RTW 1 - Unit 2: The Research Process

THE RESEARCH PROCESS

• Involves sequential steps that guide thinking, planning, and analysis.

• Assures that there is a reasonable and logical framework for a study’s design and conclusions.

• An important step towards executing a thorough research or study.

IDEA-GENERATING PHASE

• conduct an initial literature review to begin gathering relevant sources

• narrow down from a broad area of interest to a specific idea

• consider the requirements, amount of time to complete the research and access to resources

Biomedical science

(field of science) biological, medical, clinical

Population science

(field of science) epidemiology, demography, socio-behavioral

Health policy science

(field of science) health policy, health system, health services

Curiosity driven research

(drivers of research) “Discovery is the prize of the game”

Needs driven research

(drivers of research) health needs or health problems

Profit driven research

(drivers of research) expanding market

Opportunity driven research

(drivers of research) availability of funding

PROBLEM-DEFINITION PHASE

• This phase gives focus to the research

• Refine the general and vague ideas

  • Involves identification and definition of variables to be studies, development of theoretical and conceptual framework, formulation of the major and specific problems, and formulation of hypothesis

RESEARCH PROBLEM

• is a definite or clear expression (statement) about an area of concern, a condition to be improved upon, or a difficulty to be eliminated

• is a major issue that leads to the need for a study

  • enables the researcher to generate a set of research questions

RESEARCH DESIGN

is a practical framework for answering your research questions

OBSERVATIONAL

(types of research design)

• Descriptive

• Analytical

• Cross-sectional

• Longitudinal – cohort study

  • Retrospective

EXPERIMENTAL OR INTERVENTIONAL

(types of research design)

• Controlled

  • Randomized

  • Non-randomized

• Non controlled

SAMPLING

size of the sample

TOO SMALL

when sampling is _______

• Result is not reliable

• Research result is wasted

• No useful result

TOO LARGE

when sampling is _______

• Prolong the study

• More expensive

• No added scientific value

DATA COLLECTION

• is a process of collecting information from all relevant sources to find answers to the research problem, test the hypothesis and evaluate the outcomes

  • it is the phase where the procedures designed are implemented

→     implementing the research project

PRIMARY

data obtained for the first time and used primarily for a specific problem or issue

• Survey (personal interview, focus group interview, telephone, mail, internet)

• Observation

• Experimentation

SECONDARY

data that has already been published; less expensive to collect

• Books

• Journals

• Online portals

• Administrative documents; historical records

• Published researches

• Mass media

DATA ANALYSIS PHASE

• Obtain usable and useful information

• Describe and summarize the data

• Identify relationships between variables

• Compare the differences between variables

• Forecast outcomes

DESCRIPTIVE STATISTICS

• Tabulation

• Calculations

• Graphs/figures

INFERENTIAL STATISTICS

• Correlation

• Relationship

• Difference

INTERPRETATION PHASE

• What does it all mean?

• Numbers do not speak for themselves

INTERPRETATION

• is the process of attaching meaning to the data

• it demands fair and careful judgment

• ­ interpret how the data will aids in responding to the research problem

• ­it helps to make informed decisions and not just through guessing or predictions

COMMUNICATION PHASE

• Publication in scientific journals

• Presentation in scientific meetings

• Communicating to:

  • Professionals

    • Evidence based review

    • Clinical practice guidelines

  • Policy makers

  • Patients

  • Community

  • Public

  • Public media

  • Funding agency