Section –A (10 Marks)

1. Differentiate between Null hypothesis and Alternative hypothesis.

Answer: A hypothesis test uses sample data to determine whether to reject the null hypothesis.
The null hypothesis states that a population parameter (such as the mean, the standard deviation,
and so on) is equal to a hypothesized value. The alternative hypothesis is what you might
believe to be true or hope to prove true.

2. Discuss the qualities of research design.

Answer: Discuss the Qualities of Research Design.
 List of Main Qualities of Research Design:
 Objectivity. It refers to the findings related to the method of data collection and scoring
of the responses. ...
 Reliability. Reliability refers to consistency throughout a series of measurements. ...
 Validity. ...
 Generalizability.

3. What do you mean by measurement? Explain.

Answer: Measurement, the process of associating numbers with physical quantities and
phenomena. Measurement begins with a definition of the quantity that is to be measured, and it
always involves a comparison with some known quantity of the same kind

4. Define Validity and Reliability.

Answer: Reliability and validity are concepts used to evaluate the quality of research. They
indicate how well a method, technique or test measures something. Reliability is about the
consistency of a measure, and validity is about the accuracy of a measure.

5. Discuss the Characteristics of a good sample.

Answer: The following are the characteristic features of a good sample design:
1. The sample design should yield a truly representative sample;
2. The sample design should be such that it results in small sampling error;
3. The sample design should be viable in the context of budgetary constraints of the research
study;
4. The sample design should be such that the systematic bias can be controlled; and  
5. The sample must be such that the results of the sample study would be applicable, in general,
to the universe at a reasonable level of confidence

6. Define Simple Random Sample.

Answer: A simple random sample is a subset of a statistical population in which each member
of the subset has an equal probability of being chosen. ... An example of a simple random sample
would be the names of 25 employees being chosen out of a hat from a company of 250
employees.

7. Discuss the data can be collected through Schedules.

Answer: Schedule is the tool or instrument used to collect data from the respondents while
interview is conducted. Schedule contains questions, statements (on which opinions are
elicited) and blank spaces/tables for filling up the respondents.

8. Differentiate between Primary vs. Secondary Data.

Answer: Primary data are those that are collected for the first time. Secondary data refer to
those data that have already been collected by some other person. These are original because
these are collected by the investigator for the first time.

9. Explain, what is Statistics in Research?

Answer: Statistics is a branch of science that deals with the collection, organisation, analysis of
data and drawing of inferences from the samples to the whole population.[1] This requires a
proper design of the study, an appropriate selection of the study sample and choice of a suitable
statistical test.

10.Discuss precautions should be taken while interpreting the data.

Answer: PRECAUTIONS in Interpretation Researcher must pay attention to the following

points for correct interpretation: (a ) The data are appropriate, trustworthy and adequate for
drawing inferences. (b) The data reflect good homogeneity and that (c) Proper analysis has been
done through statistical methods.

Section –B (20 Marks)

