
trends.
Quantitative research
Quantitative research is used to explore and uncover or measure patterns. It generally looks at the to
what extent/how many questions. It can measure the data and quantify a problem relating to a
specific topic. It is most useful when transformed into statistics to back up a claim or statement. It is
generally carried out with a larger group.

Mixed Methods Research

When both qualitative and quantitative methods are used together, this is called Mixed Methods
Research.
Considerations in Planning Primary Research

There are elements that need to be considered when planning for primary
research. Consider the questions illustrated in the graphic below:
Gathering Primary Research Information (data)
The list below explains some of the techniques that you might wish to use to gather primary research data.

Focus Group Discussion:

A focus group is a small group of people, deliberately selected, to discuss a specific topic
or subject. It is used to explore people’s attitudes, beliefs, experiences, opinions,
perceptions.
Interview:
Interviews are question and answer sessions conducted with an individual or a group. They
can be either structured (with questions decided in advance), semi-structured (some
questions decided in advance) or unstructured (questions are not pre-determined).
Observation:
Observations involve taking careful notes of an event or activity as it happens. What is seen
or observed is noted or recorded making these factual and free of bias.
Survey:
Surveys usually involve a questionnaire to gather information (data) from a sample of the
population.