RESEARCH PROCESS

Research is an area for all fields of study aimed at enabling students to master the processes
involved, apply it while writing their term papers, projects or theses and replicate same in their
future careers. It is believed that the word research simply means to investigate thoroughly.

Research process includes to search again, to investigate further, to find out more as applicable to
a situation, and to thoroughly examine an idea again. This will involve systematic process of
collecting and analysing information to increase our understanding of the item under study or
investigation. Osuala‘s (2005) describes research as the process of arriving at dependable solutions
to problems through the planned, systematic collection of data, analysis and interpretation of data.
Research is focused towards the discovery of the relationships that exist among the phenomena of
the world in which we live.

According to Igwe, Emezie & Uzuegbu (2014) research possess various characteristics which are
outlined as follows:

i. Research begins with a problem in mind;

ii. Research is expected to lead to the development of generalisations, principles and theories
that can be applied to similar situations;
iii. Research is based on personal experience that involves gathering of data;
iv. It is essential to have a research plan;
v. Research requires the researcher(s) to have expertise in the area of research;
vi. Researcher is objective, logical, honest and patient;
vii. Completed research must be accurately reported and disseminated through various
scholarly communication channels; and
viii. Research study is expected to contribute something new to knowledge.
Therefore, research results in finding solutions to the different perceptions and areas of life,
contributing to the growth of knowledge.
There are various processes that are involved in carrying out research. They includes:
identification of the problem and selection of appropriate topic, review of related literature, study
design, data collection and analysis, interpretation of findings, and publication of research report.
However, these processes vary from one researcher to another and from one branch of knowledge
to another.
The diagram below shows an idea of research process from a scholarly point of view:

Research process leads to the production of academic or scientific paper that presents original
research results. These results can be presented in books, journal articles, conference and workshop
academic papers, monographs, theses and dissertations.

An academic paper is sometimes called a scholarly paper because scholarly journals only publish
academic papers. Researchers in science and technology field commonly refer to academic papers
as scientific papers. The process of publishing an academic paper in a scholarly journal requires it
must be peer-reviewed by experts in the relevant field, who will consider it to be a quality paper
before it can be published.

Research work must be well organised by providing an abstract, introduction, literature review,
methodology (materials and methods), results, discussion, conclusion and recommendations, list
of references.
Self-Assessment Activity

What is research? Outline the characteristics that are expected to be found in

all research endeavors.

CHARACTERISTICS OF INFORMATION
The concept of information as used in information Technology is the result of processing data by
computer. This results enables data to have meaning. Therefore, information is data that has
meaning.

CHARACTERISTICS DESCRIPTION EXAMPLES SOURCES

 made up of facts  Today's date
 dictionaries.
 non explanatory  Historical Events
 atlases.
Factual Information  real  Temperature in a place
 handbooks
 something that actually  Distance between
 directories
exists. places
 Reviews
 Lecturer explaining a  Statistical digests
particular paragraph in a  Monetary policy
 Interpretations, textbook. reviews
Analytical
 Analysis  Analyses of trends  Political
Information
 Criticisms  Product market analyses commentaries
 Future growth  Books
projections  Subject
Encyclopedias
 personal view  Individuals,
 Classmate's evaluation
(particular to a given  Newspapers,
Subjective of
individual)  Political party
Information a lecturer.
 prejudiced (emanating manifestoes,
 Editorial in a
from a  Media
 person's emotions and newspaper.
prejudices )  Political manifestoes
 Existing in the
mind
 can be interpreted
differently by other
people; as opposed to
"Objective"
information.
 Non-judgmental
and balanced reporting.
 Without bias
 Not influenced by
personal feelings,
interpretations or
 Chronology of the
prejudices.
Objective feminist movement.  Encyclopaedias
 Presents all sides of a
Information  Balanced political  Subject Dictionaries
topic.
reporting.
 Observable
 As close to the truth as
we can get
 Helpful in decision-
making.
 Based on facts

Self-Assessment Activity

Using relevant examples discuss characteristics of information

SOURCES OF INFORMATION
Source refers to the origin of something while Information Source refers to the origin of
information for somebody or provide knowledge to somebody. Information sources may be
observations, people speeches, documents, pictures, organizations etc. Sources of information vary
between disciplines and subjects, particularly between the humanities and sciences. The unique
characteristics and features of each, you will be able to identify them and maximize their potential
use, and ultimately help you become a more effective researcher and communicate your work to
others. There are two major categories of information sources:

a) Documentary Sources
b) Non-Documentary Sources

DOCUMENTARY SOURCES
The documentary are physical sources of information that are fit for physical handling. According
to Williamette Univeristy Website (2020) documentary sources of information are often
considered primary, secondary, or tertiary depending on their originality and their proximity to
when the information was created. Consider if it is an original work, or whether it evaluates or
comments on the works of others. Consider the proximity, or how close the information is to a
first-hand account or if it is after the fact. It can be difficult to distinguish between the three types
of sources.
 A. Primary Sources

This represents primary sources of information. They contain new knowledge i.e. cutting edge
information and the latest information with first-hand accounts or individual representations and
creative works. They are created by those who have directly witnessed what they are describing
and bring us as close to the original event or thought as possible without being filtered, or
influenced through interpretation. Further, they tend to be original documents that do not usually
describe or analyze work by others. They may as well be published or unpublished works.

