How to Conduct
Research ?
Mukhtar Paras Shah
Research Guidelines
• Research is to use Empirical Evidence and Concrete Facts to know
more accurately about the issues
• Research provides base for decisions, reforms and innovations
• Participants to indicate their topic in which they are passionate to
write
• Start reading extensively on the topic that will help you to generate
‘Literature Review’
• Frame a research question on an issue where you see a ‘gap’.
Develop a line of inquiry and rationale for the study
• Make a statement of assumption for this research
• Assumption should not influence research as it will be the data that
will ultimately prove whether the assumption was right or wrong
• Make up your mind about the nature of your research; whether it is
going to be qualitative or quantitative
Introduction
• Write a brief Introduction highlighting nature and direction
of the query that will provide a basis for your research
• Statement of Problem: State clearly the problem that you
want to address followed by the hypothesis that will help
explain the problem. Your research will mainly focus on the
Statement of the Problem
• A good Research Question should be specific, narrow,
empirical and answerable
• Hypothesis is expectation of the researcher on the
question
• Literature Review to know what has been researched
earlier and where is the Gap
• Methodology to define how would you collect and analyze
the data
Research Writing
• How to collect Findings?
• Make a Preliminary Outline and all sections should be
logically related to each other
• Keep a note book / cards handy in your pocket for any
ideas or notes or references
• Take notes using short phrases in your own words with
accurate citations
• Divide the notebook into various sections relevant to
your research and collect ideas during your studying
materials
• Research is impersonal; nothing from your own can be
added and only facts can be reported
Main Body
• Discussion: Describe your statistical results or patterns
or processes that you discovered
• You should know how to skim and paraphrase the
original material
• A Good Summary :
– Focuses on aspects of the source that are relevant to your
goal
– Presents the original material accurately
– Is written in your own words and sentences
• Logical Sequencing
– One idea in one paragraph
– Main idea in the topic sentence
References
• You need to find reliable sources and references that can
be quoted to support ideas
• Research downloaded from internet is not reliable but still
it can be used if relevant reference details are available
• There is a particular style of quoting references from books,
magazines, articles and material downloaded from internet
• You need to follow a particular style to quote references
and conduct research and at STI you would follow Turabian
Style
• A reference list, generally, contains only sources you have
cited in-text in your assignment. A bibliography, generally,
is a list of all the sources you used to generate your ideas
about the topic.
Sources
• Primary Sources • Secondary Sources
• (Original / Direct) • (Material produced
– Documents after the event)
– Questionnaires – Interpretations
– Structured & – Statements
Unstructured Interviews – Newspapers
– Observations – Biographies
– Sampling – Books
– Journals
How to Cite Sources using Computer?
• Go to References and click ‘Insert Footnotes’ for
footnotes and ‘Insert Citation’ for citing sources
• Click ‘add new source’ and write all the details
• These sources will automatically appear if they are
repeated in the research
• Pick Style for your research and stick to it
• Click ‘Bibliography’ to generate the list at the end of
the research
Example:
• Ali, Mohammad, Abdul Hamid. National Integration in
Pakistan. Karachi: Publishing House, 2003
Further Guidelines & Steps
• Start writing Introduction with all its components
• The arguments must come through clearly
• Ensure that all ideas borrowed are properly cited in the
footnotes. Footnotes are integral part of the research
• Conclusion & Recommendations must grow out of the
discussion. They are required for policy implications
• Revise the Introduction and finalize it at the end, even after
writing the Conclusion
• Ensure that the paper has conceptual clarity, coherence,
objective empirical evidence and logical flow of information
• Add comprehensive Bibliography. Nothing comes after
bibliography
The Final Product
• Introduction
– Statement of Problem & Gap
– Research Question & Hypothesis
– Literature Review
– Methodology
• Findings
• Discussion
• Conclusion
• References
Plagiarism
• The most devastating crime confronting
intellectual integrity
• Unauthorized use of language / thoughts of
another author
• Penalties and Disciplinary action will be
initiated if proven guilty of plagiarism
