Saturday, August 29, 2009

How do you know if a piece of research work is good or not???

A piece of research is evaluated through its quality. Title itself explains what would be the research is all about. By one look at it, we can say how good a piece of research is. I keep on hearing that one research will be considered good if it benefits the needs and interest of one individual. Yes, it can be considered as it is but somehow having much with its content and relevance is a good piece of work, too.

Actually, there are lots of ways and several guidelines on evaluating if a piece of research work is good or not. Each organization has its own various ways in evaluating according to a specific area. Some professionals are already very well acquainted when it comes to criticizing or assessing a research work and some don’t even have a hint on how it can be evaluated.

In my own viewpoint, considering the fact that I am already introduced with some things regarding methods of research, one piece of research is good if questions are answered and research process are explained. According to the article I’ve read, “Whatever may be the types of research works and studies, one thing that is more important is that they all meet on the common ground of scientific method employed by them.”

As what I have said a while ago, by simply reading the title, we can already determine what the topic is all about. It should be concise but gives a good indicator of what the report is all about. On the other hand, the title itself will be considered of no use if the research topic will not arouse the curiosity and interest of the reader. It should be significant and adds additional knowledge. Like what I have experienced, research that introduces new idea is much better than making repetition of the existing studies. I remembered a friend who always tells me that a good problem defines a good piece of research.

Methods for gathering reliable information to answer a question or support an experimental hypothesis should also be reliable and enough to convey appropriate information. It denotes the principles that guide research and experimentation and also the philosophic bases of those principles. Data gathering should be as efficient as possible. Having this can result to a good research outcome. Data gathered should also be studied and analyzed. If the analysis was statistical in nature, statistical procedures must be suitable and properly applied to the data. The research should present its findings based on the results and the data gathered should not be manipulated by the one who’s doing it.

One piece of research is considered good if it provides brief and dependable resources. It proves that the researcher has done lots of readings. There are many separate disciplines that differ greatly in terms of the subject matter and the possible ways of studying that subject matter. In science, no single path to discovery exists and no one clear cut descriptions can be given that accounts for all the ways in which scientific truth is pursued.

Presentation of the research paper is also important. It should be presented as for the readers to understand it. Use of charts, statistics or tables and the correct use of terms must be understandable to others since not people are capable of understanding it especially if the subject matter is not their field of expertise. In doing research, lots of revisions are needed to ensure that uses of words are appropriate. Clarity of presentation which includes the sequencing and coherence of arguments is also important in evaluating a piece of work especially in research. Grammars used in the paper should also be correct. Some grammarians are more concerned with determining how the meaningful arrangement of the basic word and sentence building can best be described.

If all economists were laid end to end, they would not reach a conclusion. Life is the art of drawing sufficient conclusions from insufficient premises. In research, I really do not want to use the word true because there are only opinions some of which are preferable to others. Opinion formed after considering the relevant facts or evidences is a part that brings something to a close. Since it’s purely opinions of the researchers’ side, it must also give the reader the appreciation of what the study has revealed. Yes, reasoning draws a conclusion and makes us grant the conclusion, but it does not make the conclusion certain, nor does it remove doubt.

Such agreement of a conclusion with an actual observation does not itself prove the correctness of the hypothesis from which the conclusion is derived. It simply renders the premise that much more plausible. The ultimate test of the validity of a scientific hypothesis is its consistency with the totality of other aspects of the scientific framework. This inner consistency constitutes the basis for the concept of causality in science, according to which every effect is assumed to be linked with a cause.

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How are they evaluated? It says that one research must be efficient, experimental, rational and replicable. The purpose of the research should be clearly defined and common concepts must be used. The procedure used in the research should be described in sufficient detail to permit another researcher to repeat the research for further advancement, keeping the continuity of what has already been attained.

Procedural design of the research should be carefully planned to yield results that are as objectives as possible. The researcher should report with complete frankness, flaws in procedural design and estimate their effects upon the findings. The analysis of data should be sufficiently adequate to reveal its significance and the methods of analysis used should be appropriate. It should attempts to fairly present all perspective. It should discuss critical assumptions made in the analysis such as why a particular data set or analysis method is used. Indicates how results change with different data and analysis and identify contrary findings.

The validity and reliability of the data should be checked carefully. Conclusions should be confined to those justified by the data of the research and limited to those for which the data provide an adequate basis. Greater confidence in research is warranted if the researcher is experienced, has a good reputation in research and is a person of integrity.

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