Designing your research method Monica Fernandes ASK Academic Skills ask@brunel.ac.uk
What we’ll be covering… • • • • • • •
What to avoid when researching Research requirements Planning Matching data collection to analysis Organising time Organising ideas Practical Ethics
What to avoid
Getting a lot of data you can’t make use of because you lack the skills or time
What to avoid
Coming to conclusions based in inadequate or incorrect data
What to avoid
Not leaving enough time for analysis
All research projects require: • Demonstration of an ability to communicate your knowledge • Critical review of relevant models, arguments or theories • An organised approach to research and analysis • Structured analysis of situation using appropriate tools • Synthesis of findings
Outline plan (not as linear as it looks) ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Establish research aims, hypothesis or questions Identify focus/population Decide how you are going to analyse what you gather Establish whether you have the skills/resources Design your data collection Map out time requirements Run a pilot and do preliminary research Amend plan if necessary Carry out research Analyse the data Organise your ideas Report findings and disseminate
Aims & Objectives • Aim = high level- what is your main goal? e.g. What do Brunel University students want from the ASK service?
• Objectives = how you are going to get there e.g: – – – –
Look at attendance statistics and feedback from workshops Survey students who have used the service what they think Ask students who haven’t used the service what they think Look at the retention figures for students using the service
Types of research methods 1. Library research – Historical and archival data
2. Field research – – – –
Interviews- group, individual or telephonic; Surveys, questionnaires, Observations or Case study
3. Laboratory research – Experimental
Focus/Population Making your project manageable • People • Markets • Groups • Industries • Countries • Sub-topic • Products • Process
Data and methodological continuum Positivist ~ Quantitative
Phenomenological ~ Qualitative
Data collection e.g. Number based; Questionnaires; Statistics; Financial; Experimental studies; Longitudinal studies Disciplines e.g. maths; science; computing; engineering, economics
Data collection e.g. Action Research; Case Studies; Ethnography; Feminist Perspective; Grounded Theory; Hermeneutics; Participative enquiry Disciplines e.g. sociology; history; English
Combined e.g. IS, Business, OT, Sports, politics
Analysis before data • You have to know how you are going to analyse data before you gather it • Make sure data gathering matches your means of analysis e.g. Statistical analysis of figures and surveys when there are large numbers involved e.g. Focus groups, interviews when small numbers and perspectives required e.g. Content analysis when there is a lot of text e.g. SWOT, STEEPLE - when comparing reality to models e.g. Historiography for reviewing history in context
Examples of literature sources Primary
Secondary
Tertiary
Indexes Reports Theses Conference reports Company reports Some government publications Unpublished manuscript sources
Abstracts Books Journals Newspapers Legislation
Catalogues Encyclopedias Dictionaries
Bibliographies Citation Indexes
Note: the designation varies across disciplines e.g. Legislation might be primary for Law students but secondary for Business students
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Examples of data sources Primary
Secondary
Questionnaires Interviews Focus Groups Emails
Any Literature Business Reports Test results PerformanceTables Ergonomic data Carbon Calculators
Tertiary
Statistical data Almanacs Guide Books Survey Articles
Note: the designation varies across disciplines e.g. Ergonomic data might be primary for Design students but secondary for Business 14
Organising Time – Gantt Chart example
Source: http://aqsadigitalmedia.blogspot.co.uk/ (accessed 5/11/13)
Organise your ideas‌
The Cornell Method Cues Main ideas Questions that connect points Diagrams Prompts to help you study
Notes Record notes here, using concise sentences Shorthand symbols Abbreviations Lists Leave lots of space between points
When: After class, during review
Summary
When: During class
Top level main ideas For quick reference When: After class, during review
Post-it Note Technique
Promotes critical reading- allows you to mark your responses
Mind maps
Organising ideas Mind-Maps: Great for creating an overview of your research and what you want to convey • Place the question/issue in the middle of the page • Start with the most important issues • Add branches identified with single words or short phrases to represent key ideas • Allow ideas to connect from these branches and between branches
Mind-Maps: Further Hints • Let ideas come ‘organically’, rather than pre-planning your map • Do not judge yourself as you outline ideas • Ensure you critically respond to the ideas as the thoughts come to you • Identify key connections and contradictions • Use images/different colours to represent different elements – images allow for wider associations and colours make types of thoughts easier to identify • Ensure you note the source of information at the time
Use software to help you organise your research – Centralise ALL your research with • • • •
Evernote; Simplenote and Googlenotes Endnote (pricey)
– Mind mapping software • Inspiration • Xmind
– Bibliography• • • • •
Ref Works Mendeley Endnote MS (Microsoft Word) Zotero
Practical Ethics • Confidentiality and Anonymity must be respected • You cannot share peoples data without their permission • You must acknowledge the use of any publication/picture • Your behaviour must not bring Brunel into disrepute (consent form) • Your data must be handled fairly and not be adjusted to get the results you want • Make sure you use ethically sound data – watch out for bias http://www2.carleton.ca/psychology/ethics/ (accessed 6/11/13)
Findings • It is OK if findings aren’t what expected – in fact this can be more exciting • Remember to be open to different outcomes – research is about being objective and critical • Explore what your data tells you even if it is different to what you expected – you could be on the verge of something ground-breaking
When in doubt Check the expectations of your programme and school
Speak to supervisor or lecturers
Conclusion • Research is iterative not linear • Plan your research – transferable skill • Know how you are going to analyse before you gather data • Leave plenty of time to analyse and proofread
Resources • Research ethics for students http://www.brunel.ac.uk/services/graduateschool/staff/ethics • OpenLearn Market research course http://labspace.open.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=4197&topic =all (accessed 6/11/13) • Learn Higher resources http://www.learnhigher.ac.uk/research-skills/doingresearch/
Contact us… Check out the ASK website, Blackboard section and interactive resources, including Skills4Study Visit ASK during appointment times: • Monday- Friday 1-3 pm • Tuesday and Thursday evenings 5-6 pm • Book online at: http://libcalendar.brunel.ac.uk/booking/ask Email: ask@brunel.ac.uk