RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

RESEARCH GAP & RESEARCH ETHICS

By:AARDHRA GOWRYKERALA UNIVERSITY OF FISHERIES AND OCEAN STUDIES

WHAT IS RESEARCH?

Research is composed of two words: ‘re’ & ‘search’, which means to search again, or to search for new facts or to modify the older ones.

The Webster’s International Dictionary defines research as “ a careful critical inquiry or examination in seeking facts or principles diligent investigation in order to ascertain something.”

A RESEARCH SHOULD CONTAIN…

1. A venue of quest, inquisition or investigation.

2. Specific or well defined domain.3. A well laid hypothesis.4. Capable of being based upon observable

data.5. Scientific techniques of analysis.6. Logical interpretation of results.

RESEARCH PROBLEM

A well defined and a structured research problem is the heart of the research project.

When you submitting your research proposal for a proposal presentation or grant applications, the evaluators might ask, your what you trying to investigate?

The best way to do it is ,propose puzzling, which is useful to build your research problem.

RESEARCH GAP

A research gap is defined as a topic or area for which missing or insufficient information limits the ability to reach a conclusion for a question.

A research need is defined as a gap that limits the ability of decision-makers from making decisions.

HOW TOO ELIMINATE THE RESEARCH GAP

Organizations most commonly used variations of the PICO (population, intervention, comparison, outcomes) framework.

The proposed framework includes two major components:

a) Identification and classification of the reasons why the research gap exists

b) Characterization of the research gap using the PICOS (population, intervention, comparison, outcomes, setting) elements

A) Identifying reasons for the existence of the research gap:

Choose the most important reason(s) for the existence of the research gap

Select the reason(s) that prevent conclusions about the evidence from being made

Classify the reasons for research gaps, including:

1. insufficient or imprecise information 2. biased information 3. inconsistency or unknown consistency 4. not the right information 

B) Characterizing research gaps:

Use the PICOS framework to characterize research gaps related to interventions, screening tests, etc. The framework organizes research gaps as follows:

1. Population (P): information regarding the population that is not adequately represented in the evidence base (gender, race/ethnicity, age, etc.)

2. Intervention (I): information regarding the specific intervention that is inadequately included in the evidence base, the duration of the intervention, etc.

C0nt….

3. Comparison (C): lack of information regarding the comparison intervention or standard intervention

4. Outcomes (O): information regarding outcomes of interest, organized by type of outcome or timing of outcomes, to delineate where information is lacking

5. Setting (S): information regarding the relevant settings for research gaps 

RESEARCH ETHICS

When most people think of ethics (or morals), they think of rules for distinguishing between right and wrong.

It is a norms for conduct that distinguish between acceptable and unacceptable behavior.

There are several reasons why it is important to adhere to ethical norms in research:

C0nt…

First, norms promote the aims of research, such as knowledge, truth, and avoidance of error.

Second, since research often involves a great deal of cooperation and coordination among many different people in different disciplines and institutions, ethical standards promote the values that are essential to collaborative work, such as trust, accountability, mutual respect, and fairness.

Cont….

Third, many of the ethical norms help to ensure that researchers can be held accountable to the public.

Fourth, ethical norms in research also help to build public support for research.

People more likely to fund research project if they can trust the quality and integrity of research.

Cont…

Finally, many of the norms of research promote a variety of other important moral and social values, such as social responsibility, human rights, animal welfare, compliance with the law, and health and safety

Ethical lapses in research can significantly harm human and animal subjects, students, and the public