Research Methodology in Health Sciences

Research Methodology in Health Sciences I

The Premise guideline

The study Premise document is used to identify a preliminary topic (problem) for your study. This topic should be the product of an initial investigation on your part but will be subject to change and refinement and will inform the development of your prospectus.

Completing the Premise

The study Premise consists of four parts: title, problem statement, approach for the study, and references. An annotated outline is included in this guide and should be used to create your premise document. Your primary goal for the premise is to narrow your study topic such that you have provided a general sense of the direction of your research by identifying an initial problem to study. At this point, you do not need to know everything about the research project, especially the details of your methodology. Many of those specific decisions are made during the proposal development phase of your study, although some consideration of how you will execute your study is appropriate from the beginning.

All documents related to your study, including the premise should follow the guidelines in the sixth edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association and should be saved in a .doc file format.

When completed, please follow the submission guidelines for research course. You may also want to review the  key indicators in the Premise Rubric are used to assure on the whole quality of the Research Problem, which has been provided at the end of this guide.

An Annotated Outline

The Premise document includes a title page (page 1) followed by pages containing the required elements in the premise.

Title Page

The recommended title length is 12 words or fewer to include the topic, the variables and relationship between them, and the most critical keywords. Double-space the title if over one line of type and center it under the word “Premise.” Please note that your study title will likely change as the project evolves, so allow yourself the flexibility to adapt your title, as necessary. Include your name, your program of study, and your student number—double-spaced and centered under the title. Title Start with “Premise” and a colon, and then include the title as it appears on the title page. Double-space if over one line of type and center it at the top of the page.

Problem Statement

Provide a one- to two-paragraph statement that is the result of a review of research findings and current practice and that contains the following information:

• A logical argument for the need to address an identified gap in the research literature that has relevance to the discipline and/or area of practice.
• Preliminary evidence that provides justification that this problem is meaningful to the discipline or professional field. Provide at least five key citations that highlight the relevance and currency of the problem.

Approach for the Study

Identify a possible research approach that is appropriate for the tentative topic identified in the problem statement, along with any initial thoughts on methodology:

• Quantitative
• Qualitative
• Mixed methods, primarily quantitative
• Mixed methods, primarily qualitative
• Other: Specify

Total of 250words

References

On a new page, list your references formatted in the correct style (sixth edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association.

up to date literature (2015 to present)

• Follow the institutional rules regarding
• Font Times New Roman or Arial, size 12 along with 1.5 line spacing and margins of 2.5 cm all-around each page (right-left-top-bottom) should be used.

 

 

Premise Rubric

The prominent characteristic of considerable research is that research must make an unique contribution to the nursing; however, the students may make a great effort to identify what research will truly contribute to the nursing practice or education. The most critical step for such a contribution is to first identify a significant research problem with the four characteristics noted here.

 

Students should use this rubric to guide development of their Premise.

Researchfaculty should use the rubric to give continuous feedback, and to document their final acceptance of the Premise.

Faculty Instructions

For each item, choose “met” or “not met” if the Premise meets that quality indicator. For items marked “not met”, please suggest ways in which the Premise can be improved to meet the standard and forward the rubric to the student. Instructions for final approval appear at the end of the rubric.

The key indicators in the Premise Rubric are used to assure on the whole quality of the Research Problem.

Indicators	Meet	Not meet	Comments: If not met, which items are missing?
1. Justified? Does evidence support that this problem is significant to the professional field? Evidence—relevant statistics (e.g., expressing an inequality, financial impact, lost efficiency), documentable discrepancies (e.g., two models that are difficult to reconcile), or other scholarly facts—must point to the significance and urgency of the problem. The problem must be an authentic “puzzle” that needs solving, not merely a topic that the researcher finds interesting.
2. Grounded in the Research Literature? Can the problem be framed to enable the research to either build on or counter previously published findings on the topic? For most fields, being grounded involves articulating theproblem within the context of a theoretical or conceptual framework. Although manyapproaches can ground a study in the scientific literature, the essential requirement is that theproblem is framed such that the new findings will have implications for the previousfindings.
3. Original? Does the problem reflect a meaningful gap in the research literature? Addressing the problem should result in an original contribution to the nursing practice.
4. Compliant to Scientific Study? Can a scholarly, systematic method of inquiry be applied to address the problem? The framing of the problem should not reveal bias or present an unavoidable conclusion. Even if the researcher has a strong opinion on the expected findings, the researcher must maximize scholarly objectivity by framing the problem in the context of a systematic inquiry that permits multiple possible conclusions.

