The Steps for a General Research

The Steps for a General Research The Steps for a General Research 2|Page

The Steps for a General Research Contents Overview................................................................................................................................................. 1 1 Topic................................................................................................................................................ 1 2 Title page........................................................................................................................................ 2 3 Abstract .......................................................................................................................................... 3 4 Table of content............................................................................................................................ 3 5 Introduction ................................................................................................................................... 4 7 Literature review........................................................................................................................... 8 8 Research Design and Methodology ........................................................................................ 9 9 Findings and Discussion ........................................................................................................... 9 10 Conclusions and Recommendations................................................................................ 10 11 References ............................................................................................................................... 10 13 Format ....................................................................................................................................... 11 14 Language, Structure and Layout ....................................................................................... 11 15 Proofread.................................................................................................................................. 12

The Steps for a General Research Overview Many years of experience has revealed that students tend to encounter many difficulties and hard times in writing their research due to inability to grasp what comprises exactly a research. The aim of this paper is to discuss the basic elements of a good research by taking students through a journey of systematic steps. 1 Topic The research journey starts with the selection of a research topic. The topic is the first step and the challenging step in your research. The initial aim of a title is to attract the reader’s attention and to enable the reader to predict the content of the research paper and to draw attention to the research problem being investigated. When choosing a topic, it’s important to consider the following:  Project requirements  Your areas of knowledge and interest  The relevance of the topic  The availability of data and sources Follow the following steps if you have no research ideas to start with, it can be hard and challenging to know from where exactly to start.  Step 1: Identify your topic based on your areas of interest within the subject you are studying.  Step 2: Find background information by skimming through a few recent scientific articles of the top journals in your field of study and check their reference lists to find more useful sources.  Step 3: Find a relevant topic by looking at the recommendations and future suggestions for previous studies that are available in scientific articles. Make sure that these studies have not already been conducted and published. 1|Page

The Steps for a General Research 2 Title page The title is the first thing to read and it describes the contents and purpose of your research paper. When writing a title, it’s important to consider:  Using words that create a positive impression and entice reader interest.  Using recent terminology from the field of study  Identify key variables, both dependent and independent  Suggest a relation between variables which supports the major hypothesis.  Identify the field of application  Not to be too short or too long. Is limited to 10-15 words.  Titles are usually in the form of a phrase or a question.  Use correct grammar and capitalisation.  Avoid using abbreviations or jargons. The title page of your research should include the following key information:  University’s logo  Research title  Your full name  Student ID number  Your module leader /supervisor’s name  Module/course name  The type of document (eg research paper, thesis, dissertation)  The department  The degree program (eg Bachelor of Business)  The date of submission 2|Page

The Steps for a General Research 3 Abstract An abstract is a summary or a miniature version of your research. Best to write it at the end of your research. The abstract should include the research problem and objectives, research methods, results and conclusion. An abstract should be written in past tense, simple English and with a word limit usually around 150–300 words or otherwise stated. 4 Table of content The table of contents is where you list the major sections of your research, along with their page numbers. The table of content should be located between the abstract and the introduction. The table of contents should include;  level one and two headings  appendices  tables and figures (up to three figures or tables otherwise list them on a separate page)  two pages long The table of contents should not include;  acknowledgements  abstract  table of contents 3|Page

The Steps for a General Research 5 Introduction The introduction is the first section of your research and appears right after the table of contents. It’s essential to capture the reader attention with a strong beginning. The research introduction is to put the issue in context as concisely and precisely as possible and answer the question: why do this study? Why now? Why here? Why me? The introduction should include:  Topic and context  Scope  Research problem  Importance of the research  Research questions and objectives  Overview of the structure An important part of introduction is where you state the research problem, gap, aim, objectives, questions and hypothesis.  Research gap Research gaps can be driven from one of the following states;  where no research has been conducted regarding the topic under consideration.  where a topic has been studied from a certain discipline. (For example, a topic has been studied by a marketer but has never been studied by an economist).  where a topic has been studied in respect to a specific geographical region. (For example, a topic has been studied using England as a case study but research has never been conducted using Egypt as a case study). 4|Page

The Steps for a General Research  Research Problem Research problem is issues or concerns that you intend to address in your research. It provides rationale why the research is important. Problem identification can be formulated using secondary data (e.g. previous studies), interviewing industry expert (e.g. people work in the field or the organisation) and decision makers (e.g. managers) and/ or conduct a qualitative research.  Research Aim and Objectives A research aim is basically a purpose statement that defines destination of research. A research aim is rewording of the research topic. A research objectives need to be Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and within Time frame (SMART). Research objectives could be written in bullet points or numbered. To write the research aim and objectives, verbs such as “to investigate,” “to examine,” “to evaluate,” “to assess,” “to determine,” “to develop,” “to measure,” “to explore,” and to “identify” are used.  Research Questions Research questions is the questions that will be answered throughout your research. In research paper, you can develop single research question while for longer research paper (e.g. dissertation and thesis) you will develop multiple research questions.  Research Hypothesis A hypothesis can be described as a provisional answer to the research question, unproven statement and a testable proposition about the relationship between variables. Hypothesis is an assumption based on existing theories and previous studies. 5|Page

The Steps for a General Research Example Research topic Impacts of COVID-19 crisis management strategies on shopping centers /malls patronage behavior: A case study of Cairo, Egypt Research aim The aim of the research is to examine the impacts of COVID-19 crisis management strategies on shopping centers/malls patronage behavior using Cairo as a case study. Research objectives The following objectives needed to attain the above mentioned research aim:  To examine the patronage rate in Cairo’s existing shopping centers/malls since the start of COVID-19.  To assess the level of sales experienced by retailers in Cairo’s shopping centers/malls since the start of COVID-19.  To explore the crisis management strategies adopted by shopping center managers and individual shop managers with regard to coping with the crisis, retaining current business, and attracting new business. Research Question  What impact have crisis management strategies had on shopping centers /malls patronage? Research Hypothesis  There is a relationship between crisis management and shopping centers /malls patronage. 6|Page