1. How Ethical issues related to publishing plays role in Project work?

Answer
We are going through a time of profound change in our understanding of the ethics of applied
social research. From the time immediately after World War II until the early 1990s, there was a
gradually developing consensus about the key ethical principles that should underlie the research
endeavor. Two marker events stand out (among many others) as symbolic of this consensus. The
Nuremberg War Crimes Trial following World War II brought to public view the ways German
scientists had used captive human subjects as subjects in oftentimes gruesome experiments. In
the 1950s and 1960s, the Tuskegee Syphilis Study involved the withholding of known effective
treatment for syphilis from African- American participants who were infected. Events like these
forced the reexamination of ethical standards and the gradual development of a consensus that
potential human subjects needed to be protected from being used as ‘guinea pigs’ in scientific
research.
By the 1990s, the dynamics of the situation changed. Cancer patients and persons with AIDS
fought publicly with the medical research establishment about the long time needed to get
approval for and complete research into potential cures for fatal diseases. In many cases, it is the
ethical assumptions of the previous thirty years that drive this ‘go-slow’ mentality. After all, we
would rather risk denying treatment for a while until we achieve enough confidence in a
treatment, rather than run the risk of harming innocent people (as in the Nuremberg and
Tuskegee events). But now, those who were threatened with fatal illness were saying to the
research establishment that they wanted to be test subjects, even under experimental conditions
of considerable risk. You had several very vocal and articulate patient groups who wanted to be
experimented on coming up against an ethical review system that was designed to protect them
from being experimented on.
Although the last few years in the ethics of research have been tumultuous ones, it is beginning
to appear that a new consensus is evolving that involves the stakeholder groups most affected by
a problem participating more actively in the formulation of guidelines for research. While it’s not
entirely clear, at present, what the new consensus will be, it is almost certain that it will not fall
at either extreme: protecting against human experimentation at all costs vs. allowing anyone who
is willing to be experimented on
Ethical Issues
There are a number of key phrases that describe the system of ethical protections that the
contemporary social and medical research establishment have created to try to protect better the
rights of their research participants. The principle of voluntary participation requires that people
not be coerced into participating in research. This is especially relevant where researchers had
previously relied on ‘captive audiences’ for their subjects – prisons, universities, and places like
that. Closely related to the notion of voluntary participation is the requirement of informed
consent. Essentially, this means that prospective research participants must be fully informed
about the procedures and risks involved in research and must give their consent to participate.
Ethical standards also require that researchers not put participants in a situation where they might
be at risk of harm as a result of their participation. Harm can be defined as both physical and
psychological.
There are two standards that are applied in order to help protect the privacy of research
participants. Almost all research guarantees the participants confidentiality – they are assured
that identifying information will not be made available to anyone who is not directly involved in
the study. The stricter standard is the principle of anonymity which essentially means that the
participant will remain anonymous throughout the study – even to the researchers themselves.
Clearly, the anonymity standard is a stronger guarantee of privacy, but it is sometimes difficult to
accomplish, especially in situations where participants have to be measured at multiple time
points
Even when clear ethical standards and principles exist, there will be times when the need to do
accurate research runs up against the rights of potential participants. No set of standards can
possibly anticipate every ethical circumstance. Furthermore, there needs to be a procedure that
assures that researchers will consider all relevant ethical issues in formulating research plans. To
address such needs most institutions and organizations have formulated an Institutional Review
Board (IRB), a panel of persons who reviews grant proposals with respect to ethical implications
and decides whether additional actions need to be taken to assure the safety and rights of
participants. By reviewing proposals for research, IRBs also help to protect both the organization
and the researcher against potential legal implications of neglecting to address important ethical
issues of participants.

2. Discuss various factors effecting the reliability of a research.

Answer
Reliability is important because it enables researchers to have some confidence that the measure
they taken are close to the true measure. Validity is important because it tell researchers that the
measure they taken is actually measures what they hope it does. So, if researchers want to know
how good the measurement is, they should depend on the reliability and validity of a
measurement.
FACTORS AFFECTING THE RELIABILITY OF A RESEARCH
It is quite impossible to have a research tool which is 100% accurate. Not only the instrument
cannot be so but also because to control the factors effecting the reliability. Some of these factors
are – Wording of Questions – a slight ambiguity in the wording of questions or statements can
affect the reliability of a research instrument as respondents may interpret the questions
differently at different times, resulting in different responses. Physical Setting - in the case of an
instrument being used in an interview, any change in the physical setting at the time of the
repeat interview may affect the responses given by a respondent, which may affect reliability.
Respondent’s Mood - a change in a respondent’s mood when respondent to questions or
writing answers in a questionnaire can change and may affect the reliability of that instrument.
Nature of Interaction - in an interview, the interaction between the interviewer and the
interviewee can affect responses significantly. During the repeat interview the responses given
may be different due to a change in interaction, which could affect reliability. Regression Effect
of An Instrument – when a research instrument is used to measure attitudes towards an issue,
some respondents, after having expressed their opinion, may feel that they have been either too
negative or too positive towards the issue. The second time they may express their opinion
differently, thereby affecting reliability
Validity refers to whether the measure actually measures what it is supposed to measure. If a
measure is unreliable, it is also invalid. That is, if you do not know what it is measuring, it
certainly cannot be said to be measuring what it is supposed to be measuring. On the other hand,
you can have a consistently unreliable measure.
There are two main types of validity, internal and external. Internal validity refers to the validity
of the measurement and test itself, whereas external validity refers to the ability to generalize the
findings to the target population. Both are very important in analyzing the appropriateness,
meaningfulness and usefulness of a research study. Some factors which affect internal validity
are - Subject variability; Size of subject population; Time given for the data collection or
experimental treatment; History; Attrition; Maturation; Instrument/task sensitivity etc. The
important factors affect external validity are - Population characteristics (subjects); Interaction of
subject selection and research; Descriptive explicitness of the independent variable; The effect of
the research environment; Researcher or experimenter effects; Data collection methodology; The
effect of time etc. Validity refers to an accuracy of a measure. A measurement is valid when it
measures what the researchers supposed to measure (Gregory, 2007). For example, IQ tests are
supposed to measure intelligence and depression tests are supposed to measure depression level
or symptoms of respondents. Normally, the inferences drawn from a valid test are appropriate,
meaningful, and useful.
There are three types of validity which are Content Validity, Criterion Validity, and Construct
Validity. For the Criterion Validity, it includes Predictive Validity and Concurrent Validity. For
the Construct Validity, it includes Convergent and Discriminate Validity.
Content validity determined by the degree to which the questions, tasks, or items on a test are
representative of the universe of behavior the test was designed to sample (Gregory, 2007). The
appropriateness of content of a measurement is determined by experts. Researchers make a
judgment on whether the items in a measurement have covered all domains that they want to
measure.
For the Criterion validity, both Predictive and Concurrent validity will made by comparing them
with others criterion. Concurrent validity correlates test scores with criterion scores and these
two types of scores are obtained in the same time.
For the Predictive validity, it correlates test scores with criterion scores which obtained in the
future. It means that the scores or data are obtained in different time. For example, Employment
Test used to measure the performances of employee in a company or organization.
For Construct validity, construct is a theoretical, intangible quality or trait in which individuals
differ. It is abstract and hard to be measured. Thus, it needs some indicators or signs to represent
it. A construct is a collection of related behaviors that can represent the things that researcher
want to measure. Construct validity is evidence that an idea or concept is being measured by a
test (Neukrug & Fawcett, 2006).
Convergent validity defined as a test highly correlates with other variables which have same or
overlap constructs. For example, researchers would like to take the Beck Depression Inventory-II
(BDI-II) to compare with others tests which have same variables as well.

