Research Aptitude and its Characteristics

Research is defined as careful consideration of study regarding a particular concern or

problem using scientific methods. According to the American Sociologist Earl Robert
Babbie, “research is a systematic inquiry to describe, explain, predict, and control the
observed phenomenon. It involves inductive and deductive methods.”
Inductive research methods analyze an observed event, while deductive methods verify the
observed event. Inductive approaches are associated with qualitative research, and deductive
methods are more commonly associated with quantitative analysis.
 Research is conducted with a purpose to:
 Identify potential and new customers
 Understand existing customers
 Set pragmatic goals
 Develop productive market strategies
 Address business challenges
 Put together a business expansion plan
 Identify new business opportunities

 Characteristics of Research

Keeping this in mind that research in any field of inquiry is undertaken to provide
information to support decision-making in its respective area, we summarize some desirable
characteristics of research:

 The research should focus on priority problems.

 The research should be systematic. It emphasizes that a researcher should employ a
structured procedure.
 The research should be logical. Without manipulating ideas logically, the scientific
researcher cannot make much progress in any investigation.
 The research should be reductive. This means that the findings of one researcher
should be made available to other researchers to prevent them from repeating the
same research.
 The research should be replicable. This asserts that there should be scope to confirm
the findings of previous research in a new environment and different settings with a
new group of subjects or at a different point in time.
 The research should be generative. This is one of the valuable characteristics of
research because answering one question leads to generating many other new
questions.
 The research should be action-oriented. In other words, it should be aimed at reaching
a solution leading to the implementation of its findings.
 The research should follow an integrated multidisciplinary approach, i.e., research
approaches from more than one discipline are needed.
 The research should be participatory, involving all parties concerned (from
policymakers down to community members) at all stages of the study.
 The research must be relatively simple, timely, and time-bound, employing a
comparatively simple design.
 Methods of Research: Experimental, Descriptive, Historical, Qualitative
and Quantitative methods.

 Basic research: A basic research definition is data collected to enhance knowledge.

The main motivation is knowledge expansion. It is non-commercial research that
doesn’t facilitate in creating or inventing anything. For example an experiment to
determine a simple fact.

 Applied research: applied research focuses on analyzing and solving real-life

problems. This type refers to the study that helps solve practical problems using
scientific methods. Studies play an important role in solving issues that impact the
overall well-being of humans. For example: finding a specific cure for a disease.

 Qualitative research: qualitative research is a process that is about the inquiry. It

helps create an in-depth understanding of problems or issues in their natural settings.
This is a non-statistical method. Qualitative research is heavily dependent on the
experience of the researchers and the questions used to probe the sample. The sample
size is usually restricted to 6-10 people. Open-ended questions are asked in a manner
that encourages answers that lead to another question or group of questions. The
purpose of asking open-ended questions is to gather as much information as possible
from the sample.

The following are the methods used for qualitative research:

o One-to-one interview
o Focus groups
o Ethnographic research
o Content/Text Analysis
o Case study research

 Quantitative research: qualitative research is a structured way of collecting data and

analyzing it to draw conclusions. Unlike qualitative methods, this method uses a
computational and statistical process to collect and analyze data. quantitative data is
all about numbers. Quantitative research involves a larger population — more people
means more data. With more data to analyze, you can obtain more accurate results.
This method uses closed-ended questions because the researchers are typically
looking to gather statistical data.

Online surveys, questionnaires, and polls are preferable data collection tools used in
quantitative research. There are various methods of deploying surveys or questionnaires.

 Exploratory: As the name suggests, exploratory research is conducted to explore a

group of questions. The answers and analytics may not offer a final conclusion to the
perceived problem. It is conducted to handle new problem areas that haven’t been
 explored before. This exploratory process lays the foundation for more conclusive
research and data collection.
 Descriptive: descriptive research focuses on expanding knowledge on current issues
through a process of data collection. descriptive studies are used to describe the
behavior of a sample population. In a descriptive study, only one variable is required
to conduct the study. The three main purposes of descriptive research are describing,
explaining, and validating the findings. For example, a study conducted to know if
top-level management leaders in the 21st century possess the moral right to receive a
huge sum of money from the company profit.
 Explanatory: explanatory research or causal research is conducted to understand the
impact of certain changes in existing standard procedures. Conducting experiments is
the most popular form of casual research. For example, a study conducted to
understand the effect of rebranding on customer loyalty.

 Steps of Research
Research process contains a series of closely related activities which has to carry out by a
researcher. Research process requires patients. There is no measure that shows your research
is the best. It is an art rather than a science. Following are the main steps in social or business
research process.

1. Selection of Research Problem

2. Extensive Literature Survey
3. Making Hypothesis
4. Preparing the Research Design
5. Sampling
6. Data collection
7. Data Analysis
8. Hypothesis Testing
9. Generalization and Interpretation
10. Preparation of Report

 Thesis and Article writing: Format and styles of referencing.

There are many different ways of citing resources from your research. The citation style
sometimes depends on the academic discipline involved. For example:

 APA (American Psychological Association) is used by Education, Psychology, and

Sciences
 MLA (Modern Language Association) style is used by the Humanities
 Chicago/Turabian style is generally used by Business, History, and the Fine Arts
*You will need to consult with your professor to determine what is required in your specific
course.

 Research ethics.
 Research ethics provides guidelines for the responsible conduct of research. In
addition, it educates and monitors scientists conducting research to ensure a high
ethical standard. The following is a general summary of some ethical principles:
 Honesty: Honestly report data, results, methods and procedures, and publication
status. Do not fabricate, falsify, or misrepresent data.
 Objectivity: Strive to avoid bias in experimental design, data analysis, data
interpretation, peer review, personnel decisions, grant writing, expert testimony, and
other aspects of research.
 Integrity: Keep your promises and agreements; act with sincerity; strive for
consistency of thought and action.
 Carefulness: Avoid careless errors and negligence; carefully and critically examine
your own work and the work of your peers. Keep good records of research activities.
 Openness: Share data, results, ideas, tools, resources. Be open to criticism and new
ideas.
 Respect for Intellectual Property: Honor patents, copyrights, and other forms of
intellectual property. Do not use unpublished data, methods, or results without
permission. Give credit where credit is due. Never plagiarize.
 Confidentiality: Protect confidential communications, such as papers or grants
submitted for publication, personnel records, trade or military secrets, and patient
records.
 Responsible Publication: Publish in order to advance research and scholarship, not
to advance just your own career. Avoid wasteful and duplicative publication.
 Responsible Mentoring: Help to educate, mentor, and advise students. Promote their
welfare and allow them to make their own decisions.
 Respect for Colleagues: Respect your colleagues and treat them fairly.
 Social Responsibility: Strive to promote social good and prevent or mitigate social
harms through research, public education, and advocacy.
 Non-Discrimination: Avoid discrimination against colleagues or students on the
basis of sex, race, ethnicity, or other factors that are not related to their scientific
competence and integrity.
 Competence: Maintain and improve your own professional competence and expertise
through lifelong education and learning; take steps to promote competence in science
as a whole.
 Legality: Know and obey relevant laws and institutional and governmental policies.
 Animal Care: Show proper respect and care for animals when using them in
research. Do not conduct unnecessary or poorly designed animal experiments.
 Human Subjects Protection: When conducting research on human subjects,
minimize harms and risks and maximize benefits; respect human dignity, privacy, and
autonomy.