Getting the Right Research: Strategies in Making Successful Studies

Getting the Right Research: Strategies in Making Successful Studies by Elvira B. Lapuz [email protected]

Introduction

Webster’s Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary defined research as:

“studies, inquiries or examinations aimed at the discovery and interpretation of facts, revision of accepted theories or laws in the light of new facts, or practical applications of such new or revised theories or laws”

Hillway (1964) defined research as:

“a method of study by which, through the careful and exhaustive investigation of all the ascertainable evidence bearing upon a definable problem, we reach a solution to that problem”

In most library schools, the writing and completion of a thesis and dissertation through the conduct of research is one of the academic requirements of graduate studies. This has proven to be one daunting task for most students, who at some point in their attempt to come up with their “magnum opus” of a research study will just stop and be totally at lost in their data gathering and writing. One reason is because many of these students fail to work properly on the planning of their research. Careful and thorough planning should spell the success of any research initiative. Its completion will depend largely on the manner by which the conceptualization and definition of the research problem was done. The methodology or the combination of methodologies and techniques employed shall determine the quantity and quality of data that will be gathered.

Library and information science programs are expected to provide students with the right skills to be able to plan and conduct research. These research skills include being able to:

 Define research problem  Understand and apply various research methodologies  Write research report

As future information professionals, they may have to conduct applied research as workplace requirement. They may also have to read and evaluate research results for professional use.

Embarking on a research project is a journey where there are definite points of departure and arrival. One starts with identifying and defining a research topic or a problem of study. Clear and precise objectives and purpose should be established. These may require previous knowledge of the subject and an understanding of the context within which the research is taking place. The researcher should read on other related researches for it can provide valuable leads on the methodologies that can be applied. Seeking expert opinions can steer the research towards a more productive and accurate course. It would also help if the amount of time to be spent on the conduct of research and available resources can be determined. My Problem Is… I Don’t Have A Problem!

This is a desperate declaration coming from a graduate student lamenting on his predicament of not being able to finally identify that elusive topic for research. Embarking on a research project for the completion of a thesis or dissertation is the waterloo of many graduate students. There are those who have completed all the other academic requirements only to be saddled with mental blackout when they have to write their final research proposal.

The conceptualization and identification of the research problem which is essentially the topic to be investigated upon is oftentimes the first stumbling block for those working towards the completion of this academic requirement. How then can students hurdle this block? Powell and Connaway (2004) suggested that one has to develop a thorough knowledge and understanding of the field. They gave emphasis on the fact that:

“… the would be researcher should be fully familiar with the known facts and accepted ideas in the field, be knowledgeable of previous, related research in the area, and be aware of gaps in knowledge in the field or un-researched areas.”

To be able to do these, one can start with reading through the existing related literatures in the field. These literatures often identify areas needing research. Completed thesis and dissertations are good sources of suggestions for further research. Listings and bibliographies of related materials are also good sources of potential topics for research. Another approach is to disagree on previous research and develop a study to test findings and results. Sharing and getting ideas from one’s own network is another approach to be considered. Both personal and online networks can be good starting points for getting suggestions and recommendations for research topics.

But with all these suggested approaches, still nothing beats natural curiosity and critical thinking. There are still a lot of areas in the field of library and information studies that need further investigation. One just need to take that extra step and explore further and sink in deeper into these wealth of research materials. Some of these areas that are still in need of more research consideration and are potential topics include:

 Electronic information resources and services  Continuing professional education of library personnel  Information Literacy and User Education  Library networks and links  LIS curriculum planning and evaluation  New information networks  Collection development and management

Once research problem has been identified, it should be written as a problem statement that is both clear and precise. In formulating the statement of the problem, unambiguous and vague terms and clichés should be avoided (Powell and Connaway, 2005). LIS Research Methods

Having defined the research problem and the thesis statement formulated, the researcher is set to decide what methodology will be used. This will be determined by the nature of research to be done, whether it is applied or basic or quantitative or qualitative. This is the means of transport of a research journey. Sometimes it would prove useful to use more than one research technique but there are types of research that becomes more difficult to embark if one shall employ combinations of research approaches.

In the 2004 article “Inventory of Research Methods for Librarianship and Informatics” Dr. Jonathan D. Eldridge identified some of these methods applicable to LIS research:

Analysis Focus Group Audit Gap Analysis Autobiography History Bibliomining/Data mining Interviews Biography Meta-Analysis Case Study Narrative Review Citation Analysis Participation Observation Descriptive Survey Program Evaluation Cohort Design/Longtitudinal Study Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Summing Up Content Analysis Systematic Reviews Delphi Method Unobtrusive Observation

This inventory just goes to show that researchers need not be limited to doing a descriptive survey which recently has become the most utilized (read: the most popular) research methodology. It is a widely used quantitative research method in the various social sciences as well as in LIS (Juznic and Urbanija, 2003).

The Research Proposal

A research project should be clearly defined through the writing of good research proposal. Whether for the completion of an academic requirement or as an attachment for funding request, a proposal should be well written and should contain all the required features of a feasible project study. The project proposal shall put things into context and provides a basis for monitoring progress. It is a useful tool for announcing the researcher’s intentions and the details of the proposed project to prevent misinterpretations about the research goals. The researcher can go back to this document to re-examine aims and objectives whenever uncertainties and questions should arise (Powell and Connaway, 2004).

