INTRODUCTION TO RESEARCH

CHARACTERISTICS OF GOOD RESEARCH

1. Research gathers new knowledge or data from

primary or first-hand sources.

• It is not research when one merely reorganizes what is

already known or written
CHARACTERISTICS OF GOOD RESEARCH
2. Research is an expert, accurate, and systematic investigation

• The researcher knows the problem; he/she carefully plans his

procedures. Instruments are valid, while data are gathered,
recorded, and analyzed with accuracy.
• Through careful sampling techniques, a researcher infers
qualities of the general population based on the sample
population.
CHARACTERISTICS OF GOOD RESEARCH

3. Research is logical and objective

• The researcher constantly strives to remove any
personal bias and preference
• There is no attempt to persuade or prove; the
emphasis is on testing rather than proving the
hypothesis.
CHARACTERISTICS OF GOOD RESEARCH

4. Research endeavors to organize data into

quantitative terms, and express them as numerical
measures.

•Research is done in painstaking effort, permitting logic

to lead to a sound conclusion
CHARACTERISTICS OF GOOD RESEARCH

5. Research is carefully done

• Every term is well-defined, all procedures described in
detail, all limiting factors recognized, all references
carefully cited, and results objectively recorded.
• All conclusions are cautiously arrived at, with
consideration to methodology, limitations, and errors
of human interpretation
CHARACTERISTICS OF GOOD RESEARCH

6. Research requires courage

• The researcher is willing to
follow his procedures to
conclusions that may be
unpopular and bring social
disapproval
PURPOSE OF NUTRITION RESEARCH
General Purpose:
Answer questions and solve nutrition-related problems.

Nutrition Purpose may be to:

a. Explore
b. Describe
c. Analyze
d. Predict
PURPOSE OF NUTRITION RESEARCH
a. Explore
A researcher wants to understand more about a problem that is
not very well understood or for which there is little existing
research.

Exploratory studies are often based on qualitative research, and

most exploratory studies are also descriptive studies

Example: Explore the barriers to eating healthy foods for Filipino

adolescents in the City of Manila
PURPOSE OF NUTRITION RESEARCH
b. Describe
Attempts to describe a wide variety of phenomena often
at a specific point in time—such as the nutrition
knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors.

Descriptive studies often aim to provide information

about relevant variables, but they do not test
hypotheses or examine possible cause and effect.
PURPOSE OF NUTRITION RESEARCH
Descriptive studies

Example:
8th National Nutrition Survey
Expanded National Nutrition Survey 2018-2019
-Prevalence of underweight under-five years old
children in the province of Bulacan
PURPOSE OF NUTRITION RESEARCH
c. Analyze
Analytic research goes beyond describing and looks at
cause and effect.
-It tries to quantify the relationship between either an
intervention on an outcome or an exposure on an
outcome.

Experimental Design, Prospective cohort studies

PURPOSE OF NUTRITION RESEARCH
1. Experimental Design
-It includes a controlled manipulation of the
independent variable, administration of the treatment
to the experimental group, and random assignment of
participants to the experimental or control groups
PURPOSE OF NUTRITION RESEARCH
2. Prospective Cohort Studies
Researchers form a hypothesis about the potential
causes of a disease and then they observe a group of no
diseased people (the cohort) over a (usually) long period
of time to detect any changes in health (outcomes such
as the presence of coronary artery disease) in relation to
exposure to certain risk factors (such as obesity).
PURPOSE OF NUTRITION RESEARCH
d. Predict
Good at isolating an independent variable that may
enhance successful outcomes:

Example:
Examined factors such as initial body weight and
frequency of diet counseling to help predict the rate of
weight loss
RESEARCH PURPOSES AND EXAMPLES
IMPORTANCE OF RESEARCH

• Research improves quality of life - research has led

man to search for ways to improve his life.

• Research reduces burden of work - products of

research has improved man's life, from conventional to
modern
IMPORTANCE OF RESEARCH

• Research improves instruction - teaching science

must be based on the latest available evidence.

• Research improves student’s achievement - he/she

becomes updated on issues and trends in his chosen
field
IMPORTANCE OF RESEARCH

• Research has deep seated psychological

aspects - it stimulates and ennobles the human
spirit. It challenges man to get rid of the danger
of stagnation
SKILLS AND ATTITUDES NECESSARY IN RESEARCH

A. Knowledge and intellectual abilities

• Knowledge base - subject matter, research methods,
information seeking skills, academic and numeric
literacy

• Cognitive - commitment to research, responsiveness

to change, lack of bias
SKILLS AND ATTITUDES NECESSARY IN RESEARCH

B. Personal effectiveness
• Personal qualities - enthusiasm, perseverance,
integrity, self-confidence
• Self-management - preparation and prioritization,
time management, work-life balance
• Professional development - continuing professional
development, networking, reputation and esteem
SKILLS AND ATTITUDES NECESSARY IN RESEARCH

C. Research governance
• Professional conduct - ethics, legal requirements,
attribution and co-ownership, respect and
confidentiality
• Research management - project planning and delivery
• Finance and funding - financial management
SKILLS AND ATTITUDES NECESSARY IN RESEARCH

D. Engagement, influence, and impact

• Working with others - teamwork, people management
skills, collaboration, mentoring
• Communication and dissemination - oral and written
presentation skills, publication
• Engagement and impact - social and economic
implications of research
THANK YOU!