3. Explain the various methods of research design.

Answer
METHODS OF RESEARCH DESIGN

Which one is the best for your study, depends on the purpose and scope of your study. While
taking decisions on the research design, a number of factors have to be taken into consideration.
These include: Nature of investigation, Data collection methods, Number of contacts made with
the subjects, and the Period of reference of your study. Nature of Investigation: Exploratory;
Descriptive; Experimental; Semi or Quasi- experimental; Non- experimental; and Field research.
Data Collection Methods: Survey; Case studies; and Content analysis; Number of Contacts made
with the Subjects: Cross- sectional; Before- and- after; and Longitudinal Retrospective;
Prospective; and Retrospective – Prospective
Based on Nature of Investigation
The nature of investigation can be exploratory, descriptive, causal/experimental, semi or quasi-
experimental, non-experimental, and field research. Exploration is an important characteristic of
research. Any research begins with it when the researcher dives into the unknown and unsolved
terrains. He/She starts with a quest for knowing more through exploration. It is an initial foray
into the densities of the unknown. Exploration starts with a vague idea of what is intended to be
researched. It forms the basis of research. It is not very systematic to the order of research to be
undertaken otherwise. It is a flexible approach to undertaking research where the sampling is
generally non-probability and the data collection methods are unstructured. It involves a study
and analysis of the literature and discussions with peers and fellow colleagues to know their
views on the topic.
Descriptive research is carried out to provide information about a person, thing or process. It
describes the characteristics of an individual, group, organization, or phenomena, conditions, or a
situation. The characteristics are described in terms of the dependent variables. Description may
be limited to events of past or present but not of the future. In that case it becomes experimental
research. Most of the research in social sciences is descriptive in nature. Some examples of
descriptive research in LIS are: Services, collection, and infrastructure of a particular library
Status of libraries in a geographical area Impact of library services on the performance of
students Impact of IT on library services Attitude of users towards staff in libraries in descriptive
studies data collection is done through structured methods. Samples are selected by random
sampling. The nature of investigation moves systematically from exploratory towards
experimental. The degree of investigation goes on increasing as we move ahead.
Casual investigation in exploration, to description and finally causal investigation in
experimental research. It aims to find cause and effect relations between the dependent and
independent variables. Experimental research studies the effect of independent variables on
dependent variables. The researcher identifies the two different kinds of variables and the
relationship between them. For this, he/she reviews the literature on the subject and also related
studies done by others. Discussions with peers and other professionals also help in finding out
the relationship. Hypotheses are framed for verifying the relationships.
The research is conducted under controlled conditions so that the changes in the dependent
variables can be attributed solely to the changes in the independent variables. Semi -
experimental studies are different from experimental studies in that the sampling in experimental
studies is random sampling compared to non - random sampling in semi - experimental or quasi-
experimental studies. Non - experimental studies also find out causal relations but they follow
the reverse approach. Experimental studies explain the cause - effect relation by identifying the
independent variables and later inducing changes in them to find out the resultant effect on the
dependent variables. Non- experimental studies ascribe the changes that have taken place in the
dependent variables to some independent variables.
Based on Data Collection Methods Research Design Research design based on data collection
methods is of the following types: survey, case studies, and content analysis. Survey approach is
used on a large population. But instead of studying the whole of population, a sample is studied.
The sample is generally large in size. It is generally used in descriptive studies; however, it can
also be used in experimental studies. The techniques of data collection used are questionnaire
and interviews. Questionnaire can be self- administered or mailed. It can be structured or
otherwise. In social science research, survey method is generally used. Case study involves
studying few cases in contrast to the large sample in survey. But the level of study in case study
is intensive which is not true of survey
Change in attitude of users towards staff after library orientation. Rate of use of helmets by
people after heavy fines were imposed by traffic police. Effect of advertisement on billboards on
the sale of cars in metropolitan cities of India

