Research Methodology: Research Methodology Dr. Deryck D. Pattron, Ph.D.
Public Health Scientist & Consultant
All Rights Reserved © 2009, Dr. Deryck D. Pattron CONTENTS: CONTENTS What is research methodology?
What constitutes a research topic?
How to select a research topic?
What are some of the limitations encountered when doing or thinking of doing a research project?
What is a literature review?
Where do I find sources of information for my literature review?
How to select an appropriate methodology?
What are some of the common types of qualitative methodology?
What are some of the common types of quantitative methodology?
What type of data to collect?
How to collect data?
How to analyze data?
What are some of the tests used on categorical data?
What are some of the tests used on continuous data?
How to draw conclusions from data?
How to present research findings?
How to present your paper according to the APA style? What is Research Methodology?: What is Research Methodology? Is defined as a highly intellectual human activity used in the investigation of nature and matter and deals specifically with the manner in which data is collected, analyzed and interpreted What Constitutes a Research Topic?: What Constitutes a Research Topic? Unanswered question
Statement of inquiry
How to Select a Research Topic?: How to Select a Research Topic? Personal interest
Human service practice
Minorities in research What are some of the Limitations Encountered when Doing or Thinking of Doing a Research Project?: What are some of the Limitations Encountered when Doing or Thinking of Doing a Research Project? Time constraints
Anticipating and avoiding problems
Human resource limitations
“Out of the box” thinking
“In the box” thinking What is a Literature review?: What is a Literature review? Systematic review of available resources
Theoretical and conceptual concepts
Identification of independent and dependent variables
Measurement and operational definitions
Selection of appropriate research technique
Findings and conclusions of similar studies studied
Where do I find Sources of Information for my Literature Review?: Where do I find Sources of Information for my Literature Review? Books
How to Select an Appropriate Methodology?: How to Select an Appropriate Methodology? What is the nature of the problem being investigated?
Is the problem being investigated subjective or objective?
Four types of research methods:
Mixed (qualitative and quantitative)
Critical and action oriented What are some of the Common Types of Qualitative Methodology?: What are some of the Common Types of Qualitative Methodology? Surveys
Ex-post facto research What are some of the Common Types of Quantitative Methodology? : What are some of the Common Types of Quantitative Methodology? Biographical
Case study What Type of Data to Collect?: What Type of Data to Collect? Categorical
nominal-observations that can be coded
ordinal-observations that can be ranked
-Observations that can be counted or measured
matrix of categorical and continuous data
How to Collect Data?: How to Collect Data? Observations
How to Analyze Data?: How to Analyze Data? Need to consider the type of data collected
What are some of the Tests Used on Categorical Data?: What are some of the Tests Used on Categorical Data? Chi-squared test-to determine the relationship between variables
Fisher’s test-to compare two unpaired groups
McNemar’s test-to analyze a matched case-control study
Kappa-to quantify interafter agreement
Wilcoxon test- to compare one group to a hypothetical value
Kruskal-Wallis test-to compare three or more groups
Spearman test-to compare association between variables
What are some of the Tests Used on Continuous Data?: What are some of the Tests Used on Continuous Data? T test- to compare one or two groups
ANOVA-to compare three or more groups
Pearson test-to compare the association between variables
How to Draw Conclusions from Data?: How to Draw Conclusions from Data? Use of graphical presentations
Use of statistical analyses
Sharing data among colleagues and receiving constructive feedback
Critically analyzing data and results
How to Present Research Findings?: How to Present Research Findings? Tables-matrix of rows and columns representing variables
Figures-visual organization of data/observations
-scatter plot charts
How to Present your Paper According to the APA style?: How to Present your Paper According to the APA style? APA stands for American Psychological Association
APA is the most commonly used style in the Social Sciences
APA provides useful guidelines on:
in text citations
references APA Style: APA Style Third person should be used
Active voice should be used
Writing should be clear, concise and plain
General format should be:
paper size-8.5 x 11
1” margins on all sides
written in 12 point font using Times New Roman
short title and page number on the upper right hand corner of every page
General Format of APA Paper: General Format of APA Paper Title
APA Referencing Style: APA Referencing Style Last name of author, followed by initials
Last names of authors arranged alphabetically in the reference list
Capitalize the first letter of the first word in titles and subtitles
Capitalize all major words in journal titles
Italicize titles of books and journals
APA In-text Citation: APA In-text Citation Author’s last name and year of publication placed in parenthesis next to where the information is cited
Three or more authors, use all three when first cited then followed by the first author et al., year for subsequent in-text citations
Six or more authors, use the last name of the first author followed by et al., year of publication
References: References Pattron, D. 2000. Fundamentals of Scientific Research. New York: Scientific Publishers
Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 5th ed.
Dr. Deryck D. Pattron, Ph.D.