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Chapter 5: Researching

1)What is research and its Purpose:Research is the collection of relevant dat/information to be

used for the production of the document. Research forms the

basis of every document. A technical writer can not write a

document without proper research. We have problems because

we have wants and needs. In order to solve the problems,collection of relevant data is essential.

The findamental concept of research is questionaing. The

answers which we get for our intelligently designed questions

provide us the relevant facts. Questioning is of two types:

1)Close ended Questions/Close Questions2)Open ended Questions/Open Questions

1)Close QuestionsThe nature of close questions is that they generate a

limited/specific and to the point responce from the respondant.

Therefore, closed questions are used to obtain very basic informations.

2)Open QuestionsAn open question has such a nature that it allows a detail

and more involved response from the respondant. Therefore, these are

used to obtain detailed information/secondary information. Hence,

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their nature is of subjectivity or contrary to the subjective nature of

closed questions.

A researcher utilizes the following three sources for collecting

relevant information:

1)InterviewingInterviews are conducted from one respondant. Therefore, they are

time consuming. However, they provide the researcher detailed

information and very close observation. In order to conduct interviews,a researcher must interact flexibly and design questions intelligently.

2)ProbingA researcher may encounter a situation in which the respondants do

not provide the adequate information. Normally, it has been felt that

the respondants say less as compared to what they know in their first

response. In such situations, probing is utilized by the researcher whichmeans extracting/digging deeper in order to get the unsaid information

in the first response. Probing involves two techniques:

a)Echotechniqueb)Reformulation

a)EchotechniqueThe researcher notes the first response of the respondant and

asks him to explain one important jargon/terminology or a phrase. The

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response provides probing to the researcher because the response will

be more involved and detailed.

b)ReformulationIn this case, the researcher either rephrases the first response of

the repondant or gives a comment on the first response of the

respondant. As a result, the respondant indulges into giving

clearifications/explanations and researcher gets the relevant

information in a more detailed way.

Interviews are an exact source for observations/researching

because here along with the verbal responses, the non-verbal

communication are also present.

Surveying

On contrary to intervies, surveys are less time taking because in

surveys, the here researcher can engage a lot of respondance at one

time. Surveys consist of written responses which are obtained on a

written form/questionaire (survey-form). This questionaire must be

designed very intelligently in order to get the exact/relevant

information needed by the researcher.

1)A survey form may consist of both close ended and open endedquestions, but the open ended questions and their responses are

difficult to tabulate.

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2)Use context setting introductions. The questionaires/survey-formmust contain the context setting introduction at the top. It

provides the respondants answers to:

a) Why the researcher needs this information.b) How will this information be utilized by the researcher.

c) Why the researcher has chosen the respondant for this survey.

3)The questions must be designed carefully.4)The questionaire should be made in such a way that it provides

facility to the researcher when he collects/tabulates information

from the form.

Printed/Published information:

A researcher may use libraries and internet for researching but it

must be made sure that what is the age of the information.

Sometimes, an information is present but it is obselete/outdated.