Understanding Research: A Beginner’s Guide to Research

Research can be a daunting undertaking, especially for beginners who may not know where to begin or what questions to ask. Here is a solution - "Understanding Research: A beginner's guide to research". This all-encompassing guide breaks down the essential elements of research and equips you with the necessary tools and knowledge to embark on your own research journey. Whether you are a student, a seasoned researcher, or simply someone interested in the research process, this guide will provide you with a strong foundation for understanding research. So let us delve together into the intriguing realm of research and discover its many wonders!

Beginner's guide to research

What is Research

A systematic way of collecting, organizing, and analyzing data with the aim of gaining new knowledge, finding solutions to existing problems, or discovering phenomena is called research. It’s an approach to acquiring knowledge or investigating phenomena.

Psychological Research

Psychological research is a systematic scientific process to investigate human behavior and mental processes through various methods and techniques to explore psychological phenomena or a deeper understanding of mental processes and human behaviors such as emotions, memory, learning, cognition, motivation, etc.

Psychological research is a methodical way of finding out how people feel, think, see, and act in different situations. Through research and a profound knowledge of mental processes and behaviors, we can improve the quality of human lives and enhance well-being.

Purpose of Research

The main goal of psychological research is to learn more about how the mind works and how people act. In psychology, research is done to figure out how different things that affect emotions, feelings, behaviors, and actions are related.

In addition, one of the important goals of research is to develop new knowledge and theories that define specific aspects of human behaviors. Researchers conduct research to test hypotheses and theories, they replicate research to refine previous knowledge and findings.

Furthermore, research is conducted to find effective therapeutic interventions and therapies for mental disorders. Evidence-based treatment methods for psychological disorders and mental health issues are evaluated on the basis of different therapeutic interventions. Results from research findings are used to implement practical applications in treatment methods.

Fields where Psychological Research can be Conducted

Research in psychology is vast and diverse field that covers many areas of study. Some of those areas are given below:

Psychological basic research

The goal of basic research is to better understand the underlying mechanisms that govern and influence human actions. This sort of study is done in a controlled environment utilizing tools like surveys and in-depth interviews.

Clinical psychology

Branch of psychology that deals with the study of assessment, diagnosis, treatment, and interventions in psychological disorders. We can conduct research in clinical psychology to find etiological factors, effects, causes, parameters, and measurements of assessment or treatment methods for effective interventions to treat different disorders.

Example: Researcher conduct research on the impact of childhood issues on mental health through which researcher can find various factors contributing to ruin mental health to find diagnoses and treatment plans for these issues.

Counseling psychology

Counseling psychology is a branch of psychology that looks at the emotional, social, and financial well-being of people. The goal of psychological research in counseling psychology is to figure out how to help people deal with problems related to their mental health, relationships, psychosocial factors, and educational issues.

Example: Researchers might look at how psychosocial factors affect mental health and academic careers.

Educational psychology

The field of educational psychology is concerned with educational, school, or teaching issues. Educational psychology focuses on the learning process of students or effective teaching methods.

Example: Researchers can study how social and emotional factors affect how well people learn.

Social psychology

It is a branch of psychology that looks at how people interact with each other and how social factors affect people's action. Social psychology explains how the presence of others changes human behavior.

Gordon Alport wrote in 1954 that it is a scientific field that uses scientific methods to "try to understand and explain how the real, imagined, or implied presence of other people affects the thoughts, feelings, and actions of individuals."

In social psychology, psychological research looks into things like attitudes, persuasion, relationships, social influence, and other phenomena.

Cognitive psychology

It is a wide area of psychology that focuses on higher mental processes. Cognitive psychology is scientific approach to studying how people think and how mental phenomena are processed. It covers a variety of topics, i.e,. attention, reasoning, memory, decision-making, problem solving, and perception, etc.

Example: A cognitive psychologist may conduct research to investigate the relationship between reasoning and decision-making skills in individuals.

Neuropsychology

Neuropsychology is broader field of psychology that is concerned with the study of brain activity and behavior. Professionals in this branch study the relationship between illnesses and injuries and their impact on the brain and behavior. Neuropsychology also focuses on how the function of the brain shapes behavior and how changes in the function or structure of the brain are involved in the replacement of cognitive or emotional processes in the brain.

