Research -A systematic process of collecting and logically analyzing information (data)

Research Methodology- The way one collects and analyzes data

Methods developed for acquiring trustworthy knowledge

(via reliable and valid procedures)
Research Methodology- Pursuit of data with help of study, observations, comparison &
experiment
It consists of enunciating the problem, formulating a hypothesis, collecting (organizing &
evaluating) the facts or data, analysing the facts (making deductions) and reaching certain
conclusions either in the form of solutions(s) towards the concerned problem or in certain
generalisations for some theoretical formulation.

Objectives of Research Methodology

1. To gain familiarity with a phenomenon or to achieve new insights into it (exploratory or
formulative research studies);
2. To portray accurately the characteristics of a particular individual, situation or a group
(descriptive research studies);
3. To determine the frequency with which something occurs or with which it is associated
with something else (diagnostic research studies);
4. To test a hypothesis of a causal relationship between variables (hypothesis-testing
research studies).
 MOTIVATION IN RESEARCH
1. Desire to get a research degree along with its consequential benefits;
2. Desire to face the challenge in solving the unsolved problems,
3. Desire to get intellectual joy of doing some creative work;
4. Desire to be of service to society
5. Desire to get respectability.

Types of Research
1. Descriptive vs. Analytical: DR includes surveys and fact-finding enquiries (description of state of
affairs as it exists at present, for example, frequency of shopping, preferences of people, or
similar data). In AR, researchers use facts or information already available, and analyze these to
make a critical evaluation
2. Applied vs. Fundamental: Applied research aims at finding a solution for an immediate problem
facing a society or an industrial/business organisation, whereas fundamental research is mainly
concerned with generalisations and with the formulation of a theory.
3. Quantitative vs. Qualitative:
4. Conceptual vs. Empirical: CR is related to abstract idea(s) or theory. It is generally used by
philosophers and thinkers to develop new concepts or to reinterpret existing ones. On the other
hand, ER relies on experience or observation alone, often without due regard for system and
theory. It is data-based research or experimental research.
5. Some Other Types of Research: one-time research or longitudinal research; field-setting
research or laboratory research or simulation research; clinical or diagnostic research;

Significance of Research
● Research inculcates scientific and inductive thinking and it promotes the development of
logical habits of thinking and organization.
● Research provides the basis for nearly all government policies in our economic system.
● Research has its special significance in solving various operational and planning
problems of business and industry.
● Research is equally important for social scientists in studying social relationships and in
seeking answers to various social problems.
●
Research Methods versus Methodology
Research methods or techniques refer to the methods the researchers use in performing
research operations.
Research methods can be put into the following three groups:
1. Methods which are concerned with the collection of data.
2. Statistical techniques which are used for establishing relationships between the data and the
unknowns;
3. Methods which are used to evaluate the accuracy of the results obtained.
Research methodology is a way to systematically solve the research problem. It may be
understood as a science of studying how research is done.
Research methodology considers the logic behind the methods we use in the context of our
research study and explain why we are using a particular method or technique and why we are
not using others so that research results are capable of being evaluated either by the researcher
himself or by others.

Research and Scientific Method

Scientific method is the pursuit of truth as determined by logical considerations.
The ideal of science is to achieve a systematic interrelation of facts. Scientific method attempts
to achieve this ideal by experimentation, observation, logical arguments from accepted
postulates and a combination of these three in varying proportions.
The scientific method implies an objective, logical and systematic method, i.e., a method free
from personal bias or prejudice, a method to ascertain demonstrable qualities of a
phenomenon capable of being verified, a method wherein the researcher is guided by the rules
of logical reasoning, a method wherein the investigation proceeds in an orderly manner and a
method that implies internal consistency.

Importance of Knowing How Research is Done

● The knowledge of methodology provides good training specially to the new research
worker and enables him to do better research.
● The knowledge of research methodology provides tools to took at things in life
objectively.
● It enables users to make intelligent decisions concerning problems in practical life at
different points of time.
● Knowledge of how to do research will inculcate the ability to evaluate and use research
results with reasonable confidence.
RESEARCH PROCESS

Defining the Research Problem

Components of a research problem:
(i) There must be an individual or a group which has some difficulty or the problem.
(ii) There must be some objective(s) to be attained at.
(iii) There must be alternative means (or the courses of action) for obtaining the objective(s)
one wishes to attain.
(iv) There must remain some doubt in the mind of a researcher with regard to the selection
of alternatives. This means that research must answer the question concerning the relative
efficiency of the possible alternatives.
(v) There must be some environment(s) to which the difficulty pertains.

