NURSING RESEARCH 1

•
• For open-ended questions, provide • Examples are the 5-point, 7-point, and
Survey Questionnaire Design sufficient space for the response. 9-point Likert scales.
• Avoid leading questions. Don’t lead the • Most researchers agree that the BEST
respondent to answer in a certain way. LIKERT SCALES are the 5-point and
• Avoid questions containing double 7-point varieties.
 Closed-ended questionnaire negatives or phrases such as, “would
 Open-ended questionnaire you agree or disagree that…” These types Example: Suppose we were studying
 combination of both of questions confuse respondents who attitudes towards the use of
may not correctly interpret the intended contraceptives by women and we asked
CLOSED-ENDED QUESTIONS meaning. the respondents to express their extent of
→answered by choosing from a number • Questions which appear to be unrelated to agreement with the following statement:
of fixed alternative responses which the subject matter being explored should
include all possible answers be avoided. “Women should be allowed to decide what
→The possible answers are pre-written, contraceptive method to use.”
and respondents are asked to choose Length and Ordering of the Questions Strongly agree
from among them. • All survey questionnaires should be as Slightly agree
→The main advantage of a closed-ended short as possible. Personal interviews Neither agree nor disagree
questionnaire is that the form is easy to should not extend beyond 30 minutes. Slightly disagree
fill in, and the answers can be easily • Make the questionnaire as interesting as Strongly disagree
evaluated quantitatively. possible and easy to follow by varying
the types and lengths of questions. • LIKERT SCALES have the advantage
OPEN-ENDED QUESTIONS • Group the questions into specific that they do not expect a simple Yes/No
→allow respondents to answer in their topics to make it easier for the answer from the respondent, but rather
own words respondent to understand and follow. allow for degrees of opinion, and
→The questionnaire does not contain • Layout and spacing are important as a even no opinion at all.
boxes to check but instead leaves a cluttered questionnaire is less likely to be • The extreme options are called Likert
blank section for the respondent to answered. Scale response anchors.
write down an answer. • It is also polite to include a short cover • Thus, the scale is anchored by
→Since there are no standard answers to note explaining what research you are ‘Strongly agree’ and ‘Strongly
the open-ended questions, data doing, and that the data will be treated disagree.’
analysis is more complex. confidential.
• Include ‘Thank you’ preferably after the • Response to the items (statements or
CLOSED-ENDED & OPEN-ENDED last question. questions) can be quantified by
→the questionnaire begins with a developing a system for assigning
series of closed-ended questions LIKERT SCALE numbers to them.
(with boxes to check scales to rank) and • Once the respondents have answered,
then followed with a section of open- • Measurement involves assigning numbers numbers are assigned to the
ended questions for more detailed to objects according to rules, rather than responses.
response. haphazardly. Rules for measuring • Without any prior information about the
temperature, weight, blood pressure, and distance between the five options, the
THINGS TO CONSIDER IN other physical attributes are familiar to us. most practical procedure is to assign 1
CONSTRUCTING A QUESTIONNAIRE Rules for measuring many other variables to ‘strongly disagree’ and a 5 to
for nursing research studies, however, ‘strongly agree.’
 Deciding which type of questionnaire to have to be invented. • In addition to measuring statements of
use • The most widely used of these alternative agreement, LIKERT SCALES can
 Wording and structure of the questions methods of measurement is the Likert measure other variations such as
 Length and ordering of the questions scale. frequency, quality, importance, and
• The LIKERT SCALE is a rating scale that likelihood, etc.
Deciding Which Type of Questionnaire quantitatively assesses opinions, • Keep It Simple! Creating a Likert scale
To Use attitudes, or behaviors of respondents. survey doesn’t need to be complicated.
• closed-ended, or open-ended? • It is usually made up of 5 or more items • In fact, the best survey questions are
• self-administered, or interviewer- (in the form of statements or questions) concise and to-the-point.
administered? that measure a single attitude or trait • Long, complex questions, for instance,
when response scores are combined. tend to lose readers or test their
Wording and Structure of the • When responding to an item on the Likert patience.
Questions Scale, the user respondent gives an
• Use words which are simple, familiar, answer on their agreement or
and clear to the target population. Do disagreement level. Documentation in Research
not use colloquialisms or slang. • The Likert scale allows determining the
• The first question or item in the level of agreement or disagreement of
DOCUMENTATION
questionnaire is important and should the respondents.
→the acknowledgment of the sources
be short, simple, and relevant. More
of ideas and information in your
complex issues can come later in the We can categorize the Likert scale into
research paper
questionnaire. This will ensure higher two major types:
response rates.  Even Likert scale
• The proper documentation of sources is
• Avoid double-barrelled questions  Odd Likert scale
required by the general principle of
(i.e., two questions in one). Better ask
intellectual honesty in research.
two questions rather than one. EVEN LIKERT SCALE
• Omission of full and precise
• Use indirect questions for sensitive • Researchers use the even Likert scale to
documentation can result in inaccurate
issues. In indirect questions, collect extreme feedback without
and invalid research or in plagiarism.
respondent can relate their answers to providing a neutral option.
other people. • Examples are the 4-point, 6-point, and 8-
Documentation may serve one or more
• Use closed-ended questions. Make point Likert scales.
purposes:
sure that all possible answers are
