rsch410 introduction to health research writing a research proposal research methodology mohamed m....

RSCH410 Introduction to Health Research

Writinga

Research Proposal

Research Methodology

Mohamed M. B. AlnoorMona M. H. Diab

Writing a Research Proposal

What is research ? What is a research proposal?

Basic Proposal Outline:• Title page• Abstract• Introduction• Literature review• Methodology• Expected results• Ethical issues• Timeline • Bibliography (or References)

Steps in conducting research

Content


What is research ?

search Research Re /

Research is the systematic collection analysis and interpretation of data to answer a certain question or solve a problem.


What is research ?

Research

demands clear statement of the problem

requires a plan

builds on existing data should answer the original research

question


Identifying Problems for Research

Common Research Questions

What is research ?

Description of Health ProblemMagnitude of a health problem/diseaseDistribution of the health problem in

time, place and person. Identification of risk factors and causes


Identifying Problems for Research

Common Research Questions

What is research ?

Effect of an intervention:Drug, vaccine, risk factor cessation, health education

Evaluation of on-going interventions: Coverage of Target Groups, Quality,

Cost, Effect/Impact


Why research ?


Why, proposal?

The primary functions of the proposal are to:

SELL the research idea Commit to do the research in a

systematic way Explains the significance/importance

of the research Explains the research methods


Why, proposal?

The proposal also serves to: Show interest in academic

improvement and publication. Show that sufficient preliminary

reading/ research in the area of interest have been done

(Generate funds to sustain the research units operation)

What is a proposal?

A good proposals quickly and easily answer the following questions:

What is to be achieved. What difference will the research

project make to: • the university• the discipline• the state, the nation


What is a proposal?

What has already been done in the area of the project? How is it intended to be done?How much time will it take? How will the results be evaluated?



Steps in conducting Research

Selection / statement of Research Problem

Background / Literature review

Formulation of Objectives

Study Methodology

Proposal submission and approval

Field Work

Data Analysis

Report Writing and Presentation

gy

R e s e a r c h P r o p o s a l

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Basic Proposal Outline:

Title page Abstract Introduction Literature review Methodology Expected results Ethical issues Timeline (Budget) Bibliography (or References)


Title page• Personal data (name, academic title, contact

information)• Title of the research report: The title should be brief(ten words or 60

characters), it should be accurate, descriptive and comprehensive, clearly indicating the subject of the investigation.

• The name(s) of the supervisor(s), and their affiliation.



Abstract (100 - 200 words), • Should be a concise summary of the WHOLE

project:

Background

Objectives

Methods

Result

Conclusion




Introduction• Topic area: Starts broad and then focused: Step 1: Choose a subject or area of interest. Step 2: Conduct a preliminary exploration of

the subject. Step 3: Narrow and shape the subject into a

specific topic.


• Research question Objectives(general & specific) Hypotheses• Significance to knowledge Rationale & importance Impact(benefit from the

research)



• Research question Objectives(general & specific) Why should research objectives be developed? (Formulation of objectives will help to:) Focus the study (narrowing it down to essentials); Avoid collection of data that are not necessary for

understanding and solving the problem.



• Research question Objectives(general & specific) Why should research objectives be developed? (Properly formulated, specific objectives will:) Facilitate the development of your research

methodology. Help to orient the collection , analysis,

interpretation, and utilization of data.



• Research question Objectives(general & specific)Formulation Of Research Objectives:The objectives of a research project summarize what is to be achieved by the study.The objectives should be closely related to the statement of the problem.


to identify the reasons for this low utilization.

if the problem is

low utilization of child welfare clinics

the objective should be gy

gy

gy

eg.


• Research question Objectives(general & specific)General objective: states what is expected to be achieved by the study in general terms. Specific objectives: It is possible (and advisable) to break down a general objective into smaller, logically connected parts.

(Specific objectives should specify what isintended to be done in the study, where, and when.)



• Research question Objectives(general & specific) The general objective “to identify the reasons for

low utilization of child welfare clinics in District X & to find solutions,”

could be broken down into smaller more specific objectives, such as:



• Research question Objectives(general & specific)Specific Objectives, such as:

1. To determine the level of utilization of the child welfare clinics in District X, over the years 1998 and 1999.

This first objective focuses on quantifying the problem.

Often use can be made of available statistics or of the health information system.



• Research question Objectives(general & specific)

Specific objectives, such as:

2. To identify variations in utilization of child welfare clinics, related to the season, type of clinic, and children served.

Objective 2 further specifies the problem, looking at its distribution.



• Research question Objectives(general & specific)Specific objectives, such as:

3. To identify factors that make the services attractive or not attractive to mothers.

This objective examines possible factors that may play a role in the problem

This objective may be divided into smaller sub-objectives focusing on factors such as distance to the clinic, quality of the services, their acceptability to mothers



• Research question Objectives(general & specific)Specific objectives, such as:

4. To identify socioeconomic and cultural factors that may influence the mothers’ utilization of services.

Again, this objective may be broken down into several sub-objectives.

It also examines possible factors that may play a role in the problem



• Research question

Characteristics of Good Objectives

Specific

Measurable

Achievable

Realistic/Relevant

Time-Bound


SMART


• Research question How to state the objectives?

