1. What is Research? Nicholas Walliman Research is a very general term for an activity that involves finding out, in a more or less systematic way, things you did not know. A more academic interpretation is that research involves finding out about things that no-one else knew either. It is about advancing the frontiers of knowledge.

2. Continue……… Research is not a solitary activity –but an act of community. As a member of the research community, you are building on the knowledge that others have acquired before you and providing a road map for those who come after you. You are adding to a body of work that will never be complete. Research is an ongoing, collaborative process with no finish line in sight.

3. Continue……… In short; Research is what we do when we have a question or a problem we want to resolve We may already think we know the answer to our question already We may think the answer is obvious, common sense even But ……..

4. Continue……… ……..until we have subjected our problem to rigorous scientific scrutiny, our 'knowledge' remains little more than guesswork or at best, intuition. Also read definitions from Oxford Concise Dictionary.

5. Difference between science and pseudoscience Science always follows scientific method whereas pseudoscience claims to be science but it actually does not follow the road map the scientists or researchers do. Example; Antibiotic Ofloxacin……..Cipro………Levo…. Safeguard

6. Relationship between research and science For a clear perception of the term research, one should know the meaning of scientific method. The two terms, research and scientific method, are closely related. the philosophy common to all research methods and techniques, although they may vary considerably from one science to another, is usually given the name of scientific method.

7. Continue……… The scientific method is, thus, based on certain basic postulates which can be stated as under: 1. It relies on empirical evidence; 2. It utilizes relevant concepts; 3. It is committed to only objective considerations; 4. It presupposes ethical neutrality, i.e., it aims at nothing but making only adequate and correct statements about population objects;

8. Continue……… 5. It results into probabilistic predictions; 6. Its methodology is made known to all concerned for critical scrutiny are for use in testing the conclusions through replication; 7. It aims at formulating most general axioms or what can be termed as scientific theories.

9. Hypothesis by different scientists on Malaria a. Laveran in 1878 found tiny creatures in the red blood cells of a malarial patient. These tiny creatures were later named Plasmodium. In 1883, it was suggested that Plasmodium was responsible for Malaria. b. Later A.F.A. King in 1883 suggested that mosquitos are involved in the spreading of Malaria. His hypothesis was based upon his twenty observations.

10. Continue……… Some of his observations were: i. People who slept under mosquito nets did not suffer from Malaria. ii. Fewer number of people suffered from Malaria that used to sleep near smoky fire. iii. People who slept outside in open places suffered from Malaria more frequently than those who slept indoors.

11. Continue……… Ronald Ross experimented on sparrows (Sparrows also suffer from Malaria, caused by same parasites, Plasmodium), and discovered that Culex mosquitoes are involved in the spread of the disease. Ross suggested that a similar relation might exist between man, mosquito and Plasmodium, which was later confirmed.

12. Sources of knowledge Common sense: Every one knows that it is so Intuition: I just know it Beliefs: it is based on personal conviction Tenacity: verification over the years Tradition: practice through generations Personal Experience: personal testing and experience Authority: the word of experts Divine and supernatural powers: the revelations of God and of other powers Reason and logic: the intellect can capture truth and knowledge directly Scientific methods: knowledge is derived through empirical procedures

13. How to do Research 1. Identify the Problem/Topic 2. Research Design3. Literature Review4. Data Collection5. Data Analysis6. Report writing read LocatereadWrite

14. How can we do research practically First and foremost is the selection of research topic or research question. For this following steps are important. 1. subject / field /area 2. identification of text book 3. short listing of journals 4. deciding the base paper 5. main concept

15. Continue……… 6. P- caut 7. review of relevant material 8. statement of topic One thing to be kept in mind is that the topic should be SMART and that criteria can be met through following the above points.

16. Continue……… Say, for instance, you want to focus on social networking sites. After reading current research, you want to examine to what degree social networking sites are harmful. Wrong Question “Why are social networking sites harmful?”

17. Continue……… Right Question: “How are online users experiencing or addressing privacy issues on such social networking sites as Facebook and Twitter?

18. Continue……… Possible research question: “Are females smarter than males?” This question delineates the variables to be measured: gender and intelligence. Yet, it is unclear how they will be evaluated: What method will be used to define and measure intelligence?