A research proposal typically contains:

 Title page  Abstract  Table of Contents  Introduction  Statement of the Problem  Review of Related Literature  Research Design and Methodology  Significance and Anticipated Results  Scope and Limitations of the Study  List of References and Cited Works

A research proposal need not be a literary masterpiece. It should be a straightforward document that includes only information that should contribute to the clear understanding of the problem and its proposed solution. A good proposal should demonstrate the researcher’s complete knowledge and understanding of the research problem and his competence to carry out the research project. The language should be the conventional prose, clear and precise. Attention should be given to details such as format and conformity to required manner of presentation.

While some are quite successful in their first attempt at writing and presenting a research proposal, there are students and researchers who struggle. They are those who are yet to finally get the nod of their thesis panel or the approval of the funding body. Some of the reasons why research proposals are given a negative evaluation include:

 Original ideas are not found in the proposal  Obvious lack of background knowledge on the part of the researcher  Qualifications of the researcher to embark on the proposed research is inadequate  Focus of the research study is not clearly defined  Essential methodology is not at all employed  Uncertain and unclear future directions of the research  Nonconformity to the guidelines of proposal presentation

One Page a Day…

There was once a student who had been working on completing his research project for more than a year and is yet to finally come up with a research report. One colleague gave him a matter-of-fact of suggestion, saying that “just try to write your paper at least one page a day, if it is a 200 page research report, you will be done in a little more than 6 months.”

Powell and Connoway (2004) could not have stated it better when they included in the chapter on Writing the Research Report the general objectives of a research report:

“ The general objectives of the research report are to acquaint the reader with the problem that has been investigated and to explain its implications or importance. The report should present the data fully and adequately; the data should support the report’s interpretations and conclusions. The report should interpret the data for the reader and demonstrate how the data help to resolve the problem”.

They have also recommended an outline in writing the research report providing for its typical contents to include:

 Preliminaries – include the abstract, title, acknowledgements, table of contents, list of tables and figures  Introduction and problem o Brief introduction o Statement of the problem o Identification of subproblems, if any o Scope and limitations of the study o Definitions of terms o List of abbreviations used o Significance of the study o Note on the organization of the remainder of the report  Review of related literature  Conceptual framework of the study o Hypothesis and/or research questions o Assumptions o Operational definitions of important concepts  Design of the study o Population and sample, if any o Sources of relevant data, including criteria for admissibility o Data collection techniques and instruments used o Data analysis techniques  Results and findings o Descriptive statistics, if utilized o Inferential statistics o Other findings o Summary of results  Summary and conclusions o Summary of the study o Interpretations and conclusions o Limitations of the results o Recommendations, if any, for future research  Back matter – references, bibliography, appendices

In developing the research report, it is always recommended to follow a detailed outline. Following an outline helps the writer in organizing the information by employing appropriate headings. Consider the guidance provided by different style manuals when writing the final research report. It is also very important to be mindful of proper documentation and citation. Plagiarism and other forms of intellectual dishonesty should not find a place in any scholarly pursuit. Ideas and information borrowed from other works should be properly acknowledged. Again, one can refer to accepted guidelines and manuals of styles.

Research mindedness

Ms. Fe Angela Verzosa (2007) described the status of research in the Philippines as “disappointing.” One of the reasons she provided for this sorry state is that librarians are not at all research oriented. Majority of information professionals do not consider research as part of their work. Many are just overwhelmed by the sheer number of literature in the field. Others argue that they do not have the required skills and training to be able to embark on any research project. All of these reasons might have rooted in the inadequate preparations of many information professionals while they were in library schools. Still, scholars and information professionals have the responsibility to augment and complement the existing literature of the field. They should continue to conduct research as part of their professional development effort. They should also consider forwarding results of their researches to LIS publications for further dissemination. It is no wonder that contribution to LIS publications is at its minimum if not totally lacking, particularly in peer reviewed journals. Very few information professionals have made their contributions or even attempted to submit the results their researches to any LIS journal for publication. Sad as it may seem, this says a lot about the kind of scholars and professionals the country has produced over the years.

If LIS research is to flourish, revision and development of the LIS curriculum of library schools should be looked into. Students need to be armed with more than the basic skills of the conduct of research they should likewise be able to recognize the significance of contributing new ideas in relation to the practice of the profession. There should be an emphasis on the role of research in creating new knowledge and thereby contributing to the growth of the profession.

References:

Booth, Andrew (2008). Using evidence in practice. Health Information and Libraries Journal (25):74-77 Eldridge, Jonathan D. (2004). Inventory of research methods for librarianship and informatics. Journal of Medical Library Association 92(1):83-90 Hillway, Tyrus (1964). Introduction to Research. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Juznic, Primoz and Joze Urbanija (2003). Developing research skills in library and information science studies. Library Management 24(6-7):324-331 Koufogiannakis, Denise (2006). Theme articles: Research in librarianship: some issues to consider. Library Hi Tech 24(3):324-340 Morris, Anne (2006). Provision of research methods teaching in UK LIS departments. New Library World 107(1222-1223):116-126 Powell, Ronald R. and Lynn Silipigni Connaway (2004). Basic Research Methods for Librarians. 4th ed. Westport, Conn. : Libraries Unlimited Seadle, Michael (2004). Editorial: Education for twenty-first century librarians. Library Hi Tech 22(4):337-339 Verzosa, Fe Angela M. (2007). Research in Librarianship: Challenges, Competencies and Strategies. Keynote speech delivered at PLAI-STRLC Seminar-Workshop held on October 9-10, 2007 at La Vista Resort, Pansol, Laguna