 To acknowledge indebtedness
covered so that respondents are not ODD LIKERT SCALE
 To establish the validity of evidence
limited in their answers. Add a ‘Don’t • Researchers use the odd Likert scale to
 To indicate cross-references within the
know’ or ‘Others’ category. give the respondents the choice of
paper
• responding neutrally.
NCM 111 FINALS 1 NARAJA, SJ
 To amplify ideas in the text
 To provide additional bibliographical
information
DOCUMENTATION STYLES AND FORMATS
DOCUMENTATION STYLE
→a standard approach for citing
references within the text, providing a
list of works cited at the end of the
paper, and even formatting headings
and margins
• Different academic disciplines use
different documentation styles.
• There are dozens of
DOCUMENTATION STYLES supported
by different international professional
organizations, but the MOST
POPULARLY USED ARE:
a. CMOS (University of Chicago
Manual of Style) used mainly in
history, literature and the arts
b. Turabian which is written in Chicago
style and is also used for history
papers, but it is much shorter than
CMOS
c. MLA (Modern Language Association)
used mainly in the humanities
d. APA (American Psychological
Association) used mainly in the
behavioral sciences like psychology,
anthropology, sociology, as well as in
education and the physical and
natural sciences.
• Most academic institutions, however, do
not strictly follow any one particular
guide mentioned before.
• Academic units and colleges may
prescribe their own formats to suit their
purposes.
• The local styles or formats usually are a
synthesis of the CMOS, Turabian, MLA,
and the APA guides.
SYSTEMS OF DOCUMENTATION
The two basic systems for documenting
materials are:
 Note-bibliography system
 Parenthetical reference system
NOTE-BIBLIOGRAPHY SYSTEM
→presents bibliographical information
in footnotes and in a bibliography
→This system is based on the CMOS.
PARENTHETICAL REFERENCE SYSTEM
→entails including documentation in
parentheses within the text and in a list
of references
→The documentation that appears within
the text is a brief parenthetical
reference (rather than a note number)
that directs the reader to a full
bibliographical citation in a list of
works cited.
→This system is the one recommended
by the Modern Language Association
(MLA) and the American Psychological
Association (APA).
NCM 111 FINALS
CITATIONS IN THE TEXT
• In-text parenthetical reference systems
can take a number of forms.
1. The MLA uses an author-page style,
where the author’s last name and the page
numbers of the publication are placed inside
parentheses.
2. The APA uses an author-date style and
places in parentheses the author’s last name
and the year of publication.
Example: MLA
The findings from the study revealed
numerous inadequacies in nursing education
(Brown, 12-15).
Example: APA
The findings from the study revealed
numerous inadequacies in nursing education
(Brown, 2012).
Example: APA variant
Brown (2012) reported that the findings from
the study revealed numerous inadequacies
in nursing education.
Example: APA variant
In 2012, Brown reported that the
findings from the study revealed numerous
inadequacies in nursing education.
3. TURABIAN STYLE
→allows writers to choose from two systems
of citing information:
(a) the notes and bibliography system
(b) the parenthetical method
Example: Turabian
The findings from the study revealed
numerous inadequacies in nursing education
(Brown 2012, 12-15).
The researcher’s choice of format might
be governed by:
 requirements of the school
 suggestions of the research adviser
 researcher’s personal taste
• Any system of documentation is a set of
conventions.
• No system is more correct than another;
systems are just different and acceptable
to different audiences.
• It is important, however, for the Example:
researcher to follow consistently
whichever system is chosen.
BIBLIOGRAPHIC ENTRIES
3 categories of information are needed for
each bibliographic entry:
 author
 title
 facts of publication
The facts of publication are:
a. place (usually only the city) of publication
b. name of the publishing house
c. date (usually only the year) of publication
Example: APA bibliographic entry
Kitamura, K. (2017). A Separation. New
York: Riverhead Books.
2 NARAJA, SJ
• For each entry, a period (.) marks the
end of the author, the title, and the
facts of publication.
• Two spaces follow each period (.), but
only one space follows each comma (,)
and colon (:).
ELECTRONIC SOURCES
• Individual webpages and documents
hosted online are cited similarly.
• Note, however, that the URL is typically
included at the end of the entry.
• The URL may, at the author's discretion,
be left as an active link (meaning, the
whole URL is underlined).
Example:
Spotlight Resources. (n.d.). Retrieved
from https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/ab
out_the_owl/owl_information/potlig
ht_resources.html
• The date of access is included when
the site’s content is likely to change
over time (like, for instance, if you're
citing a wiki that is publicly edited).
Example:
Purdue University Writing Lab [Facebook
page]. (n.d.). Retrieved on January 22,
2019, from https://www.facebook.com/
Purdue UniversityWritingLab/
ONLINE SCHOLARLY JOURNAL
ARTICLE: CITING DOIS
• Because online materials can potentially
change URLs, APA recommends
providing a Digital Object Identifier
(DOI), when it is available, as opposed
to the URL.
• DOIs are an attempt to provide stable,
long-lasting links for online articles.
• They are unique to their documents and
consist of a long alphanumeric code.
• Many—but not all—publishers will
provide an article's DOI on the first
page of the document.
General Format:
Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Date of
publication). Title of article. Title of
Journal, volume number, page range.
doi:0000000/ 000000000000 or
https://doi.org/ 10.0000/0000
Brownlie, D. (2007). Toward effective
poster presentations: An annotated
bibliography. European Journal of
Marketing, 41, 1245-1283.
doi:10.1108/03090560710821161
• Note: The APA style will be used for
your research paper. A separate
handout will be provided to guide you in
the details of making the in-text
citations and the list of references.