Cover the different aspects of the problem and its contributing factors in a coherent way and logical sequence;

Are clearly phrased in operational terms, specifying exactly what you are going to do, where, and when



Make sure that the objectives of the study:

How to state the objectives?

Use action verbs that are specific enough to be evaluated. eg.: to determine, to compare, to verify, to calculate, to describe, and to establish.Avoid the use of vague non-action verbs, such as: to appreciate, to understand, or to study.



Make sure that the objectives of the study:

How to state the objectives?Eg. Utilization of child welfare clinics, more specific objectives may be:1. To compare the level of utilization of the child welfare clinic services among various socioeconomic groups;2. To describe the pattern of utilization of child welfare clinic services in various seasons of the year;



Hypotheses It is a prediction of a relationship

between one or more factors and the problem under study, which can be tested.

Based on experience with the study problem, it might be possible to develop explanations (formulate hypotheses) for the problem.


Basic Proposal Outline:Research question

Hypotheses

eg. low utilization of child welfare clinicsIt would be possible to formulate and test the

following hypotheses:1. Utilization of child welfare clinics is lowest in

the rainy season due to the high workload of mothers during that period.

2. Utilization of child welfare clinics is lowest in those clinics in which staff are poorly motivated to provide preventive services.



• Significance to knowledge Rationale & importance Impact(benefit from the research) Why is it important to answer this question? What are the implications of doing it? How is it significant to the body of knowledge? How does it stand to inform policy making? How does it plug the holes in the knowledge?



Literature review

• Previous research: others & yours International-regional- local Cover research that is relevant

and explains the relationship between variables being studied.



Literature review Chronological Order—by the dates of

publication. Problem-Cause-Solution Order—move from

the problem to the solution General-to-Specific Order: Examine broad-

based research first and then focus on specific studies that relate to the topic


Basic Proposal Outline: cont.

Common Errors Made in Literature Reviews

• Review isn’t logically organized• Review isn’t focused on most important facets of

the study• Review doesn’t relate literature to the study• Too few references or outdated references cited• Review isn’t written in author’s own words• Review reads like a series of disjointed

summaries• Review doesn’t argue a point





Methodology• Approach• Data needs• Analysis



Methodology• Approach qualitative Research DesignIdentify and describe the proposed quantitative or

the qualitative research designs . Provide a brief description for research designs that were chosen to study the topic. Study Area and Population Identify and describe where the study will take

place, including city, state and institution.


Basic Proposal Outline: Methodology• Approach qualitative

Sample Identify and describe the sampling method for

the portions of the proposed study (i.e., simple random sampling, convenience sampling, etc.

Indicate the anticipated sample size for each of the quantitative and quantitative study. Describe the expected demographic characteristics

of the quantitative and qualitative samples Specify inclusion & exclusion criteria



Methodology• Data needs Measures and Instrumentation For the quantitative portion of the study:

Identify the independent and the dependent variables.

Describe the type of quantitative study instrument being used, such as a questionnaire, a case record review form, or if the data are supposed to come from administrative data.


Basic Proposal Outline: cont.

Methodology• Data needs Measures and Instrumentation For the quantitative portion of the study:

Describe the reliability of the study instrument, if known. If not known, then describe how you would address reliability issues.

Describe the validity of the study instrument, if known. If not known, then describe how you would address validity issues.

• Data analysis: Describe how collected data will be analyzed Describe how data will be presented(dummy tables) What statistical tests will you use? Be sure the statistics are appropriate for the study

design Analysis should be linked to the hypotheses and clear

how each hypothesis will be tested



Ethical Considerations Describe how you will obtain informed

consent, ensure participants’ confidentiality or anonymity, Fairness , Honesty, protect them from harm, and submit your proposal to an IRB for review and approval.

Data Collection Procedures (if the proposed study includes an intervention, describe the intervention )




Title selection Objectives formulationBackgroundLit search Methods

Proposal submission and approval

Timeline


Area & Pop SamplingInstrumentAnalysis plan


Subject/wks1-2 3-4 5-6 7-8 9-10 11-12 13-14 15-16

Title selection

Objectives

Background

Lit review

Area & Pop

Sampling

Instrument

Analysis plan

Proposal/ submission and approval

Bibliography (or References) What is referencing? A standardised way of acknowledging the

sources of information. It allows the sources to be identified. Why reference? Is important to:• Avoid plagiarism. • Enable readers to follow up what is written.



Bibliography (or References) Steps in referencing Record the full bibliographic details. Follow the guidelines of the institution. Insert the citation at the appropriate place

in the text of the document. Include a reference list at the end of your

document.



Bibliography (or References) Include only the literature which was

actually cited References may be done in either the

Harvard or Vancouver style.



Bibliography (or References) References may be done in either the

Harvard or Vancouver style. Harvard style:(Parenthetical referencing)• partial citations—for example, "(Smith

2010, P1)" Vancouver style:(author-number system)• A superscript number is inserted in the text

e.g.(Type 2 diabetes,1but it has been……)



rsch410 introduction to health research writing a research proposal research methodology mohamed m....

Documents

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research proposalwhat

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