Example: Individuals who conduct research in this field may study different variables at the same time. They can examine the difference between the brains of a male and a female. A variety of topics are discussed, like effects of brain injuries, dysfunction, or changes in brain structures.

Personality psychology

It is subfield of psychology that is concerned with the study of how different aspects of personality develop in humans. Personality psychology is related to the understanding of different parameters of personality and placing emphasis on underlying factors that contribute to the development of personality, such as cultural influences, environment, and genetics.

Example: those who conduct research in this field may focus on early life experiences and emotional regulation.

Importance of Research

Significance of research in the field of psychology cannot be overstated. Here are some reasons given below why research is crucial in psychology:

• Improves the understanding of human behavior
• Develops effective evidence-based therapeutic treatment method
• Identifies risk and protective factors related to mental health
• Emphasizes the importance of resilience and well-being in individuals
• Provides opportunities for professional development and career advancement in the field

Benefits of Research (Dos and Don’ts)

Dos:

Informed consent: While conducting research, one must obtain informed consent of the participant and determine whether he or she is willing to take part in research. If he or she is willing to participate without any pressure or other factors, include him in research.

Participants' Safety: Safety of participants matters a lot in research; protect them from harm, any threat, or violence. It’s necessary to maintain the confidentiality of participants.

Use Accurate and Reliable Measures: use accurate and reliable tools during collecting data. Employ standardized instruments during data collection because this enhances the accuracy of research.

Analyze Data Appropriately: It is researchers responsibility to analyze the data appropriately, using statistical methods that are appropriate for research question and the type of data collected.

Don’ts:

Fabricate Data: Fabrication of data refers to the intentional falsification or manipulation of data to get desired results by artificially creating them. Researchers must do this if they want to conduct authentic research.

Plagiarize: plagiarizing is using another person's words or thoughts as if they were your own. It is illegal, and researchers must not plagiarize the work of others.

Bias Results: To achieve specific outcomes, researchers must avoid bias in their results. For example, an individual is conducting research on drug addiction, and his own beliefs can distort the results of the research if he includes samples of his own choice.

Involve Coercion: Study participants must be recruited, and agreement must be obtained without the use of force or undue influence on the part of researchers. Participants must be able to say "no" without worrying about repercussions.

Types of Research

Basic research

Researchers in the field of psychology conduct studies to better understand how human brain functions. They are interested in learning the fundamentals of mental processes and social interaction without necessarily seeking solutions to pressing issues.

For example, a researcher who conducts a study to understand how we feel different emotions might ignore many factors in his study.

Applied research

The goal of applied research is to find practical, implementable answers to pressing problems. Example: Studying vaccinations as a means of disease prevention.

Archival research

Archival research is all about analyzing records and documents from the past to answer research questions.

Example: looking at how popular perceptions of autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have evolved over time via magazines and educational research papers.

Observational research

Observational research includes observing and collecting data on people's actions in their natural environments.

Example: watching the helpful behavior of bystanders at the scene of any incident.

Case studies

Case studies are used to get a better understanding of a particular person, small group of individuals, or circumstance by doing in-depth research on the subject.

Example: A case study of a person with Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) and the development of their alter personalities

Survey research

Research surveys are done by talking to a lot of people and getting their answers to a list of questions that were thought up ahead of time.

Example: conducting a survey to determine the extent to which a certain group is affected by mental health problems such as depression and anxiety.

Correlational research

Research that examine the extent of relationship between two or more variables without manipulating them is called correlational research.

Example: A study may investigate the relationship between motivation and academic performance of university students.

Experimental research

In experimental research, the researcher manipulates the independent variable to see its effects on dependent variables. This research design includes the use of an experimental group and a control group, with the independent variable manipulated in the experimental group but not in the control group.

Example: A therapeutic treatment for anxiety may be tested in experimental research by randomly assigning people to go to experimental group or control group.

Cross-sectional research

Research of this type makes contemporary comparisons between populations of different age groups at the same time.