19. Continue……… Revised question: “Do females age 18-35 score higher than adult males age 18-35 on the WAIS-III?” (The WAIS-III is a standardized intelligence test.) This research question produces data that can be replicated. From there, the author can devise a question that takes a stand.

20. 1. subject / field /area Reading, reading,……………and reading Consultation …………. Discussions ………….. Soul searching………….. Brain storming…………. Jel subject classification…………

21. 2. identification of text book the best, the relevant, the latest, Read the complete text……..

22. 3. short listing of journals top impact factor journals short list 4-5 most relevant journals reading abstracts of the latest issues

23. Example of Abstract THE EFFECT OF EMPLOYMENT PROTECTION ON WORKER EFFORT: ABSENTEEISM DURING AND AFTER PROBATION Employment protection systems are widely believed to generate distortions in firms' hiring and firing decisions. However, much less is known about the impact of these regulations on workers' behavior. In this paper we provide evidence on the latter question using data from a large Italian bank. Our analysis is based on weekly observations for 545 men and 313 females hired as white-collar workers between January 1993 and February 1995.

24. Continue……… These workers begin to be protected against firing only after the 12th week of tenure, and we observe them for one year. We show that—particularly for men—the number of days of absence per week increases significantly once employment protection is granted at the end of probation. This suggests that the provision of employment protection causes the increase in absenteeism. This consequence of employment protection seems to have been neglected in European policy debates so far. (JEL: J2, D2, D8, M5)

25. 4. Deciding the base paper Select a base paper Published during 2013-2015 In the top academic journals

26. 5. Main concept One of the concept from the base paper Understand clearly the concept, construct, variables, nature, dimension (if any) Going towards the most important/ central concept for your research Often the dependent variable Other possibilities also

27. 6. Review of relevant material It is important in order to avoide reinventing the wheel Know the selected main concept from all aspects Start from the base paper Explore the past i-e cite references Explore the future i-e the citations Highly cited papers

28. Continue……… Thought leaders All important / relevant research Research dimensions and limitations of the base paper and existing research.

29. P- CAUT P = base paper, C = main concept, A = arrow, U = unit of analysis, T = theory ( logical statements relating the concept, explaining the concept and predicting the phenomenon)

30. statement of topic logical statements attempting to connect the study variables directly or indirectly and the main concept.

31. Continue……… In this process should cover the following points; identify the general subject area outline how your topic relates to the field focus on the specific research problem to be followed by the rational or justification for the proposed study establish why it is significant and what contribution your work will make.

32. How to read paper? Reading primary literature, There are many advantages of reading primary literature ……. Have vividness that is seldom found in the text, so readers get excited by reading the papers…….. Students feel smart and powerful when they read original resources.. Reveal the scientific process for better than secondary resources

33. Continue……… Four steps to be followed to read a research paper skimming vocabulary comprehension reflection and analysis

34. SKIMMING note basics like headings, figures, etc to get an overview.

35. Vocabulary Go through word by word and line by line and underlining or highlighting every word and phrase you don’t understand Not trying to make the sense of the article Look up simple words and phrases --from the latest book of the field/ subject flag phrases as belonging to the one of the major concept of paper(important)

36. comprehension read the whole paper section by section

37. INTRODUCTION How the context is set? The author ’s summary and comments on previous research and the actual current study What is the overall purpose of the research? Why author thinks the topic important? What is the importance in theory and practice? What are the hypotheses?

38. Methodology Try to get a clear picture …… What was actually done at each step? What was actually measured? Make an outline or sketch the procedures and instruments Keep notes of your question Some of them may be simply technical but others may point to more fundamental consideration that may be used for reflection and analysis.

39. Results Look carefully at the figures and tables as they are the heart of most papers What does it mean to understand a figure, understanding mean you can draw them.

40. Discussion Outline th conclusions that author would like to draw from data. In some papers, this section has lot of interpretation and is very important. Look for and evaluate Contributions, Limitations, Implications for theory and practice And directions.

41. Reflection and criticism After understanding and summarizing, Return to broader question and draw your own conclusions. Keep track of your question as you go along, returning to see whether they have been answered. Often, the simple questions may contain the seeds of very deep thoughts about the work. Some questions that may ve useful in analyzing various kinds of research papers,