4. What is the purpose of conducting a literature review? What function

does a literature review serve within a thesis?
Answer
A literature review is a comprehensive summary of previous research on a topic. The literature
review surveys scholarly articles, books, and other sources relevant to a particular area of
research. The review should enumerate, describe, summarize, objectively evaluate and clarify
this previous research. It should give a theoretical base for the research and help you (the author)
determine the nature of your research. The literature review acknowledges the work of previous
researchers, and in so doing, assures the reader that your work has been well conceived. It is
assumed that by mentioning a previous work in the field of study, that the author has read,
evaluated, and assimilated that work into the work at hand.

A literature review may constitute an essential chapter of a thesis or dissertation, or may be a

self-contained review of writings on a subject. In either case, its purpose is to:  Place each work
in the context of its contribution to the understanding of the subject under review  Describe the
relationship of each work to the others under consideration  Identify new ways to interpret, and
shed light on any gaps in, previous research  Resolve conflicts amongst seemingly contradictory
previous studies  Identify areas of prior scholarship to prevent duplication of effort  Point the
way forward for further research  Place one's original work (in the case of theses or
dissertations) in the context of existing literature  Provide foundation of knowledge on topic 
Identify areas of prior scholarship to prevent duplication and give credit to other researchers 
Identify inconstancies: gaps in research, conflicts in previous studies, open questions left from
other research  Identify need for additional research (justifying your research)  Identify the
relationship of works in context of its contribution to the topic and to other works  Place your
own research within the context of existing literature making a case for why further study is
needed.
A literature review functions as a tool to:  provide a background to your work by summarizing
the previously published work  classify the research into different categories and demonstrate
how the research in a particular area has changed over time by indicating historical background
(early research findings in an area) as well as explaining recent developments in an area  clarify
areas of controversy and agreement between experts in the area as well as identify dominant
views  evaluate the previous research and identify gaps (i.e. unexplored areas)  help justify
your research by indicating how it is different from other works in the same area
Writing a literature review
Depending on the discipline, a review of the literature may be:  a single chapter  segmented
into a series of chapters on several topics  embedded in successive thematic chapters  a section
of the introduction (in most theses there will be a short review here to justify the research, even
when there is a longer review elsewhere).
Selection
The review must be shaped by a focus on key areas of interest, and include research which
provides a background to the topic. It should also be selective. A common mistake is to comment
on everything you have read regardless of its relevance.
Another way of looking at the process, particularly if you are examining several topics (or
variables) is to think of yourself as rather like a film director (Rudestam & Newton, 1992). You
can think of providing your audience with:  long shots to provide a solid sense of the
background  middle distance shots where the key figures and elements to be examined are
brought clearly into view  close-up shots where the precise focus of your work is pinpointed.
Voice
When people talk about ‘voice’ in academic writing, they usually mean that the reader can sense
the presence of a writer controlling the message in the text. As the writer of your literature
review, you should be controlling:  the overall structure of the review  the way in which you
integrate and comment upon the work in the field. Allowing your voice to be heard equates to
making your argument come through clearly.
Structure
Much advice about literature review writing warns against the ‘laundry list’ (e.g. “Brown (2008)
studied A and found Y. Roberts (2012) investigated B and found X and Y. Peterson (2007, 2013)
conducted a long-term investigation into C and found X, Y and Z.”). For your argument about
the literature to come through clearly, the review must have a structure. It must make
connections between the works you have read, and between them and your own study. This
diagram represents the elements that feed into the structure of your literature review.