The Steps for a General Research Introduction leave the reader with a clear focus, purpose and direction of the research. At the end of the introduction, demonstrate what the reader can expect in the coming sections. Here the student should set out the structure of the research. 6 Conceptual framework A conceptual framework is used to demonstrate how the variables relate to each other. Conceptual frameworks are specifically used when the research involves hypothesis testing. The basis of testing research and the start of constructing a conceptual framework is often a cause-effect relationship. A cause-effect relationship always involves two types of variables: independent and dependent and you need to prove the relation between variables. Once the variables have been identified, the conceptual framework can be constructed using boxes, arrows and lines to show the relation between variables.  Create a box for each variable.  Use arrows to show the relation between variables. An arrow starts from the variable (independent variable) that has causal impact and ends at to the variable that is being affected(dependent variable).  Use a line when you expect a correlation between two variables. Independent variable Dependent variable (X) (Y) Crisis management Store patronage strategies behaviour Once your conceptual framework is complete, you are ready to start undertaking scientific research steps that will prove the relationships you have illustrated using literature review. 7|Page

The Steps for a General Research 7 Literature review The literature review section is a theoretical framework, in which the theories, variables and models that frame your research are defined and analysed. Moreover, it demonstrates the relationship between concepts or variables. This section is the ‘heart’ of the research where the main relevant empirical and theoretical issues are identified, where the subject is framed with respect to previous studies, and from which the specific research questions are developed. You are required to examine and review the academic work that already exists and relate to the topic under consideration. This means:  Collecting academic sources (e.g. books and journal articles)  Selecting the most relevant ones  Using Up-to-date sources  Dividing of works under review into categories  Critically evaluating and analysing each source by developing a coherent structure and argument that leads to a clear basis or justification for your own research  Drawing connections between themes, patterns and conflicts to make an overall point of your research Make sure to avoid the following problems when writing up the literature review section;  Summarising existing studies  Lacking organisation and structure  Lacking focus, unity and coherence  Being repetitive  Failing to cite papers  Failing to keep up with recent developments  Failing to critically evaluate cited papers  Citing irrelevant or trivial references  Depending too much on secondary sources such as Text books not Journal articles. 8|Page

The Steps for a General Research 8 Research Design and Methodology Research design & methodology are the ‘engine’ that drive the research activities. This section describes the overall approach of conducting your research. You should include:  Type of research (e.g. qualitative, quantitative, experimental)  Methods of collecting data (e.g. interviews, surveys, observation)  Identification of the research target population and sample frame.  Sampling method (e.g. probability or non-probability)  Methods of analysing data (e.g. statistical analysis techniques)  Tools and materials used (e.g. computer programs, lab equipment)  A discussion of any obstacles faced while conducting the research and how you overcame it. Research methods selected have to be appropriate to the topic and to be well justified. The aim of the methodology to show that this was the best tools and methods to answer the research questions or objectives. 9 Findings and Discussion Upon completion the process of gathering and analysing your data, you can start writing up the findings section of your research paper where you relate the main findings to your research questions or hypotheses.  In quantitative research, it is useful to incorporate visual components, for example, diagrams and tables. Make sure you refer to all tables and figures in the text. Give tables and figures clear descriptive titles and labels.  In qualitative research, the results can be related to specific questions or hypotheses or you can write your results section around key topics driven from analysing data. For each topic, mention the recurring points of agreement or 9|Page

The Steps for a General Research disagreement, patterns and trends, and individual responses that were particularly significant to your research question. These points should be supported with direct quotations. Full transcripts of your interviews can be included in an appendix. The discussion section should explain and evaluate your findings, showing how it links to the literature review and research questions, and build an argument to support the conclusion. There are four main elements should be included in the discussion:  Interpretations: what do the findings convey?  Implications: what is importance of the findings?  Limitations: what are the restrictions and constraints?  Recommendations: what practitioner and researchers should follow? 10 Conclusions and Recommendations The conclusion is the last section of your research. Its main purposes are to:  answer to the research question  summarise the research  make recommendations and suggestions for future work  show what new knowledge you have contributed The conclusion should be short, brief and appealing to leave the reader with a clear understanding of the main findings of the research and recommendations for future work. 11 References In a reference list also known as works cited list or bibliography, details of all sources that you have cited should be included. The credit always should be given to the author of the sources used by citing the sources. 10 | P a g e

The Steps for a General Research Inability to cite your sources properly is considered to be a plagiarism. It is important to follow a consistent citation style. Each style has definite specifications for how to format your sources in the reference list. Common styles include APA and MLA, make sure to check the requirements regarding which citation you should use. 12 Appendices Appendices are the place where you can set any further information about your topic that would be useful to share with your readers. 13 Format Your department or supervisor will provide you exactly what should be included on your research and how it should be formatted. Make sure to follow precisely the specific guidelines for;  Margins  Spacing  Font size  Citation style (eg MLA) 14 Language, Structure and Layout Module leaders/ instructors will judge your research paper based on:  Flow of information  Academic style 11 | P a g e

The Steps for a General Research  Clarity  Order  Grammar  Style consistency  Organisation  Vague sentences 15 Proofread The final step is to proofread the paper. Make cure to read again the research after completion to check it is error free regarding spelling, grammar, and punctuation and that all sources used are cited properly. Advice! Keep your research Simple, Sweet and Short Good Luck 12 | P a g e