Formulating a Research Study Problem & Search of Literature
Part1 AS1: Formulating a Research Study Problem
The research process often begins with a broad idea for a topic you would like to know more about. Finding a research topic that is interesting, relevant, feasible, and worthy of your time may take substantial effort. Considering your options, doing some background work on each option, and ultimately settling on a topic that is manageable will spare you frustration. You must do some preliminary research to identify a problem. An adequate research problem plays an important role in the success of your study.
Students are to brainstorm general topics that genuinely interest you. Do some background reading on each in general reference texts like encyclopedias, library databases, and online sources that are available in relation to your potential topic. Write down the ideas, information, and sources that interest you the most. Then, review your notes to start refining your topic into a precise, narrow research focus. Students are to submit at least three topics of interest that can be discussed with your professor.( 1 page )
Part 2 AS2: Search of Literature
Before you begin searching for literature, you need a clearly defined topic. Written literature review can assist you in your development of a clear topic. Research can contribute to the existing scholarship, helps identify gaps, and justify your research questions and your investigations. Reviewing current literature can help identify the problem of the study, which can be solved by collection of data. Reviewing existing literature highlights current knowledge including substantive findings, as well as theoretical and methodological contributions to a particular topic. It can also give direction to your identification of your study problem.
Students are to begin to search the Literature related to their topic. Review the abstracts of research studies carefully. Evaluate and select sources. Begin organizing your literature review’s argument and structure, you need to understand the connections and relationships between the sources you have read. Students are to do a one-page summary of a research study that they found during their literature review. The summary should include the following information: What was the research methodology? Analyze its literature review, the samples and variables used, the results, and the conclusions. Does the research seem to be complete? Could it have been conducted more soundly? What further questions does it raise? If there are conflicting studies, why do you think that is? How are the authors viewed in the field? Has this study been cited?; if so, how has it been analyzed? How are these factors relevant to your topic with Social Work Research, Practice, and Policy?
( 1 page )