Writing the Research Proposal
RESEARCH PROPOSAL
→a document proposing a research
project, generally in the sciences or
academic community
→sets out the central issues or
questions that you intend to address.
→The goal of a research proposal is to
present and justify the need to study
a research problem and to present the
practical ways in which the proposed
study should be conducted.
Regardless of the research problem you
are investigating and the methodology you
choose, all research proposals must
address the following questions:
1. What do you plan to accomplish? Be
clear and specific in defining the
research problem and what it is you are
proposing to research.
2. Why do you want to do it? In addition
to detailing your research design, you
also must conduct a thorough review of
the literature and provide convincing
evidence that it is a topic worthy of
study.
3. How are you going to do it? Be sure
that what you propose is doable.
• It is assigned page number ‘i’ but which
does not appear anywhere on the page.
The Title Page presents:
1. the title of the research study,
2. the name of the college or the school to
which the research paper will be
presented,
3. the course for which the research is being
required,
4. the full names of the researchers
5. the month and year the proposal is to be
submitted.
• The title should name, as much as
possible, the independent and
dependent variables (or central
phenomenon under study).
• It also mentions the study population
and the locale of the study.
• The title should be concise, as well as
descriptive and comprehensive.
• However, the title should be brief
(preferably not more than 20 words)
and its length can often be reduced by
omitting unnecessary phrases such as:
‘A study of…’
‘A Report of…’
‘An Investigation to Examine the…’
‘An Evaluation of…’
THE TEXT (BODY)
The research proposal is usually divided
into three chapters:
1. An introduction
2. A review of the literature
3. A presentation of the methods
• Headings may be used to divide a long
or complicated chapter.
• Every division of a subject must yield at
least two subdivisions.
LEVELS OF HEADINGS
• The first level of heading should be
centered, the second level placed at
the left-hand margin, and the third
level indented into the paragraph.
• Divisions beyond the third level
should be avoided.
• If fourth level headings are necessary,
they should take the form of
enumerated paragraphs.
• At least one paragraph of text should
be placed between a heading and its
first subheading.

CONTENTS OF THE RESEARCH • Humorous or catchy titles are not

PROPOSAL appropriate for research papers.

