Research Process Outline and Scientific Method

Research Process Outline and Scientific Method

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Research Process Outline and Scientific Method

Research Process Outline

The research process is a rigorous exercise requiring a systematic approach. The steps involved in the conduct of scientific research are described in detail.

Step 1: Making an observation describing a problem

This step starts with identifying the problem afflicting an institution, community, or society that needs to be addressed to improve knowledge or functionality and outcomes (John, 2017). The researcher will usually be observant and aware of his or her surrounding to notice the problem. As a preliminary process following the identification of the issue, the researcher should conduct a literature review to determine whether the problem has been addressed before.  The researcher should be critical enough when reviewing previous literature to identify previous attempts to solve the problem and whether any issue was left outstanding when resolving the issue. Consequently, the researcher would redefine the problem with more clarity.

Following the identification and definition of the problem, the researcher should formulate the research question(s) that make the problem actionable. Depending on the complexity of the issue, a primary question can stand alone or be accompanied by other questions or subsidiary questions. For scientific research, the question should be accompanied by ‘SMART’ objectives, which are specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and timely objectives that guide the research (Kumar, 2018).

Step 2: Formulating a hypothesis

The research question leads to the formulation of a hypothesis, otherwise known as a testable explanation. In scientific research, this begins with identifying the variables associated with the issue of interest. This process begins with identifying the dependent and independent variables, and suggesting a relationship between them (Kumar, 2018). These variables should be characteristic of the observable phenomenon of interest. The hypothesis should be formatted as an if-then statement to demonstrate cause and effect that is specific and predictable, and can be tested.

Step 3: Testing the hypothesis

Testing the hypothesis is the actual performance of the study or experiment, which involves the formulation of the research methodology to test the hypothesis and collection of the data and its analysis and interpretation (Kumar, 2018). This process commences with identifying the participants upon whom the effects of a phenomenon are to be observed. These participants should represent a population experiencing the said problem being researched, thus presenting a representative sample. Therefore, the researcher may use the probability or non-probability method. Probability sampling approaches provide members of the targeted population a fair and equitable chance of participating in a study, while non-probability sampling introduces selection criteria that is biased towards some participants in the population, based on their availability, proximity to the researcher, knowledge and other selective considerations. Thereafter, the participants are separated into groups, where one group is exposed to an intervention related to the variable of interest while another is not exposed and thus, used as a control (Kumar, 2018). The outcomes of the two groups are measured and compared in analysis. Usually, statistical analyses are used to test and measure the relationship between the dependent and independent variables.  

Step 4: Drawing conclusions and sharing findings

This last phase is where findings are converted into information and knowledge that is revealing and sharable. The analyzed data is compared to that in previous literature and discussed in that light, and new information is identified and isolated clearly (Black, 2018). In other cases, the analyzed data may confirm a previous research finding, increasing the body of evidence on an issue. Once new knowledge or additional evidence is identified and confirmed from existing literature, the findings are published for availability to the public. Publishing journal articles is the standard and preferred way of sharing research knowledge because it exposes the research work to peer review. In peer review, other researchers in the discipline test the study’s rigor and adherence to the scientific method’s principles as a test of quality. Through their longstanding experience and exposure to multiple studies, the peer reviewers can confirm the veracity of the research process and authenticity of the generated knowledge, thus certifying it for sharing with others in society.

The Role of the Scientific Method in Conducting Research

The scientific method employ a systematic approach to research involving sequential steps that guarantee valid and reliable findings that build on existing knowledge. In other words, the scientific method collects empirical and measurable evidence to interrogate a hypothesis to test an existing theory or create a new one. However, in doing this, the scientific method endeavors to minimize or eliminate the experimenter’s or researcher’s bias or prejudice, which may cloud the perceptions and conclusions about an observable phenomenon (Rappleye & Komatsu, 2020). Experimenters are prone to confirmation bias in which they tend to see data that supports their hypothesis and ignoring that which does not. Consequently, the scientific method is an objective and standardized approach to conducting research through experiments to deliver high-quality findings (Orcher, 2016). In the same vein, the scientific method increased the researcher’s awareness of errors that influence research outcomes. Considering that researchers are humans prone to err, the scientific method is cognizant of this fact and accommodates it. In turn, a researcher employing this method is well aware of erring possibilities and therefore the need to avoid erring, or measuring the errors to account for their influence on the study outcomes. This is particularly critical because research should be replicable and the scientific method enhances such replication of studies by other researchers. The replicability of a study is critical for testing the veracity, validity, and reliability of a theory (Rappleye & Komatsu, 2020). Therefore, evidence from numerous experiments by different researchers performed under different conditions, is critical in confirming the principles upheld by the theory. 

Conclusion

The scientific method of research guarantees reliable and valid results that support or disapprove of a theory. Knowledge generation and verification are a critical humanity aspect supported by the robustness in the scientific method of research.

References

Black, M. (2018). Critical thinking: An introduction to logic and scientific method. Pickle Partners Publishing.

John, S. (2017). Scientific method: how science works, fails to work, and pretends to work. Routledge.

Khaldi, K. (2017). Quantitative, qualitative or mixed research: Which research paradigm to use? Journal of Educational and Social Research, 7(2), 15-24. https://doi.org/10.5901/jesr.2017.v7n2p15.

Kumar, R. (2018). Research methodology: A step-by-step guide for beginners. Sage.

Orcher, L. T. (2016). Conducting research: Social and behavioral science methods. Routledge.

Rappleye, J., & Komatsu, H. (2020). Towards (comparative) educational research for a finite future. Comparative Education, 56(2), 190-217. https://doi.org/10.1080/03050068.2020.1741197.