SELECTING THE PROBLEM

Components of a research problem:
(i) Avoid subject which is overdone
(ii) Keep away from controversial subject
(iii) Too narrow or too vague problems should be avoided.
(iv) The subject selected for research should be familiar and feasible so that the related
research material or sources of research are within one’s reach.
 (v) Important criteria to be considered are, the importance of the subject, the qualifications
and the training of a researcher, the costs involved and the time factor
(vi) The selection of a problem must be preceded by a preliminary study.

NECESSITY OF DEFINING THE PROBLEM

“A problem clearly stated is a problem half solved”
● What data are to be collected?
● What characteristics of data are relevant and need to be studied?
● What techniques are to be used for the purpose?

Literature Review
An Annotated Bibliography: “brief explanations or notes for each reference“
A Review Article: considers the state and progress of current literature on a given topic or
problem by organizing, integrating, and evaluating previously published books and articles.
“A review article is a critical evaluation of material that has already been published with the
purpose to offer an overview of significant literature published on a topic.“
It is a vital part of research papers including theses and dissertations
‘The idea of examining the scholarly literature on a topic’

Literature review in research - Significance

● It can bring clarity and focus to the research problem (learn what aspects of the subject
area have been examined by others, what’s been found out, what gaps have been
identified and what suggestions have been made for further research);
● Improve your research methodology (aware of any problems and pitfalls with the
methodologies used by others to find answers to research questions);
● Broaden your knowledge base in your research area (to ensure you read widely around
the subject area of research to the extent of an expert);
● Contextualize your findings (enable you to compare your findings with those of others
and contribute how your findings fit into the existing body of knowledge).
Purpose: guide focus, depth and design(Motivation)
● convince the reader that the research area is significant / important / interesting
● convince the reader that we shouldn’t be (completely) satisfied with the existing
literature on the topic and that your research will fill some important or interesting gap
or address some important limitation or deficiency

Finding the literature (types of information Sources)

● Encyclopedias & Dictionaries - to get an overview and definitions for a topic,
● Books & E-Books - Library, Bibliographies
● Articles from journals - covers the scholarly interpretation, most up-to-date information,
● Electronic Databases – SciFinder, Reaxys, Web of Science, Medline/Pubmed,
scienceDirect, etc
● Theses & Dissertations
● Websites (Internet!) - require careful evaluation of their quality.
● Google Scholar

Best resources for finding research articles

● Web of Science: This collection contains over 18,000+ journals and includes: Science
Citation Index, from 1965; Social Sciences Citation Index, from 1965; and Arts and
Humanities Citation Index, from 1991. Search by subject, author, or cited reference. An
excellent current awareness and bibliography-building tool.
● SciFinder: A research and substance discovery tool of the Chemical Abstracts databases
containing literature from many scientific disciplines and the CAS registry database.
● Royal Society of Chemistry: Current and archival content from RSC journals, covering the
fields of biology, biophysics, chemical science, materials, medicinal drug discovery and
physics. The Journals Archives includes all 238,000 articles published by the RSC and its
forerunner societies, from 1841 to 2004.
● https://www.elsevier.com/solutions/scopus
● http://www.cas.org/training/scifinder
● http://www.organic-chemistry.org/
● https://doaj.org/
● http://abc-chemistry.org/index.html
● http://researchguides.case.edu/az.php?a=all
Reviewing the Literature
● Choose a topic. Define your research question.
● Decide on the scope of your review (How many studies do you need to look at? How
comprehensive should it be? How many years should it cover? How many sources does
the assignment require?)
● Select the databases you will use to conduct your searches.
● Conduct your searches and find the literature. Keep track of your searches!
● Review the literature.

