Which of the following stages of an experimental research project is usually first?

The research process entails a number of organized steps that a researcher must take in order to provide knowledge that will be valued by the project and concentrate on the pertinent topic. Basic and applied research can be conducted in a variety of ways. The following steps outline a simple and effective process for conducting both basic and practical research.  The five (5) steps in the research process are: [1]

Step 1 – Locating and Defining Issues or Problems

This step focuses on uncovering the nature and boundaries of a situation or question that needs to be answered or studied. In defining the issues or problems, the researcher should take into account the purpose of the study, the relevant background information, what information is needed, and how it will be used in decision-making.

Step 2 – Designing the Research Project

This step is focused on creating a research plan or overall approach to how you are going to solve the issue or problem identified.  A research plan or approach is a framework or blueprint for conducting a research project. It details the procedures necessary for obtaining the required information, and its purpose is to design a study that will test the hypotheses of interest, determine possible answers to the research questions, and provide the information needed for decision-making.

The research design involves the following steps:

• Step 1: Conduct secondary data analysis
• Step 2: Do qualitative research
• Step 3: Determine methods of collecting quantitative data (survey, observation, and experimentation)
• Step 4: Determine the definition of the information needed
• Step 5: Determine measurement and scaling procedures
• Step 6: Design a questionnaire
• Step 7: Sampling process and sample size
• Step 8: Plan of data analysis

Step 3 – Collecting Data

This step revolved around obtaining the information that you will need to solve the issue or problem identified.  Data collection can involve experiments, observations, personal interviewing (in-home, mall intercept, or computer-assisted personal interviewing), from an office by telephone (telephone or computer-assisted telephone interviewing), or through the mail (traditional mail and mail panel surveys with recruited households).

Date collection techniques can include:

• Interviews: Asking people questions about their known information
• Observations: collecting data without asking questions.
• Questionnaires: Ask questions among a group of people
• Focus Groups: Interviewing and observing a group of people
• Documents and Records: old fashion research

Step 4 – Interpreting Research Data

This step is focused on interpreting and examining the research data and coming up with a conclusion that solves the problem. Make sure the conclusion is easy to understand and well thought out based on the data collected.

Analysis Steps

• Step A: Review your research plan
• Step B: Organize your finding and the information you have collected from Step 3.
• Step C: Create a rough draft of your finding, recommendations, and conclusion. The rough draft will help you get your thoughts organized.
• Step D: Polish the rough draft into your final research finding. You will most likely revise the draft many times before the final product is ready for Step 5.

Step 5 – Report Research Findings

The final step is to report the research findings to those who need the data to make decisions. The findings should be presented in a comprehensible format so that they can be readily used in the decision-making process. In addition, an oral presentation should be made to management using tables, figures, and graphs to enhance clarity and impact.

Research Reporting Formats:

• • Formal Paper
  • Published Article
  • PowerPoint Presentation
  • Audio or Video
  • Spreadsheet

Qualitative Research in the Research Process 

Information, industry experts, and secondary data may not be sufficient to define the research problem. Sometimes qualitative research must be undertaken to gain a qualitative understanding of the problem and its underlying factors. Qualitative research is unstructured, exploratory in nature, based on small samples, and may utilize popular qualitative techniques such as focus groups (group interviews), word association (asking respondents to indicate their first responses to stimulus words), and depth interviews (one-on-one interviews which probe the respondents’ thoughts in detail). Other exploratory research techniques, such as pilot surveys with small samples of respondents, may also be undertaken.

Conclusion

There are various steps in the research process, which makes it simple to accomplish the research successfully. The above-described steps in the research process are interdependent, hence the order must be followed. So, if we want to conduct research, we should adhere to the steps of the research process to conduct good and reliable results.

AcqNotes Tutorial

AcqLinks and References:

• [1] Pride, Ferel (2010). Marketing. South-Western Cengage Learning

Updated: 11/22/2022

Rank: G1