Why do we need research?

Participating in research
A lot of what we do in our daily lives is based on common sense, what we have learnt from
others or what we have learnt through personal experience or observation. But sometimes
common sense is not the best approach and sometimes there are conflicting theories about what
is best or what works in a particular situation. Moreover, what works in one situation or for one
condition might be ineffective or even dangerous in another, or when combined with other
measures. Common sense approaches may overlook the impact of external factors which may
contribute to what is observed. Even in the domain of healthcare, there are gaps in knowledge,
theories about how something might work better and ideas for improvement.
As healthcare professionals cannot afford to take risks, research is needed. For clinical trials,
this is even a legal requirement in that pharmaceutical companies cannot obtain marketing
authorization (i.e. permission to sell their new drugs) until they have proved to the relevant
authorities that the drug is safe and effective. They do this by performing a series of clinical
trials.
Carefully organized and controlled research enables researchers to test and compare different
theories and approaches, explore different methods and learn from other peoples experience. It
also enables them to rule out or at least consider external factors which might influence their
results. For example, before concluding that drinking green tea is good for X, Y or Z, it is
important to ensure that the tea drinkers studied do not have something else (i.e. other than
drinking green tea) in common such as being more physically active than non-tea drinkers or
being vegetarians, which might equally explain the findings.
Another advantage to carrying out research is that for a lot of studies, the findings can be
recorded numerically and then statistically analysed in order to determine whether the findings
are significant (i.e. the extent to which it can be claimed with a specified degree of certainty that
they are not just due to chance). With quantitative studies, the results can usually be generalised
to the wider population (e.g. to people with dementia, carers, GPs or lay people in general,
depending on the group studied). This is because measures would have been taken to ensure

that the group of people who took part in the study were, as far as possible, representative of
other people in that category.
The advantage to many qualitative studies is that they permit an in-depth investigation into a
particular aspect of human experience. They give people the opportunity to explain in their own
words how they feel, what they think and how they make sense of the world they live in. Whilst it
is not possible to make generalisations about a wider group based on a small qualitative study,
in some cases the results may be transferrable to other like situations or groups. However, the
advantage to qualitative studies is that they provide rich, meaningful data and insight into the
complexity of human experience with all its contradictions, differences and idiosyncrasies. Some
address topics which have not previously been researched and may even deal with controversial,
sensitive or taboo issues. Some studies also serve to give a voice to vulnerable or minority
groups.

Research is not just for scientists

Research allows you to pursue your interests, to learn something new, to hone your
problem-solving skills and to challenge yourself in new ways. Working on a faculty-initiated
research project gives you the opportunity work closely with a mentora faculty member or
other experienced researcher. With a self-initiated research project, you leave Berkeley with
a product that represents the distillation of your interests and studies, and possibly, a real
contribution to knowledge.
Every field of study has its own research problems and methods. As a researcher you seek
answers to questions of great interest to you. Your research problem could be aesthetic,
social, political, scientific or technical. You choose the tools, gather and analyse the data .

What is it like to do research?

The research experience varies greatly. You might work alone, or in a large team. You could
conduct your research in a library, a museum, a laboratory, or a community. For an
introduction to the research experience, see these student profiles:

Research apprentices, in URAP

Qualitative or quantitative which method is for you?

Market research generally falls into two main

methodological groups: qualitative and quantitative.
Qualitative research is an in-depth exploration of what people think, feel or do and,
crucially, why. If you want to know why your customers behave as they do and what
barriers there may be to their changing that behaviour, you would use qualitative
research to explore those issues. Qualitative research does not give statistically robust
findings.
Quantitative research provides a measure of how many people think, feel or behave in
a certain way and uses statistical analysis to determine the results. If you want to know
how many of your customers support a change in a product or service - and how
strongly they support it so that you can determine whether you have a business case
for making that change, you would use quantitative research.
While these are often used as standalone methodologies they can also be valuably
combined into mixed-methodology research. You may be considering a customer
satisfaction survey for the first time. While you may have an idea of what is important to
your customers, they may have a different view. An initial piece of qualitative research
could identify their needs and priorities; a subsequent quantitative survey could
measure how satisfied your customers are that you are meeting those needs.
How does qualitative research work?
Qualitative research follows a semi-structured discussion guide to ensure that all topics
under consideration are covered and that the discussion stays relevant. However, the
questioning is open and participants are encouraged to explore the reasons for their
responses. The discussion process can reveal underlying views and motivations,
behavioural triggers and barriers. It can explore reactions to messages, printed material,

design features and new products, test understanding of terminology, help generate
new concepts and much more.
The most commonly used qualitative approaches are focus groups and depth
interviews.
Focus groups (also called group discussions) normally comprise five to eight
participants brought together to discuss a number of topics, guided by a moderator. The
dynamics of the interaction between participants is an important feature of a focus
group.
Depth interviews are one-on-one interviews conducted by telephone or face-to-face.
The more intimate environment allows participants to talk openly and is particularly
appropriate where participants are competitors who would not agree to come together in
a focus group.
Qualitative research is usually audio-recorded and transcribed. The transcriptions form
the data which is then analysed by the moderator. Groups can also be video-recorded
and can also be observed in real-time at venues specially designed for that purpose.
You can expect a report or a presentation of the findings supported by verbatim quotes
from the participants.
How does quantitative research work?
Quantitative research uses a structured questionnaire with mostly closed questions, ie
the respondents select their answers from given lists of possible responses. A range of
question types may be used. For example, rating questions can measure strength of
feeling such as importance or satisfaction, ranking questions can determine
preferences, and so on.
Quantitative research may be paper-based, as in a postal survey, or computerised, as in
a telephone or online survey. A computerised survey can also be conducted face-to-face
using a laptop or on site (eg in-store, on street) using PDAs (hand-held computers).
Because of its statistical nature, sample size is important for quantitative research.
Thirty is generally held to be the minimum number of responses for any area of interest
although a larger sample size will produce more reliable data.
You can expect a report or a presentation of the findings supported by tables and
graphs.
Written by Rob Sheldon of Accent.
It is the seeking of information in a scientific and/or systematic manner.

It is art of winning war with out any weapons.

Research is to see what everybody else has seen, and to think what nobody else has thought.
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