Characteristics of Primary Sources

The following are the characteristics of primary sources:

 Primary sources are the original sources of information on which other research is based,
such as surveys, interviews, fieldwork, original articles, etc.
 They present information in its original form, not interpreted or condensed or evaluated by
other writers. Primary sources contain raw, original and unevaluated information.
 They present original report on discoveries or share new information such as a report of
scientific work.
 They come as first-hand information from the source or person.
 They are unfiltered through interpretation or evaluation.
 They are records of a first-hand observation of an event, original work of fiction, art etc.

Importance of Primary Sources

Primary sources of information are very important, especially for the researchers. They keep them
up-to-date and well-informed in their areas of interest and about the current developments that take
place in their fields. The growth or development of a discipline depends upon the amount of
literature produced in the form of primary literature. A subject becomes a discipline in its own
right when independent primary sources begin to be produced in that area. The rate of growth of a
discipline, to a large extent, depends upon the amount of literature being produced in the field.
Primary sources are very useful for the researchers.

Drawbacks of Primary Sources

Some of the drawbacks of primary sources are as follows:

  They are unorganized sources and are difficult to consult. Searching of information is
sometimes difficult.
 Information is scattered and widely dispersed in many sources.
 The information related to narrow field or minute topic is not available in a single primary
source, the user has to search in many primary sources.
 Primary sources do not possess any orderly presentation of information.

Examples:

General Examples: Letters, diaries, speeches, interviews, correspondence, court cases,

newspaper articles about current events.
History: Transcript of speech given by Queen Elizabeth I; newsreel footage of World War II.
Literature: Fiction such as Miguel de Cervantes' novel, Don Quixote; Shirley Jackson's short
story, The Lottery, or poetry by Robert Frost.
Art: Works by artists such as Pablo Picasso's painting, Three Musicians; or Michelangelo's
sculpture.
Social Sciences: Interview transcripts of mentally ill patients; raw, unanalyzed population data;
newspaper articles about events.
Natural Sciences: Analyzed results from biological study; analyzed field data collected by
environmental organisations; original experiments or research.

In a nutshell these are materials that have not been filtered through interpretation or evaluation by
another party. They are thus contemporary (modern) accounts and original documents.

B. Secondary sources

These are retrospective sources based on primary literature (materials distilled from primary
sources). They offer extensive and in-depth analyses of primary sources. They contain repackaged
information from primary sources such as original information is modified to serve a specific
purpose or to facilitate quick access and locate additional information to the desired piece of
information. They analyse, interpret and discuss information about the primary sources.

Features of Secondary Sources

Some of the special features of secondary sources are as follows:

(a) They do scribe, interpret, analyse and evaluate primary sources.

(b) They comment on and discuss the evidence provided by primary sources.

(c) Information in secondary sources is systematically arranged and is easy to consult.

(d) Either compiled from or referred to primary sources.

(e) Information given in primary sources are made available in a more convenient form in
secondary sources.

(f) Generally, secondary sources do not contain original information. They depend upon the
primary sources for reporting and presenting information.

(g) In primary sources information is not arranged systematically whereas in secondary sources,
especially in reference books, information is arranged in a systematic order (e.g., it may be
alphabetical, classified).

(h) Secondary sources, especially reference books, are exclusively designed to answer specific
queries. They are collection of millions of facts.

(i) Reference books are used within the library and meant for consultation only. Users are not
allowed to borrow.

(j) Secondary sources contain a list of documents (bibliographies/ References) at the end of the
text. By furnishing the list, they guide the researchers back to the original sources.

Examples:

General Examples: Textbooks, monographs (scholarly books on a single topic), encyclopedias,

analyses, review articles, dissertations and theses
History: Article analyzing Queen Elizabeth I's speech; book recounting battle history of World
War II; biographies.
Literature: Literary critiques such as an article that examines Cervantes' writing style; paper
discussing motifs in The Lottery.
Art: Criticism or a review of Picasso's painting.
Social Sciences: News commentaries; an article analyzing results of mental illness study; a book
that discusses population trends over time; evaluations of social and government policy, law and
legislation.
Natural Sciences: Review articles that evaluates the theories and works of others; article on the
environmental impact of pollution

C. Tertiary sources

These are retrieval sources in that they are developed to assists retrieval of information from both
primary and secondary sources. They present a summarised factual representation on information.
Tertiary sources are works, which list primary and secondary resources in a specific area. They
also index, organize and compile citations on how to use secondary and primary sources. They
offer a general overview and background information for a research topic.

In addition, tertiary sources are materials in which information from secondary sources have been
digested, reformatted and condensed into a convenient easy to read form.

