METHODOLOGY OF RESERCH

INTRODUCTION
 WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN “METHOD” AND
“METHODOLOGY”?

Method:
• Techniques for gathering evidence
• The various ways of proceeding in gathering
information
Methodology:
• The underlying theory and analysis of how research
does or should proceed.
(Sandra Harding)
 RESEARCH

RESEARCH
RE- which means: again, or a new
(prefix)
SEARCH- which means: to examine or to try
(verb)
 RESEARCH

• Definition: Research is a scientific inquiry

aimed at learning new facts, testing ideas,
etc.
It is the systematic collection, analysis and
interpretation of data to generate new
knowledge and answer a certain question or
solve a problem.
 TYPES OF RESEARCH

• The basic research is necessary to generate

new knowledge and technologies to deal with
major unresolved health problems.
• The applied research is necessary to identify
priority problems and to design and evaluate
policies and programs that will deliver the
greatest health benefit, making optimal use of
available resources.
 BASIC OR PURE RESEARCH

• It is usually considered to involve the search for

knowledge without a defined goal of utility or
specific purpose.

Eg. The microbiologist, whose expertise is the identification

of pathogenic micro organisms may conduct research in-
vitro, in a laboratory on bacterial reproduction, growth
and endotoxin production without any direct application
to clinical dentistry. Probably, the researcher is interested
in monitoring endotoxins produced over the life cycle of
bacteria to determine a pathogenecity.
 APPLIED RESEARCH

• It is problem oriented and is directed towards a

defined and purposeful end.

Eg. An oral health researcher investigating the relationship

between periodontal disease and myocardial infarction
may use the findings of the microbiologist as a
theoretical framework to test the relationship between
bacterial endotoxins, periodontal disease and
myocardial infarction in animal and then in human
subjects
 publica
identify
problem Literatur
Report tion
e review
writing Plan research
design
Generalisation
interpretation

Determining
Procedural steps in research
sample size
Hypothesis testing

Write
protocol
Presentation
&analysis of results Ethical
Pilot study committee
and main approval
study
 WHAT IT TAKES?

• Creativity
• Open mind
• Curiosity
• Patience
• Persistence
• Positive Attitude
• Discipline and focus
 Research Sequence
• Topic selection
• Research planning
• Literature survey
• Formulating the problem
• Creating new solutions
• Verification of analytical results
• Communication of results
• Commercialization of research outcomes
 CRITERIA FOR SELECTING A RESEARCH TOPIC

1. RELEVANCE
Questions to be asked include:
How large or widespread is the problem?
Who is affected?
How severe is the problem?
 CRITERIA FOR SELECTING A RESEARCH TOPIC

2. AVOIDANCE OF DUPLICATION
Investigate whether the topic has been
researched. If the topic has been researched,
the results should be reviewed to explore
whether major questions that deserve further
investigation remain unanswered. If not,
another topic should be chosen.
 CRITERIA FOR SELECTING A RESEARCH TOPIC

3. FEASIBILITY: Consider the complexity of the

problem and the resources you will require to
carry out the study (personnel, time,
equipment and money that are locally
available).
 CRITERIA FOR SELECTING A RESEARCH TOPIC

4. POLITICAL ACCEPTABILITY: It is advisable to

research a topic that has the interest and
support of the authorities. This will facilitate
the smooth conduct of the research and
increases the chance that the results of the
study will be implemented.
 CRITERIA FOR SELECTING A RESEARCH TOPIC

5. APPLICABILITY of possible results and

recommendations
Is it likely that the recommendations from the
study will be applied? This will depend not
only on the blessing of the authorities but also
on the availability of resources for
implementing the recommendations.
 CRITERIA FOR SELECTING A RESEARCH TOPIC

6. URGENCY of data needed

How urgently are the results needed for
making a decision? Which research should be
done first and which can be done late?
 CRITERIA FOR SELECTING A RESEARCH TOPIC

7. ETHICAL ACCEPTABILITY
We should always consider the possibility that
we may inflict harm on others while carrying
out research. Therefore, it will be useful to
review the proposed study.
 RESEARCH OUTLINES
• 1. The purpose of the research should be clearly
defined and common concepts be used.
• 2. The research procedure used should be described in
sufficient detail to permit another researcher to
repeat the research for further advancement, keeping
the continuity of what has already been attained.
• 3. The procedural design of the research should be
carefully planned to yield results that are as objective
as possible.
• 4. The researcher should report with complete
frankness, flaws in procedural design and estimate
their effects upon the findings.
 RESEARCH OUTLINES
• 5. The analysis of data should be sufficiently
adequate to reveal its significance and the methods
of analysis used should be appropriate. The validity
and reliability of the data should be checked
carefully.
• 6. Conclusions should be confined to those justified
by the data of the research and limited to those for
which the data provide an adequate basis.
• 7. Greater confidence in research is warranted if the
researcher is experienced, has a good reputation in
research and is a person of integrity.
 QUALITES OF A GOOD RESEARCH

1. Good research is systematic: It means that

research is structured with specified steps to
be taken in a specified sequence in
accordance with the well defined set of rules.
Systematic characteristic of the research does
not rule out creative thinking but it certainly
does reject the use of guessing and intuition in
arriving at conclusions.
 QUALITES OF A GOOD RESEARCH

2. Good research is logical: This implies that

research is guided by the rules of logical
reasoning and the logical process of induction
and deduction are of great value in carrying out
research.
Induction is the process of reasoning from a part
to the whole whereas deduction is the process
of reasoning from some premise to a conclusion.
 QUALITES OF A GOOD RESEARCH
3. Good research is empirical: It
implies that research is related
basically to one or more aspects of a
real situation and deals with
concrete data that provides a basis
for external validity to research
results.
 QUALITES OF A GOOD RESEARCH
4. Good research is replicable: This
characteristic allows research
results to be verified by
replicating the study and thereby
building a sound basis for
decisions.
 FIRST LEVEL OF RESEARCH – MASTER’S THESIS

