Research: Definition, Methods, Types & Examples

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

What Is Research Methodology?

Research methodology simply refers to the practical “how” of any given piece of research. More specifically, it’s about how a researcher systematically designs a study to ensure valid and reliable results that address the research aims and objectives. For example, how did the researcher go about deciding: What data to collect (and what data to ignore) Who to collect it

Research methodology: a step-by-step guide for beginners

The book of Research Methodology: A Step-by-Step Guide for Beginners integrates various quantitative and qualitative methodologies into eight practice-based-steps, providing lots of examples throughout to link theory with practice. Written specifically for students with no previous experience of research and research methodology, the writing style is simple and clear and the author presents this

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Doing Management Research: A Comprehensive Guide

This book provides refreshing and powerful insights on the challenges of conducting management research from a European perspective. Particularly for someone embarking on a management research career this book will provide valuable guidelines.’ — Ian MacMillan, Wharton School of Business, University of Pennsylvania. This comprehensive volume is distinguished by its balance and pragmatism. The

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Personal attributes of a successful researcher

Researchers are: “Professionals engaged in the conception or creation of new knowledge, products, processes, methods and systems, and in the management of the projects concerned.” (European Commission’s definition). What is your dream as a researcher? Finding a cure for a rare disease? Making an invention that creates history? Winning a Nobel? Now, as importantly, what do you think will get

Quantitative Research: Definition, Methods, Types and Examples

What is quantitative research? Quantitative research is defined as a systematic investigation of phenomena by gathering quantifiable data and performing statistical, mathematical, or computational techniques. Quantitative research collects information from existing and potential customers using sampling methods and sending out online surveys, online polls, questionnaires, etc., the results of which can be depicted in

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Types of quantitative methods

Quantitative methods represent the steps of using the Scientific Method of research. There are following types of quantitative method… 1. Experimental Research is the most well-established quantitative methodology in both the physical and social sciences. This approach uses the principles of research in the physical sciences to conduct experiments that explore human behavior. 2.

Qualitative Research: Definition, Types, Methods and Examples

Qualitative research is defined as a market research method that focuses on obtaining data through open-ended and conversational communication. This method is not only about “what” people think but also “why” they think so. For example, consider a convenience store looking to improve its patronage. A systematic observation concludes that the number of men visiting this store are more. One good method to determine why women were not visiting the store is to conduct an in-depth interview of potential customers in the

Qualitative methods: what and why use them?

Qualitative methods, as the name indicates, are methods that do not involve measurement or statistics.  Because the natural sciences have had such resounding success with quantitative methods, qualitative methods are sometimes looked down upon as less scientific.  That is, of course, a mistake.  Qualitative methods have been in use in philosophy, sociology, and history for centuries,

Difference Between Qualitative and Quantitative Research

If the subject into which you conduct research is a scientific subject or topic, then the research methods include experiments, tests, the study of many other results of different experiments performed earlier about the topic or the subject and the like. On the other hand, research methodology about the scientific topic involves the techniques

A Comparison of R, Python, SAS, SPSS and STATA for a Best Statistical Software

Common statistics program packages differ considerably in terms of their strengths, weaknesses, and handling. The decision as to which system is the best fit should be made with care. Changing to a new system can result in high costs for things like new licenses and re-training. This article introduces and contrasts the market leaders

Questionnaire survey for quantitative research

Survey vs Questionnaire: Differences and Definitions A questionnaire is used to collect data from a list of questions. It’s not used to look for trends, behavior or a bigger picture. A survey is data collection through a set of questions for the purposes of statistical analysis To put it simply – a questionnaire is a

Interviews: Types and Methods in Management Research

An interview is generally a qualitative research technique which involves asking open-ended questions to converse with respondents and collect elicit data about a subject. The interviewer in most cases is the subject matter expert who intends to understand respondent opinions in a well-planned and executed series of questions and answers. Interviews are similar to focus groups and

Observation Methods – Definition, Types, Examples, Advantages

The observation method is described as a method to observe and describe the behavior of a subject. As the name suggests, it is a way of collecting relevant information and data by observing. It is also referred to as a participatory study because the researcher has to establish a link with the respondent and

Experimental Research: Types, Examples & Methods

Experimental research is the most familiar type of research design for individuals in the physical sciences and a host of other fields. This is mainly because experimental research is a classical scientific experiment, similar to those performed in high school science classes. Imagine taking 2 samples of the same plant and exposing one of

Case Study Methodology in Management Research

Case studies are a popular research method in business area. Case studies aim to analyze specific issues within the boundaries of a specific environment, situation or organization. A case study involves an up-close, in-depth, and detailed examination of a particular case or cases, within a real-world context. For example, case studies in medicine may focus on

Overview of Action Research Methodology

What is Action Research? Definition Action research is known by many other names, including participatory research, collaborative inquiry, emancipatory research, action learning, and contextual action research, but all are variations on a theme. Put simply, action research is “learning by doing” – a group of people identify a problem, do something to resolve it,

Data Analysis Using IBM SPSS: Use and Interpretation

SPSS means “Statistical Package for the Social Sciences” and was first launched in 1968. Since SPSS was acquired by IBM in 2009, it’s officially known as IBM SPSS Statistics but most users still just refer to it as “SPSS”. SPSS is software for editing and analyzing all sorts of data. These data may come from basically any source:

Data Analysis Using STATA: Use and Interpretation

Stata is a general-purpose statistical software package created in 1985 by StataCorp. The name Stata is a syllabic abbreviation of the words statistics and data. The FAQ for the official forum of Stata insists that the correct English pronunciation of Stata “must remain a mystery”; any of “Stay-ta”, “Sta-ta” or “Stah-ta” (rhymes of the three pronunciations of ‘data’) are considered acceptable. More recent updates indicate

Introduction to SmartPLS software

SmartPLS is a software with graphical user interface for variance-based structural equation modeling (SEM) using the partial least squares (PLS) path modeling method. Besides estimating path models with latent variables using the PLS-SEM algorithm, the software computes standard results assessment criteria (e.g., for the reflective and formative measurement models, the structural model, and the goodness of fit) and