AMOUD UNIVERSITY

Research Methods
Lecturer:
MM Jibril
Ocktobar,
2020

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 CHAPTER ONE
Introduction to Research
Methods

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CHAPTER OBJECTIVES

After completing Chapter One, students will be able to:

1. Define research and describe its main characteristics.

2. Explain the importance of research
3. State purpose, aim and objectives of research
and describe its different types and Problems.
4. Determine when research should and should not
be conducted.

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 THE TERM RESEARCH
⚫ The term “Research” consists of two words:
Research: Re + Search
⚫ “Re” means again and again and “Search” means to
find out something, the following is the process:

⚫ Therefore, the research is a process of which a person

observes the phenomena again and again and collects
the data and on the basis of data analysis he/she draws
some conclusions.

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 What is a Research?
⚫ Research is the application of the scientific method
in searching for truth about phenomena.
⚫ The research must be conducted systematically, not
haphazardly/randomly. It must be objective to avoid
the distorting effects of personal bias.
⚫ Research should be rigorous/consider every part of
something , but the rigor is always traded off against
the resource and time constraints that go with a
particular decision.

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 Meaning of Research
⚫ There are two ways of looking at research: The everyday
general meaning and the technical (scientific) meaning.
● General meaning: In this sense, research refers in any
means of getting to know. Any means of gathering
information and arriving decision is a research.
● Scientific Meaning: In this scientific sense, Research is
defined by both the process and the product (knowledge).
The process and the product of research must meet
certain characteristics.

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 Process
The research process must meet three characteristics:
1.Systems: Research follows logical, sequential and
ordered that lead into one another. The research
process has six main steps as follows:
● Problem identification and definition
● Possible/Tentative solution (hypothesis)
● Data collection Method
● Data collection
● Analysis and interpretation
● Conclusion = Solution = knowledge

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Cont…
2. Guide: It is intended to answer certain specific
questions. Only these questions, we form the focus on
the research. Any other question, no matter how
important is out of the scope or the boundaries of the
research.
3. Intensive (involving a lot of effort or activity) : It
consumes resources (capital, financial, human resource,
physical=material, equipment and time).

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The Product (Knowledge)
• The research product must meet three
basic characteristics:
1. Valid: Supported by evidence.
There must be evidence (data) to
support the new knowledge generate
through research.

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2. Reliable: Knowledge is consisted or
repeated. The same knowledge can
be obtained by the same research at
different times or by other researchers
or among other population.
Knowledge is consistent over time,
resource and population.

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3. Generalizable: Knowledge which
applicable beyond where it was generated.

Note: Research is a systemic, guided and

intensive inquiring, investigating for
producing knowledge that valid reliable
and generalizable.

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Characteristics of Research
Research is:
● Empirical. It is based on direct experience or
observation by the researcher.
● Logical. It is based on valid procedures and
principles.
● Cyclical. It starts with a problem and ends with a
problem.
● Analytical. It utilizes proven analytical
procedures in gathering data, whether historical,
descriptive, experimental and case study.

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● Critical. It exhibits careful and precise
judgment.
● Methodical. It is conducted in a
methodical manner without bias using
systematic methods and procedures.
⚫ Replicable. Its design procedures are
repeated to enable the researcher to arrive
at valid and conclusive answer.

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Importance of Research
⚫ The main importance of research is to produce
knowledge that can be applied on aspects related
business, such as targeted customer, marketplace
trends, production processes, and FINANCIAL
PRACTICES, can help predict trends, project
sales, spot opportunities, and avoid potential
problems. For example, marketing research is
important because it allows consumers and producers
to become more familiar with the products, goods, and
services around them.

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Cont…
⚫ Research is a basic ingredient for
development and therefore serves as a means
for rapid economic development. The main
importance or uses of research may be listed
as under:
⚫ It provides basis for governmental policies;
⚫ Helps in solving various operational and
planning problems of institution and industry;
⚫ Research helps problem solving in business;
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⚫ It lets the analysis of how different
departments of institutions are performing
and comparing their PERFORMANCE
AGAINST PROJECTIONS to
determine if they need adjustments;
• ⚫ Is useful to students, professionals,
philosophers, literary men, analysts and
intellectuals.

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 Purpose, Aims and Objectives
of Research
⚫ The purpose of research is to discover answers to
specific QUESTIONS THROUGH THE
APPLICATION OF SCIENTIFIC PROCEDURES.
The main aim of research is to find out the truth
related aspects which is hidden and which has not
been discovered yet. Though each research study has its
own specific purpose, we may think of research
objectives as falling into a number of following broad
groupings to:

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 Cont…
● GAIN FAMILIARITY WITH A
PHENOMENON or to achieve new insights into
it (studies with this object in view are termed as
exploratory research studies);
● PORTRAY ACCURATELY THE
CHARACTERISTICS OF A PARTICULAR
INDIVIDUAL, SITUATION OR A GROUP
(studies with this object in view are known as
descriptive research studies);

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● Determine the frequency with which
something occurs or with which it is
associated with something else (studies
with this object in view are known as
diagnostic research studies);
● Test a hypothesis of a causal relationship
between variables (such studies are known
as hypothesis-testing research studies).

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 PROBLEMS ENCOUNTERED BY
RESEARCHER
⚫ There is insufficient interaction between the
university research departments on one
side and business establishments,
government departments and research
institutions on the other side.
⚫ Many researchers also face the difficulty of
adequate and timely secretarial assistance,
including computerial assistance.

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⚫Library management and functioning
is not satisfactory at many places and
much of the time and energy of
researchers are spent in tracing out
the books, journals,reports, etc.,
rather than in tracing out relevant
material from them.

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 Cont…
⚫ There is also the problem that many of our
libraries are not able to get copies of old and
new Acts/Rules, reports and other
government publications in time.

⚫ There is also the difficulty of timely

availability of published data from various
government and other agencies doing this
job.

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⚫There does not exist a code
of conduct for researchers
and inter-university and
interdepartmental rivalries are
also quite
⚫common.
The lack of a scientific training
in the methodology of research.

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 TYPES OF RESEARCH

• There are different types of research depending on whether they are

classified by purpose or on method.
• The most popular classification is by purpose and this
produces three main types of research:

1. Basic research

2. Applied research

3. Action research

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 BASIC AND APPLIED RESEARCH
• BASIC RESEARCH APPLIED RESEARCH
⚫ Basic research is ⚫ Applied business
conducted without a research is conducted to
specific decision in mind
that usually does not address a specific business
address the needs of a decision for a specific
specific organization. firm or organization.
⚫ It attempts to expand the ⚫
It is directed toward a
limits of knowledge in
general and is not aimed specific managerial
at solving a particular decision in a particular
pragmatic problem. organization.
• .

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DETERMINING WHEN TO
CONDUCT RESEARCH

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Definition of a proposal
⚫ A proposal is a written presentation of an intended
research specifying the problem, the purpose, scope,
methodology and the budget of the study.
⚫ A research proposal is made up of three sections: the
preliminaries, the text and appendicies sections.
⚫ The priliminaries section contains 1. title/topic, 2. table of
contents, 3. list of tables and 4. list of figures.
⚫ The text section is divided into i. The introduction, ii.
Literature review and iii. Reseach methodology.

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Length of Proposal
⚫ The recommended length of a proposal for masters
dessertation and for all other levels below masters is
usually 15 pages-excluding the appendices. The
recommended lenght for a doctorate (Ph.D) is 25
pages-excluding appendices.

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