Research Questions and Hypotheses

 Having identified the research problem and the research gap is defined, the researcher comes up with questions that guides the study. This is the research question needed to address the research problem. Depending on the research question, the researcher will be able to plan how to approach the study. For instance, an approach could require a qualitative, quantitative, or the mixed method (see research approaches in a later blog). While research questions are usually generated for qualitative research studies, the hypothesis (representing a claim to be tested) is used in quantitative studies

Literature review: what is it and how should researchers handle the process?

 A literature review is that part of the research process where study materials and other sources needed for the study are identified. During the literature review, a researcher gathers all the literature needed to support the study. This will include articles, journals, webpages, book excerpts etc.

In most cases, the literature review is conducted in these simple steps

1.       Collect articles, journals, books, magazines, videos, interview scripts and any material that is vital to the research study

2.       Search the literature for relevant material related to the research topic

3.       Analyze and interpret the literature to identify what issues are being discussed or addressed

4.       Identify gaps in the literature

5.       Start writing the literature review, discussing what earlier writers have researched and what has not been adequately addressed (i.e., the research gap). The process (which is often iterative is illustrated below)

Defining the Problem: From Social to Research Problems

Before social researchers can identify a problem, it must be something that virtually everyone is aware of. For instance, the problem of violence in poor neighborhoods is considered a social problem. However, it is not a research problem until it is agreed there is still something everyone does not know. This is why literature reviews are crucial in the research process because it identifies something those earlier scholars or researchers are missing. This is the research gap, and it sets the ball rolling for every research study. If a social problem is violence in poor neighborhoods (which everyone in the society knows about) a research problem is something not everyone knows about and should know. In this case, a research problem here will be "why is the crime rate higher in some cities than the others?"