Chapter 2

8/13/2022
Chapter Two
Developing Research Skills
For use with Business Research Methods

by Quinlan, Babin, Carr, Griffin & Zikmund
9781473760356 © 2019 Cengage Learning
Learning Objectives
At the end of this chapter the student should be able to:
• Recognise their existing level of research skills and identify areas for
improvement;
• Create a conceptual framework, the first of the four frameworks;
• Develop a research statement or question for a research project,

and outline appropriate aims and
objectives for the project;
• Identify and source appropriate literature;
• Compile a bibliography and properly use

appendices.
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Research Skills
At the end of this chapter the student
should, using the exercises on the
accompanying online platform, be able to:
• generate ideas for research projects
• identify, source and use

appropriate literature.
The five basic skills required of

every researcher
1. The ability to generate ideas for research projects.
2. The ability to identify, source and use appropriate

literature.
3. The ability to develop research projects that are congruent,

research projects with a good fit, an appropriate fit.
4. The ability to develop good and useful, properly compiled

bibliographies
5. The ability to write well, to be able to

communicate clearly, thoroughly and
simply through writing

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Research Ideas
• The key to developing an idea for a research project is to focus on
an area of interest to you;
• Once you have decided on the area, you begin to develop your
idea(s) for your research project within that area;
• It is important to remember that your research project must be

situated within your discipline. If, for example, you are taking a
degree in Human Resources Management (HRM), then your
research project must be undertaken on some aspect of HRM.

Turning Research Ideas into

Research Projects
• The key to this process is focus – what precisely are you
interested in researching?
• What exactly do you wish to focus on in your research

project?
• Remember the test of researchability, from Chapter One.

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The first step: developing a

research statement
• When you have decided on the broad area within which
you want to situate your research,
• when you have decided on the precise focus of your

research,
• Then you outline a simple research

statement, or research question, which clearly
expresses your idea for your research
project.

The Conceptual Framework
• This statement or question becomes the conceptual

framework for the research project.
• The conceptual framework is the first framework in the

four frameworks approach to the research project.
• The conceptual framework contains

all of the key concepts in the research
project.

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Aims and Objectives

• The aim of the research is simply the research statement
or question re-stated as an aim.
• The objectives of the research emerge from the aim of

the research.
• The objectives of the research

are the steps, or the actions, the
researcher takes in order to accomplish
the aim of the research.

Source Appropriate Literature

• Begin reading for your research project as soon as
possible.
• Use the key concepts in the conceptual framework to

guide your search for appropriate literature.
• Literature, in the context of the

research project, is research that
has already been carried out and
published.

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Identifying Appropriate Literature
• Be discerning
• Check the date of publication
• Try to be as up-to-date as possible
• Be sure, also, to include seminal works
• Check the credentials of the authors
• Read the written account of the
research
• Be critical
• Trace the steps of the research process
through your reading of the research

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The Different Approaches to Research
• You will note from your reading of the literature that there
are different approaches to research.
• These different approaches reflect te different
philosophical underpinnings of research projects.
• The methodological pyramid
details these different approaches.

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The Methodological Pyramid

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Data: What Constitutes Evidence?
• Data, in the context of a research project,

constitutes evidence
• Every researcher in undertaking a research
project is exploring a phenomenon and/or
attempting to establish a case.
• In order to do this, the researcher
gathers data (evidence).

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Plagiarism
• Plagiarism is the use and/or presentation of somebody
else’s work or ideas as your own.
• It is a most serious offence.
• You can avoid plagiarism and/or accusations of

plagiarism by properly referencing everything you take
from any and every source.
• It is vitally important that you learn to reference

properly.

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Compiling a Bibliography
• The bibliography is one of the most critical
elements of the research project.
• The bibliography is a list, in alphabetical order,

of all of the published work used and cited in the
research project.
• The reading you have undertaken

for the research project is evident
in the bibliography compiled and
presented.
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In compiling the bibliography:

• Ensure that you use the style required by your institution;
• Ensure that you have copied the details of the reference properly;
• Be scrupulous about punctuation;
• Ensure that there are no spelling errors;
• Place the information for each reference in the bibliography in the

correct order, according to
the convention you are using;
• Do not use bullet points or any other styling or

formatting in the bibliography.

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The Uses of Appendices

• Appendices are used to detail any document or artefact relevant to
the research but not detailed in the body of the work.
• Copies of letters written for the research project are placed in

appendices.
• Copies of data gathering methods used, for example questionnaires

and interview or focus group schedules are placed in appendices.
• Appendices appear after the bibliography in the thesis or the report

of the research.
• It is important not to pad appendices. Do not include

unnecessary material in the appendices of the
research project.

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Keeping the Research Diary

• The research diary is a valuable tool for any researcher.
• It is a simple notebook within which the researcher

records all of their thoughts and reflections on the
research project, and all of the decisions made
throughout the duration of the research project.
• The research diary is for your eyes only. It is your record

of your experience with the research project.
• The research diary is particularly useful as an aid in the

process of writing up the research.

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Scribbles and Notes in the Research

Diary
• Use the research diary to record your thoughts,
insights, ideas, reflections.
• Use the research diary to sketch spidergrams to help

you develop your thinking and your ideas.
• Then, when you are writing up your research,

use the notes and scribbles in the research
diary to help you with the task of writing up the
research and, if you suffer a writing block, to
help you re-start the process of writing up the
research.
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8/13/2022

Developing Research Skills

For use with Business Research Methods

• Create a conceptual framework, the first of the four frameworks;

• Develop a research statement or question for a research project,

• Identify and source appropriate literature;

• Compile a bibliography and properly use

• generate ideas for research projects

• identify, source and use

The five basic skills required of

2. The ability to identify, source and use appropriate

3. The ability to develop research projects that are congruent,

4. The ability to develop good and useful, properly compiled

5. The ability to write well, to be able to

For use with Business Research Methods

• It is important to remember that your research project must be

For use with Business Research Methods

Turning Research Ideas into

• What exactly do you wish to focus on in your research

• Remember the test of researchability, from Chapter One.

For use with Business Research Methods

The first step: developing a

• when you have decided on the precise focus of your

• Then you outline a simple research

For use with Business Research Methods

The Conceptual Framework

• This statement or question becomes the conceptual

• The conceptual framework is the first framework in the

• The conceptual framework contains

For use with Business Research Methods

Aims and Objectives

• The objectives of the research emerge from the aim of

• The objectives of the research

For use with Business Research Methods

Source Appropriate Literature

• Use the key concepts in the conceptual framework to

• Literature, in the context of the

For use with Business Research Methods

Identifying Appropriate Literature

For use with Business Research Methods

The Different Approaches to Research

For use with Business Research Methods

The Methodological Pyramid

For use with Business Research Methods

Data: What Constitutes Evidence?

• Data, in the context of a research project,

For use with Business Research Methods

• It is a most serious offence.

• You can avoid plagiarism and/or accusations of

• It is vitally important that you learn to reference

For use with Business Research Methods

• The bibliography is a list, in alphabetical order,

• The reading you have undertaken

In compiling the bibliography:

• Be scrupulous about punctuation;

• Ensure that there are no spelling errors;

• Place the information for each reference in the bibliography in the

• Do not use bullet points or any other styling or

For use with Business Research Methods

The Uses of Appendices

• Copies of letters written for the research project are placed in

• Copies of data gathering methods used, for example questionnaires

• Appendices appear after the bibliography in the thesis or the report

• It is important not to pad appendices. Do not include