Example: a researcher might compare the cognitive abilities of children from different age groups.

Longitudinal research

In longitudinal studies, researchers check up on the same sample of participants over time to assess any changes in how they behave, think, or feel.

Example: a study might investigate the effects of a therapeutic intervention on individuals with social anxiety over a six-month period.

Qualitative research

Qualitative research is a type of research that uses things like interviews, observations, and case studies to try to figure out how people act.

Example: a researcher might examine the traumatic experiences of different individuals.

Quantitative research

This research focuses on collecting and analyzing numerical data to draw conclusions.

Example, a researcher might use quantitative methods to investigate the relationship between exercise and stress levels.

Guidelines for Research

Select a research problem

The first step in conducting research is to identify a research problem or research question that needs to be answered. This can be done by reviewing existing literature, observing trends in a given field, or identifying a gap in knowledge.

Develop a research design

A Researcher designs an outline or research design that he will use to collect data and answer research questions.

Identify appropriate data collection methods

Depending on the research design, various data collection methods may be used, such as surveys, interviews, observations, or experiments.

Data analysis and interpretation

When researchers collect data, the next step is to analyze and interpret it to draw conclusions. Statistical approaches, qualitative analysis, and other methodologies may be used for this purpose.

Writing up and presenting the results

After analyzing the data, the researcher will present his results or findings in written form. This involves a summary of the research problem, the methodology used, the results, and the conclusions drawn from those results.

Ethics in research

It is important for researchers to follow the ethics while conducting the research. This includes obtaining informed consent from participants, ensuring their privacy and confidentiality, collecting authentic data, and minimizing any potential harm that could result from the research.

Research Method

Research design

It is a crucial part of every single research project that refers to the overall plan or strategy that a researcher will use to collect and analyze data for his research.

Qualitative research design

In qualitative research design, non-numerical data like interviews, observations, and open-ended survey responses are used to gather information. This type of design aims to explore and understand complex phenomena by giving researchers a chance to learn more about the experiences and points of view of participants. 

Quantitative research design

This research design focuses on collecting and analyzing numerical data through statistical methods. This design aims to measure and quantify variables, allowing researchers to identify patterns, relationships, and trends in the data.

Mixed method research design

This type of research design, as the name suggests, uses both qualitative and quantitative research methods to learn more about a phenomenon. With this method, researchers can get information from more than one place, making their findings more accurate and reliable.

Software used in Research

There are various software tools used in research to collect, analyze, and present data. Here are some commonly used software tools:
SPSS: it is used for statistical analysis in social science research.
SAS: it is a data analysis and management tool used in research across various fields.
STATA: it is a statistical software package used for data management, analysis, and graphics.
Excel: it is a spreadsheet program used for data entry, analysis, and visualization.
NVivo: it is a qualitative data analysis software used for analyzing unstructured data like interview transcripts and survey responses.
MAXQDA: it is a software tool used for qualitative and mixed methods data analysis.
ArcGIS: it is a geographic information system (GIS) used for mapping and spatial analysis in research.
Tableau: it is a data visualization software used to create interactive and visually appealing dashboards and reports.
MATLAB: it is a programming language used for numerical computing and data visualization.
R: it is an open-source programming language and software environment used for statistical computing and graphics.

Citation

Citation in research refers to the process of acknowledging or referencing the sources of information used in a research paper, thesis/dissertation, or any other academic work. It is an important part of academic writing as it helps to:

• Give credit to the original authors or researchers whose work has been used.

• Enable readers to locate and verify the sources of information cited.

• Show the extent of research conducted by the author, highlighting the relevant literature on the topic.

• Provide a basis for future research and scholarly work.

References

References are the list of sources cited in a research paper, thesis/dissertation, or any other academic work. They provide the readers with information on the sources used in the research, enabling them to locate and verify the information presented.

Reference Style

Reference styles are the rules and guidelines that researchers follow when citing sources in their work. Different academic disciplines and institutions have different reference styles they prefer to use, and some common ones include APA (American Psychological Association), MLA (Modern Language Association), Chicago, and Harvard.