The steps to conduct academic and commercial research

Research is an essential part of conducting business and participating in the scientific community. Students, academics, and business leaders engage in research to gain critical insights into particular topics that they do not fully understand. These topics can be anything from discovering new vaccines to gaining insight into a target market. Following the steps of the research process will help ensure that you adhere to a rigorous scientific method.

1.) Understand your problem: It will be quite difficult to design a study if you don’t understand the nature of the problem at the beginning. While you may have a rough understanding of the problem, actually pointing out that problem in one sentence can be terribly frustrating. Sometimes you will need to review the evidence, conduct interviews, and complete some non-scientific experimentation to better define the situation or problem. The more knowledge and experience a person has, the easier it will be to understand what is happening.

2.) Do some background research: You can better understand what kind of study to do if you know about current research. You may find that the issue has been resolved or is close enough to draw some inferences for your business without the additional expense associated with further investigation. Keep strong notes on the studies you find because your literature review will provide a detailed discussion of current findings on the topic.

3.) Formulate your research question: Your research question is the centerpiece of any study. A quick glance at the research question will tell you precisely what question the study will try to answer. As you build your study, the design will reflect your research question(s). Research questions are usually labeled R1 and R2 and are written very explicitly so that they can be measured.

4.) Design your study: The study design is based on the need to answer the research question. If the study seeks to evaluate some phenomenon statistically, but the variables are not well known, then an exploratory design may be beneficial. It is always wise to refer to similar studies on the subject to gain a better understanding of the layout you need to use.

5.) Get approvals and financing (if needed) – Depending on the entity you work for, you may need different types of approvals. At an academic level, you may need approvals from a university’s Board of Research or International Review Board. Company employees may need to obtain permission from senior management. Whether you’re working with private, government, public, personal, or corporate money, it’s wise to have it before you spend money.

6.) Get the necessary materials: Sometimes you will need special equipment, while other times you will use online surveys, existing data, historical information, etc. It helps to know where you are going to get this information, pay for the services you need, and collect written permission to access the information.

7.) Conducting the study: Conducting your study will take time and careful effort. Be sure to follow procedures correctly to withstand scrutiny. If you deviate from the processes outlined in the study, you may need to go back and reauthorize those changes with the funding and oversight boards. The more consistent you are with each piece of data collection, the stronger your study will be with respect to validity.

8.) Evaluating the data and your results: Once you’ve collected your data, you’ll need to find a way to evaluate it to disprove the null hypothesis. Refuting the null hypothesis means that the alternative, or the one you seek, is justified through a specified level of confidence. There is software available like SPSS or even free software like Microsoft Excel that can do the necessary work.

9.) Report, Publish and Share – The ultimate goal is to contribute to a body of knowledge by sharing your results. The most common methods are giving a presentation at a conference or publishing it in a peer-reviewed journal. Even if you can’t do this, you can still post it to the web for others to see.