Starting to think about your own literature review

● Who are the key players in my field? This could be anything from academics, medics,
governing bodies, schools of thought etc. (Sources!)
● What are the main ideas/debates in my field?
● How have these ideas changed over time?
● What are some of the problems with these ideas/debates?
● Is there a problem with the methodology?
● What are you going to do differently?

Key players and sources

First stage of the literature review is to identify the key people in your field and collate all
relevant sources about your topic.
Ask yourself:
● What research and theory is there on my topic?
● What are the key sources (books, articles) on my topic?
● Who are the main theorists and researchers in this area?
● How has the topic/problem been investigated over time?
TYPES OF ARTICLES

Impact Factor/Journal Citation Reports (JCR).

● The impact factor of an academic journal is a measure reflecting the average number of citations
to recent articles published in that specific journal.
● Journal Impact Factors are released annually by Thomson Reuters' Journal Citation Reports.
h- Index of authors
Publication process summary

Important Guidelines from Whitesides Paper

● Start preparing an outline in the early stage of the work. Don’t wait until the end. The end may
never come
● Organize the outline and easily assimilated data like figures, tables etc. Don’t organize it around
the text
● Organize the content in order of importance, not in chronological order or the effort taken
● Select target journals as early as possible

Important Guidelines from Whitesides’ Paper

Suggestions about introduction
Suggestions about Results and Discussion
● Results and discussion comes together
● Give the results based on the figures and discuss it based on literature and your inferences

Suggestions about Conclusion

Suggestions about Experimental Session

Guidelines about style

How to Make Your Next Paper Scientifically Effective
How to Make Your Next Paper Scientifically Effective
Basic Elements of Academic Writing
● Introduction: Gives a quick idea of the topic of the literature review
● Body: Contains your discussion of sources and is organized either chronologically, thematically,
or Methodologically
● Conclusions/Recommendations: Discuss what you have drawn from reviewing literature so far.
Where might the discussion proceed?

Writing a review
● Start with an overview
● Decide on organizing principles (themes, trends, methodology, chronology, controversies –
usually a combination of some of these)
● Use headings for the different sections of the review
● Provide summative signposts of where your argument is leading
● Summarise your review/highlight ‘gap’ in research

Clarity
Tips for clear writing:

● Clear introduction: overview of topic, aim of review and structure

● Clear paragraph structure
● Make sure the subject of your sentence is clear
● Don’t assume knowledge
● Make sure key terminology and difficult ideas are always explained thoroughly (ask your
yourself: does it make sense?)
● Be objective and balanced
● Use signposts to orientate the reader

Paragraphs and flow

Paragraph:

● Topic sentence
● Discussion of topic
● Closing sentence

Thematic and grammatical links

● Logical progression from one paragraph to the next

● Demonstrate links in your language
Citation and writer’s voice
Whose voice is dominant - the writer’s or the original author’s?

● The moon is made of cheese (Brie 1999).

● Brie (1999) argues that the moon is made of cheese.
● As Brie (1999) points out, the moon is made of cheese.
● According to Brie (1999), the moon is made of cheese. However, ….
● Brie (1999) argues out that the moon is made of cheese. However, ….

Editing and Proofreading

● Editing and proofreading are fundamental aspects of good academic practice.
● Editing is the process of continually revising and improving your written work. It is often an
activity that forms a major part of the writing process.
● Proofreading is the final check before printing and submission. It is a process that helps remove
errors and improve presentation.

Technical hints
● If you decide to use explanatory diagrams to emphasize sections of text, make sure you use high
resolution.
● Latin text is italicized such as in-vivo, e.g., i.e., etc. Cis-, trans-, R and S are derived from Latin and
also italicized.
● For chemical structures, use the ACS 1996 setting in ChemDraw. When you open the program,
click ‘Apply Document Settings From’ in the File menu. By selecting ACS 1996, your structures
will automatically be the correct arrangement and size to be seen on an A4 page.
Oral presentation
● Customize your talk
● Know your audience, occasion and available time
● Complement visual and audio content
● Don’t use lengthy sentences in the ppt
● Tell a story
● Don’t fall in pits like “sales pitch, ramble, org bore, inspirator show”

Ethical Practices in research

Intellectual honesty