Title Page The Preliminaries • If the title exceeds one line, it should
Table of Contents (or Front matter) appear like an inverted pyramid with
double spacing.
• The full legal names of the students
Chapter 1 - Introduction (firstname, middle initial, and family name,
Background of the Study in that order) appears in uppercase-
Statement of the Problem lowercase letters.
Research Hypothesis • The month and year when the manuscript CHAPTER 1
Significance of the Study The Text is to be submitted is also written in
Scope and Delimitations (or Body) uppercase-lowercase letters, one • Chapter 1 of the research proposal is
of the Study double space below the name of the the Introduction which acquaints
Theoretical Framework student(s). readers with the research problem,
Conceptual Framework • It should be about 1 inch from the its significance, and the context with
Definition of Terms bottom edge of the paper. which it was developed.
It contains the following sections:
TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. Background of the Study
Chapter 2 - Review of Related 2. Statement of the Problem
Literature →indicates on what pages the various 3. Research Hypothesis
Conceptual Literature chapters, sections, and subsections of 4. Significance of the Study
Related Studies the proposal are to be found 5. Scope and Delimitations of the Study
→normally comes before all other 6. Theoretical and Conceptual
Chapter 3 - Methodology The Text sections it presents in the listing, Frameworks
Research Design (or Body) including the rest of the back or end 7. Definition of Terms
Research Locale matter
Respondents of the Study How you go about introducing the
Research Instrument The Table of Contents should present paper’s topic may be one of the following:
Data Analysis where the following can be found:
 chapters and the sections they contain 1. Starting with an anecdote
 appendices An anecdote is a brief account of an
Appendices  reference materials incident.
Supplementary 2. Introducing the topic’s significance
pages (or Back • The beginning page number for each The importance of the topic may be
References matter or End section is indicated along the right-hand pointed out by demonstrating its
matter) margin. widespread effect or important
• The numbering of chapters and the consequences.
TITLE PAGE wording, capitalization, and punctuation of 3. Offering Statistics
titles and headings should be exactly as Statistics provide a quick and
Contents: they are written in the text. concrete way to interest a reader in a
• The first page of a research paper is • The Table of Contents starts with page topic.
the Title Page but it is not labelled with number ‘ii’ (the Roman numeral 2) which 4. Quoting an authority
a page number. is written about 1 inch from the bottom Quoting an authority allows the
• The TITLE PAGE is the only part of edge of the paper, centered between researcher to agree or disagree with the
the research paper that is margins. Recall that page “i” has already opinion expressed, or the quotation can
unnumbered, although it is counted as been assigned to the Title Page. emphasize the importance of the
a page. paper’s topic.

NCM 111 FINALS 3 NARAJA, SJ

5. Summarizing the literature
A summary of the recent literature
presents an overview of issues related
to the paper’s topic.
6. Providing background information
The stage for discussion may be set
by providing the reader with background
information on the topic.
7. Defining a key term
A researcher may define a central term
and explain its relationship to the
discussion.
• Sometimes, the first paragraph of the
introduction begins with a provocative
question or statement to act as ‘bait’ for
a reader.
Example:
‘What are Covid patients’ views about
their experience and their ability to cope
with their illness? To answer this question,
a research study will be conducted...’
BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
→an introduction to the subject area
indicating the importance and
validity of the problem chosen for
study
→Researchers should explain why the
problem is important, in terms of either
practical or theoretical significance.
→The potential contribution of the study,
the need for the research, and
background information may also be
included here.
• The delimitations should not be
confused with the limitations which may
possibly ensue in the course of the
investigation and over which the
researcher has no control.
• Limitations, when later written in the final
report, should include occurrences and
circumstances affecting the research
process such as:
 disturbances during administration
 subjects’ reactions
 inadequate facilities
 environmental and physical controls
THEORETICAL AND CONCEPTUAL
FRAMEWORKS
→establishes the theoretical framework
within which the study will be conducted
→also provides the context for the study
through a discussion of a conceptual
framework
DEFINITION OF TERMS
→terms or constructs used in the study
that may include the variables that will be
investigated
→Definitions may be conceptual or
operational definitions.
→conceptual definition will require citation
of sources
→operational definition will need the
specific context in which the researcher
has laid the terms.

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM • Conceptual definitions belong early in this

→presents a clear and concise
statement of the problem and the
specific objectives to be undertaken
→Some research problems may be
posed in the form of questions.
RESEARCH HYPOTHESES
→cites the predicted outcome of the
study in terms of the variables being
investigated.
→In a descriptive research design, this
section is omitted from the proposal.
report; however, complete operational
definitions are often reserved for the
Methods chapter.
• The introduction should be concise and
not too long.
• There are no rules as to how long an
introduction section should be, but most
introductions are 2-3 pages long,
double-spaced.
• A very long introduction can lose the
research paper’s focus and eventually
cause the reader to wonder what the
researcher is getting at.

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

→In this section the researcher needs to

discuss the benefits to be derived
from the findings of the study and who
will benefit from it.
→It is usually appropriate to identify and
enumerate the beneficiaries and how
they will be benefited by the results of
the study.
→The researcher must be able to
convince the readers that the
proposed study is sound and has
important clinical or theoretical
framework.

SCOPE AND DELIMITATIONS OF THE

STUDY

SCOPE
→the coverage of your study
→defines the variables to be investigated
in the study, the subjects, geological
and time settings
DELIMITATIONS
→boundaries
→articulate the limits set by the
researcher as far as objectives of the
study are concerned
NCM 111 FINALS 4 NARAJA, SJ