Practical Nursing

What is Research?

• The organized quest for new knowledge and better understanding (Stedman's Medical Dictionary, 28th ed)

• Investigation or experimentation aimed at the discovery and interpretation of facts, revision of accepted theories or laws in the light of new facts, or practical application of such new or revised theories or laws (Merriam-Webster, 2011)

Research can be categorized in many different ways:

• basic or applied

• observational or interventional

• qualitative or quantitative

• primary or secondary  [for details click tab Evaluating Sources]

What do all types of research have in common?

• context: prior research on the topic, future directions

• structured process: uses a scientific perspective to analyze a specific research question of interest and develop an approach for studying it

• methodology: follows recognized procedures appropriate to the research area

• objectivity: incorporates multiple perspectives yet remains unbiased

Peer Review

A generic term for a process of self-regulation by a profession or a process of evaluation involving qualified individuals within the relevant field. Peer review methods are employed to maintain standards, improve performance and provide credibility. In academia the term is often used to denote a prepublication review of academic papers; reviewing an academic paper is often called refereeing. 

Merriam-Webster

A process by which something proposed (as for research or publication) is evaluated by a group of experts in the appropriate field

Scholarly Versus Academic Sources

The Internet and the Library make it is easy to find information, but it is more difficult to identify sources you can rely on. Evaluate your sources carefully to ensure you've selected material that is trustworthy and appropriate for your assignment.

The type of source you need will depend on:

• Information need: How you intend to use a source will help you determine the kind of authority and/or credibility you give a source.

• Information source context: Where it came from, its audience, format, and how it is used--help determine its authority and appropriateness.

Scholarly Academic Publications

• Written by an expert in the field of study (an academic or trained specialist)

• Date of publication is provided

• Publisher may be Colleges/Universities, professional associations, scholarly publishers + research institutes

• Purpose of the article or publication is to report on experiments, theories, case studies + other research

• Editing is conducted through the peer review process, by experts in the field

• Sources are used in the author's research are cited in a reference list or footnotes

Popular Publications

• Written by those without expertise in the field (a member of the public or journalist) or no author is stated

• Popular publications, especially WWW publications, often do not give a date of publication

• Published by commercial for-profit publishers or members of the public

• Purpose of the publication is to sell advertised products, inform, promote a point of view or entertain

• Review of content is by a generalist (a magazine editor) or no review

• Sources are rarely cited or are inaccurate Other Accurate spelling + grammar, few advertisements, logical + well written Spelling + grammar errors may occur, many advertisements, poor or variable writing quality

Western University Libraries. (n.d.). Lesson 10: Information need and context. 

Qualitative vs. Quantitative Research

These are different research methods to acquire answers to social phenomena. You can differentiate between qualitative and quantitative research by looking at the outcomes and goals of the research and processes involved. 

Qualitative Research: Research that involves sensory research methods such as interviewing, listening or observing to gather and organize data into patterns or themes, observations (Maricopa College, n.d.). Examples include case studies, phenomenological studies, grounded theory, and ethnographies (Smith, 2017). More information on qualitative research. Qualitative research an be difficult to reproduce, such as observational studies. 

Quantitative Research: Research that intends to identify a relationship between one thing (an independent variable) and another (a dependent or outcome variable) in a given population. The two types of quantitative research methods are experiment or survey/descriptive. A descriptive research study usually establishes associations between variables. An experiment usually establishes causality. Methods usually involve measuring subjects and reporting results. Usually the study or article will outline how subjects were selected, how many subjects participated, and how a random sample was selected (Smith, 2017) . More information on quantitative research.

Mixed methods studies use both research approaches, producing both qualitative and quantitative data that can be used to provide insight and answer research questions.

McGill University provides an excellent comparison table, as well as a number of examples.Or see this chart for the differences between the two types of research.