5. Explain different Types of research. Also explain research process.

Answer
TYPES OF RESEARCH
It is imperative that a marketer has to have a broad understanding of the various types of
research, in general. There are eleven types of research depending on whether it is primarily
“fundamental” or “applied” in nature. They are as follows: 1. Applied research, also known as
decisional research, use existing knowledge as an aid to the solution of some given problem or
set of problems. 2. Fundamental research, frequently called basic or pure research, seeks to
extend the boundaries of knowledge in a given area with no necessary immediate application to
existing problems. 3. Futuristic research: Futures research is the systematic study of possible
future conditions. It includes analysis of how those conditions might change as a result of the
implementation of policies and actions, and the consequences of these policies and actions. 4.
Descriptive research includes surveys and fact-finding enquiries of different kinds. It tries to
discover answers to the questions who, what, when and sometimes how. Here the researcher
attempts to describe or define a subject, often by creating a profile of a group of problems
people, or events. The major purpose of descriptive research is description of the state of affairs
as it exists at present 5. Explanatory research: Explanatory research goes beyond description and
attempts to explain the reasons for the phenomenon that the descriptive research only observed.
The research would use theories or at least hypothesis to account for the forces that caused a
certain phenomenon to occur. 6. Predictive research: If we can provide a plausible explanation
for an event after it has occurred, it is desirable to be able to predict when and in what situations
the event will occur. This research is just as rooted in theory as explanation. This research calls
for a high order of inference making. In business research, prediction is found in studies
conducted to evaluate specific courses of action or to forecast current and future values. 7.
Analytical research: The researcher has to use facts or information already available, and analyze
these to make a critical evaluation of the material. 8. Quantitative research: Quantitative research
is based on the measurement of quantity or amount. It is applicable to phenomena that can be
expressed in terms of quantity. 9. Qualitative research: It is concerned with qualitative
phenomenon (i.e.) phenomena relating to or involving quality or kind. This type of research aims
at discovering the underlying motives and desires, using in depth interviews for the purpose.
Other techniques of such research are word association test, sentence completion test, story
completion tests and similar other projective techniques. Attitude or opinion research i.e.,
research designed to find out how people feel or what the think about a particular subject or
institution is also qualitative research. 10. Conceptual research: Conceptual research is that
related to some abstract idea(s) or theory. It is generally used by philosophers and thinkers to
develop new concepts or to reinterpret existing ones. 11. Empirical research: It is appropriate
when proof is sought that certain variables affect other variables in some way. Evidence gathered
through experiments or empirical studies is today considered to be the most powerful support
possible for a give hypothesis.
RESEARCH PROCESS
There are a variety of approaches to research in any field of investigation, irrespective of whether
it is applied research or basic research. Each particular research study will be unique in some
ways because of the particular time, setting, environment, and place in which it is being
undertaken. Nevertheless, all research endeavors share a common goal of furthering our
understanding of the problem and thus all traverse through certain basic stages, forming a
process called the research process.
An understanding of the research process is necessary to effectively carry out research and
sequencing of the stages inherent in the process.
These 8 stages in the research process are; 1. Identifying the problem. 2. Reviewing literature. 3.
Setting research questions, objectives, and hypotheses. 4. Choosing the study design. 5. Deciding
on the sample design. 6. Collecting data. 7. Processing and analyzing data. 8. Writing the report.
The research process outlined above is, in essence, part and parcel of a research proposal. It is an
outline of your commitment that you intend to follow in executing a research study. A close
examination of the above stages reveals that each of these stages, by and large, is dependent
upon the others. One cannot analyze data (step 7) unless he has collected data (step 6). It is also
true that one cannot write a report (step 8) unless he has collected and analyzed data (step 7).
Research then is a system of interdependent related stages. Violation of this sequence can cause
irreparable harm to the study. It is also true that several alternatives are available to the
researcher during each of the stages stated above. A research process can be compared with a
route map.