|
|||||
| Principles of Good Research As a researcher, you should always take the following eight basic rules of good research into account. 1. Dare to build upon the research of others – Many research questions have been addressed before. And most social science problems are very complex. Each individual researcher is, in a way, an intellectual ‘dwarf’. In the early stages of a small research project, get an overview of the most relevant approaches. Very often there are good textbooks that can give you this overview in a few hours. 2. Dare to make motivated choices – Research is a choice process. You have to dare to make choices, otherwise nothing will come of your research. The worst thing you can do, besides not daring to make choices, is not specifying choices. The choices you have to make and specify include: the problem, the research aim, the level of analysis, theories used, methodologies applied, stakeholder perspective taken into account, sources searched for and audience you intend to address.
5. Make a clear distinction between analytical and normative judgment – A limited research project can only lead to limited conclusions. Always specify the conditions under which you think your research results hold true. Avoid the inclination of many researchers to come to prescription on the basis of weak or very limited description of empirical phenomena. Conclusions can only be based on the results of the research. Speculating on the basis of your research results could be valuable and interesting, but can only be done after the conclusions, and should be explicitly stated as such. 6. Strive for the highest possible integrity – Every researcher should be aware of the ease with which data and figures can be manipulated. You frequently make use of data collected by others, for instance, often at high levels of aggregation. So you should adopt a high level of integrity when assembling qualitative and quantitative data. Likewise, always take into account the possibility that data and arguments have been manipulated by others. 7. Be critical – Good research is critical research. A good researcher is not afraid to ask tough questions. Never stop asking the ‘why’ question. A skilled researcher should be capable of expressing doubt, and asking ‘why’ questions without annoying the recipient of the research question. 8. Good research is disciplined and realistic – Research is not easy. You may hope to be inspired by the aims you set for yourself. But always keep in mind one final ‘rule of thumb’, which is applicable to most research projects; ‘good research is the result of 80% perspiration and 20% inspiration’.
Skill Sheets research The table below tells you which Skill Sheet to go to for a specific area.
|
A
|
||||
3.
Always define the most important concepts – Words and concepts
can have many meanings. The dictionary definition of a concept is often
inappropriate for research, because the dictionary is too general, and
frequently gives definitions based on circular reasoning. Use definitions
from the relevant literature, and explain your choice of a particular
definition if more than one definition exists. Make the definition operational,
i.e. understandable and open to testing. Always consider the context
in which a definition is introduced.