• Generally a small-scale investigation that puts forward a hypothesis to

be tested by further study
• Objective is to provide training to the student in research methodology
—thus process is more important than outcome
• Seldom provides results that can be immediately implemented in
health care
• Duration is generally 12-18 months and it is part fulfillment of the
degree
• The guide is called Supervisor whose intellectual resources are
extensively utilised
• Almost invariably based on institutional resources without support of
any funding agency
• There is no public defense of the findings
• Volume is nearly 100 pages
 SECOND LEVEL OF RESEARCH – DOCTORAL DISSERTATION

• A detailed discourse on a particular topic that provides a new result or new

perspective—must be capable of publication in a reputed journal
• It must provide evidence of critical thinking of the candidate on the topic of
research
• Many times provides results that can be immediately implemented in health
care
• Duration is mostly three to four years and thesis itself is enough for the
degree
• The guide is generally called Advisor and the work is mostly based on the
candidate‘s own intellectual contribution.
• Mostly based on institutional resources but can be part of a large-scale
research funded by some agency.
• Required to be publicly defended.
• Volume is generally 200 pages or more.
 THIRD LEVEL OF RESEARCH – INSTITUTIONAL STUDY

• Generally conducted in only one location.

• A large-scale investigation that culminates into
a full-fledged project report and mostly.
published in a reputed journal in concise form.
• Expected to provide a path-breaking result
that can be immediately implemented in
health care.
• Mostly based on specially marked funds.
 FOURTH LEVEL OF RESEARCH – MULTICENTRIC STUDY

• Conducted in several locations with common protocol

to check replicability in a variety of settings.
• Necessarily a large-scale investigation for which a full-
fledged report is prepared and almost invariably finds a
place in a reputed journal in a concise form.
• Attracts attention because of its size but there is no
evidence yet that this level of research produces path-
breaking results more often than institutional level
research.
• Invariably based on specially marked funds.
 QUESTIONS TO BE ANSWERED BEFOR THE
STUDY BEGINS
1. What is the study about?
2. Why is the study being made?
3. Where will the study be carried out?
4. What type of data is required?
5. Where can the required data be found?
6. What periods of time will the study include?
7. What will be the sample design?
8. What techniques of data collection will be used?
9. How will the data be analysed?
10. In what style will the report be prepared?
 .

HOW TO SEARCH THE

LITERATURE ?
 DATABASES
• MedicineNet -- contains a reasonable medical dictionary and
medication index function. You'll have to contend with numerous
advertisements, however.
• EMedicine -- provides thousands of peer-reviewed articles on a
spectrum of medial topics in 62 medical specialties. Academic
requirements for authors and editors are listed on the home
page.
• The British Medical Journal (BMJ) -- the site is free and up-to-
date. Most articles are available as text files or formatted as PDFs.
• The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) -- free,
up-to-date, and articles are available as text files or PDFs
 DATABASES
• https://www.ebscohost.com/academic/subjec
ts/category/medical-databases
• https://www.evidence.nhs.uk/
• http://www.cochranelibrary.com/
• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?otool
=igbcambulib
 .

• MEDLINE Medline is the National

Library of Medicine's (NLM) premier
bibliographic database covering the
fields of medicine, nursing, dentistry,
veterinary medicine, the health care
system, and the preclinical sciences
as far back as 1966.
 SEARCHING PUBMED

• The Basics: Simple Searching & Viewing Results

• For a basic keyword search, type the word or words
you are looking for into the search box, and click
Search. PubMed will suggest phrases that complete
your entry or that are related to the words you're
entering.  The next page will show your search results.
• Setting Filters (aka Limits)
• Use the filters on the left sidebar to narrow down your
results by specifying different categories such as
language, type of article, age, gender, etc
 .

MeSH a Medical Subject Heading.

• A controlled vocabulary term used by all

the indexers in an organization to ensure
consistency in assigning terms to articles
(or records) on the same topic.
• They are also used in searching to avoid
having to think of all the possible words
that various authors could have used to
express the same concept.
 For example:
The MeSH AGED is assigned instead of:
• aging,
• older,
• elderly,
• senior citizen,
• geriatric person.
 BASIC SEARCH STRATEGY

 Pick a search topic: for example, previous BMD

studies in the literature?
 Divide topic into concepts
 Find words (keywords) or subject headings
(MeSH) to represent these concepts
 Combine concepts with AND, OR, or NOT
 Basic

 Use the Basic Search when you have only

a single term to search.
 Use the Basic Search when you are only
searching by the author.
 Advanced

 Use the Advanced Search when you have

more than one concept to search.
 Use the Advanced Search when you want
to search in a specific field.
 Use the Advanced Search when you want
to limit search by language or publication
type
BASIC SEARCH
 .

• PubMed will display your results as

brief citations in batches of 20 per
page, by default.
• To change the "Number of documents
to display per page:", select a higher
number from the pull-down menu
below the query box.
Author names should be entered in the form Smith JB,
but initials are optional. PubMed automatically
truncates the author's last name to allow for varying
initials and designations such as Jr. or 2nd. If only the
author's last name is entered (no initials), PubMed will
search that name in All Fields not just the Author field.
•Journal titles may be entered in full:

•as valid MEDLINE abbreviations:

•or as ISSN numbers:

Citation display format displays the source, title, author and
affiliation, abstract, MeSH and unique identifier
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=HYW2_eUsK9E