Ross Woods, 2018, rev. 2026
This qualitative method is quite simple and is an easy starting point for a first research project. Its descriptive method works well for research into patterns and themes in people's thinking. If it is your first research project, consult with your lecture abut each step.
The steps are not all the same size. A few require lots of time and effort, while some can be done very quickly.
The simplest way to find a topic is this:
suggestions for further research.
State your research problem clearly and succinctly with a tight focus. One sentence is good. Try again If you need more than one simple sentence.
Express it as a question that can't be answered yet. You can only have one purpose and it must be to solve your research problem. Look through the steps further below to to imagine how the whole project will work and what kind of conclusion you might reach.
This is called signifcance.
You need to answer the questions: So what? Who cares?
For example, what makes the problem serious and worth investigating?
Decide who you need to ask questions in order to answer your research question. This group is your target population.
Your target population should have people with all the main views that might arise. This will enable you to reach a conclusion.
If you want to choose a sample only of the population, it should be a balanced representation of the whole population.
Find out what the literature says that is relevant to your topic. This stage is called an annotated bibliography, that is, a list of books and articles with your notes.
At this stage, all you need to do is go to Google Scholar to find articles on your topic:
Although there is no particular number of articles that is enough,
start by aiming for twenty. Then review with your instructor.
Be selective in choosing material so that everything you read is directly relevant to your research problem. Avoid material that is only indirectly relevant or that are general knowledge for people in your field of study. By being selective and focused, you will go further and get the best value for the time you spend.
As you read, note the research question, method, and main findings. Make notes of strengths, weaknesses, and limitations.
Edit your notes into a literature review:
Your reading will probably give you ideas about the kinds of questions you need. You can also start by doing a rather brief, open-ended survey to catch issues that you will need to include.
As you go, make notes of what you did. Your explanation needs enough detail for someone else to repeat it, both the planning and the implementation in the field. Include anything that you had to consider when making decisions, the decisions you made, and the reasons for making the decisions you did.
As a first project, plan to use your questionnaire in oral form as interviews, so that you can better observe people's responses and ask any follow-up questions.
Write a questionnaire:
Get a colleague to look at your questionnaire and check it for faults, e.g.:
Revise your questionnaire until you find no more errors.
Field-test your questionnaire with a few people from your target population so you can revise any bad questions.
This will vary greatly. For some people, it will be more like an informal chat, while others might need an appointment for a scheduled meeting.
Go out and use your questionnaire with people from your target population. Start each interview by making people feel relaxed. Create follow-up questions to explore topics that are unexpected, unclear, or interesting.
Keep good field notes; don't trust anything to memory. besides people responses, describe how your interviews worked, what went well, what problems you faced and how you solved them, and anything unexpected.
There is no particular minimum number of people you should interview, but it needs to be enough to show a pattern in answers and to confirm it.
In this chapter, give a summary of the raw data (that is, your interview notes), then spend most of the chapter analyzing it. The analysis is the core of the whole paper, and should make up at least thirty per cent of the whole.
This method is qualitative and descriptive so you do normally do not need statistical information.
The analysis shows how the information collected in your interviews answers your research question and solves your research problem. Don't be surprised if you come up with answers that are different from what you expected.
State clearly and succinctly what you found as a result of your research.
Compare your findings with the research in the literature. You might have vconfirme their conclusions with extra evidence, or perhaps produced results that are quite different.
The closing section must focus on the conclusion that you have reached, expressed in one sentence only. It must answer the original research question that you raised in the introduction. It is a good idea to review what you did in the chapters that brought you to this conclusion. You can look at any implications and perhaps give recommendations for application, but don't preach or bring up anything new.
Research reports tend to follow q similar outline, but before you start, find out what you insititution expects, e.g. an essay, small thesis, etc.
Collate your work into the following outline:
| Chapter title or major heading | Step listed above |
|---|---|
| Introduction | Choose an original topic State your topic as a problem that your research will solve. State your topic as a question that your research will answer. Say why your topic is important. Identify your target population |
| Literature review | Write a literature review |
| Methodology | Design your questionnaire Check your questionnaire Field-test your questionnaire Decide how you will meet people to interview. Give your interviews |
| Analysis | Analyze your information State your findings |
| Discussion | Write a discussion |
| Conclusion | Write a conclusion |
This is at least 10% of the time for the whole project. Check, grammar, spelling, puntuation, flow and typing.