The main function of tertiary sources of information is to help the researcher in the use of primary
and secondary sources of information. Tertiary sources are keys to primary and secondary sources.
Due to growth of literature in various languages, countries, forms, areas, etc., the identification,
selection and acquisition of primary, secondary and tertiary sources are becoming increasingly
important. The following are some of the reasons of the popularity of tertiary sources:

(a) Due to increase in literature at a very quick pace, identification and location of the required
document is difficult. Tertiary sources are designed as a bibliographic control device to assist in
selecting the primary and secondary sources.

(b) Tertiary sources help promote the use of primary and secondary sources. They describe and
comment upon the various types of publications.

(c) Tertiary sources record the bibliographic information which is important for better utilisation
of primary and secondary sources.

Examples of Tertiary sources are given below:

 i. Directories: Directories are tertiary reference sources which help the researcher in using
primary and secondary sources.
ii. Almanacs: According to ALA Glossary, an almanac is an annual publication containing a
calendar, frequently accompanied by astronomical data and other information or an annual
yearbook of statistics and other information sometimes in a particular field.
iii. Yearbooks: According to ALA Glossary, a yearbook is an annual volume of current
information in descriptive and/or statistical form, sometimes limited to a special field.
iv. Bibliography of bibliographies: The lists of bibliographies direct readers to useful
bibliographies through subject, individual, places, etc. The bibliographies referred to may
be in the form of separately published book or part of the book or part of a periodical article
or some other types of documents.
v. Union catalogues: It is “catalogue listing in one sequence the holdings or part of the holding
of two or more libraries.” Union catalogue is a combined catalogue, describing the
collection (i.e. Books, periodicals) of number of libraries. It consists of holdings of more
than one repository such as archives and libraries. It contains records about materials in
several collections or libraries.

Additional examples includes: Encyclopedias, dictionaries, handbooks, textbooks, guides,

classification systems, chronologies and other fact books.

D. Online information sources

These are sources, which are available through computerized and preferably connected
information environment. Online sources cuts across the aforementioned sources, as they may be
primary, secondary or even tertiary in nature but only available electronically.

They include online databases, internet, websites and related media sources. They are sources that
give most current and updated information.

The advantage with them is that they can they can be accessed anytime, anywhere and by many
users concurrently. However, sometimes they lack authoritativeness and access may be hindered
by several bottlenecks (restrictions) like power fluctuations, scarcity of funds, inadequate use
skills, information explosion and technological obsolescence among others.
NON-DOCUMENTARY SOURCES

Varshney (2011) notes that non-documentary sources of information form a substantial part of
communication especially in science and technology. Non-documentary sources of information
are live sources that provide information instantly. They provide information which other sources
do not. There are two types of non-documentary sources:

Formal Sources:

(i) Research Association: Research association may establish cooperative information centers. In
such cases there is a possibility of firm to form discussion and exchange of information between
the members of an association.

(ii) Learned Societies and Professional Institutions: A member of these bodies forms the core of a
discipline or profession. The headquarters’ staff helps the members personally on professional
matter and sometimes they may direct the queries to the expert member of the body.

(iii) Industrial Liaison Officer: These officers provide particularly the preliminary information
needed to put a firm on the right track and for information which needs to be given personally and
supported by practical advice in order to be fully effective. They visit firms, explore their needs
and problems and help them to find solutions, sometimes directly on the spot, more often by putting
them in touch with specialized sources of information and assistance or refer to some other
specialists.

(iv) Mass Media: Mass media is a means of communication of information through broadcasting
and telecasting or a combination of these two for the masses, which is more effective than any
documentary sources.

Other examples includes: Industries, Government departments, Universities and Consultants

(2) Informal Sources: - Conversation with colleagues, visitors, attendance at professional

meetings among others.
Conclusion
The above categorization is based on the characteristics of the documents. Primary sources are
more current and accurate than secondary and tertiary. In searching for Information, a researcher
usually starts with secondary and tertiary sources and ends the search with primary sources.
Secondary and tertiary sources contain information in organized form and serve as guides or
indicators to detailed contents of primary literature. With increasing amount of literature being
produced, it is becoming almost impossible to use primary sources directly for searching of
information. A scholar would also not be able to keep himself up to date and well informed in his
field of specialization without the aid of secondary and tertiary sources.
Self-Assessment Activity

References

Igwe, K.N., Emezie, N.A., & Uzuegbu, C.P. (2014). Information literacy and the research process.
In U. Arua, C.P. Uzuegbu & A.D. Ugah, Information literacy education for tertiary
institutions, (pp. 181-200). Umuahia, Nigeria: Zeh Communications
Osuala, E.C. (2005). Introduction to research methodology (3rded.). Onitsha, Nigeria:
Africana First Publishers

Varshney, A. (2011). Overlapping in secondary sources of Information in Social Science 1995

2000: An Evaluative study. Retrieved from: http://hdl.handle.net/10603/40587
Williamette Univeristy Website (2020). Retrieved 7th August, 2020. From
https://libguides.willamette.edu/information-literacy