 

 

Research Methodology in Health Sciences I

The Prospectus guideline

 

The study Prospectus is a brief document that provides preparatory information about your researchand is used as a plan for developing the proposal that is evaluated to ensure the quality of your research.

 

Implementation the Prospectus

The goal for the prospectus is to design a plan for developing your study proposal. The study Prospectus consists of several short sections, which are detailed in the annotated outline. Therefore, you need to have more information for the prospectus than the study Premise. You do not need to know all the specific details of the study that you will finally conduct. For example, you aim to identify pain intensity in a quantitative study, but at this point, you do not yet need to identify the instrument that you plan to use to measure pain intensity.

The outline in this guideline is general, and every research project is unique therefore you canaddfurther information in your prospectus to assure your research supervisor that you are in the right direction. For example, feasibility will be one criterion for evaluating your prospectus, and if you are considering a very unique sample group, your research supervisor may ask that you explore that aspect in more detail before moving forward.

The study Prospectus should follow the guidelines in the sixth edition of the Publication

Manual of the American Psychological Association and be saved as a .doc file. You have to take into account that prospectus development is an iterative process and that you will receive continuous feedback on working drafts.

When your research supervisor consents that your prospectus meets all the quality indicators.

Your research supervisorwill give a final approval of the prospectus, and you will start working on your proposal.

 

The Outline

The Prospectus document includes a title page (page 1) followed by pages containing the required elements in the prospectus.

Title Page

The recommended title length is 12 words or fewer to include the topic, the variables and relationship between them, and the most critical keywords. Double-space the title if over one line of type and center it under the word “Prospectus.” Please note that your proposal title wills likely change as the project evolves. Add your name, your program of study, and your Student number—double-spaced and centered under the title.

 

Title

Start with “Prospectus” and a colon, and then include the title as it appears on the title page. Double-space if over one line of type and center it at the top of the page.

 

Problem Statement

Provide a one- to two-paragraph statement that is the result of a review of research findings and current practice and that contains the following information:

• A logical argument for the need to address an identified gap in the research literature that has current relevance to the discipline and area of practice. Remember that a gap in the research is not, in and of itself, a reason to conduct research. Make sure to clarify the problem that led you to the gap.
• Add evidence that provides justification that this problem is meaningful to the discipline or professional field. Provide three to five key citations that support the relevance and currency of the problem. These references are not necessary all be from peer reviewed journals but should be from reputable sources, such as national agency databases or scholarly books, and should ideally be from the past 5 years.

 

Purpose

Present a concise, one-paragraph statement on the overall purpose or intention of the study, which serves as the connection between the problem being addressed and the focus of the study.

• In quantitative studies, state what needs be studied by describing two or more factors (variables) and a supposed relationship among them related to the identified gap or problem.
• In qualitative studies, describe the need for increased understanding about the issue to be studied, based on the identified gap or problem.
• In mixed-methods studies, with both quantitative and qualitative aspects, clarify how the two approaches will be used together to inform the study.
• For other approaches, clarify why an alternative approach is needed and useful for this project.

Significance

Provide one or two paragraphs, informed by the topic in the problem statement, that describe the following:

• How this study will contribute to filling the gap identified in the problem statement: What original contribution will this study make?
• How this research will support professional practice or allow practical application: Answer the so what?
• How the claim aligns with the problem statement to reflect the potential relevance of this study to society: How might the potential findings lead to positive social change?

 

Background

Provide a representative list of scholarship and findings that support and clarify the main assertions in the problem statement, highlighting their relationship to the topic, for example, “this variable was studied with a similar sample by Smith (2013) and Johnson (2014)” or

“Jones’s (2012) examination of industry leaders showed similar trends in the same key segments.” Some of these resources may have already been mentioned in the first sections of the prospectus and can be included here, also.

 

 

 

Framework

In one paragraph, describe the theoretical/conceptual framework in the scholarly literature that will ground the study. Base this description on the problem, purpose, and background of your study. This theoretical or conceptual framework informs, and is informed by, the research question(s) and helps to identify research design decisions, such as the method of inquiry and data collection and analysis.

 

Research Question(s)

List the question or a series of related questions that are informed by the study purpose, which will lead to the development of what needs to be done in this study and how it will be accomplished. A research question informs the research design by providing a foundation for

• generation of hypotheses in quantitative studies,
• questions necessary to build the design structure for qualitative studies, and a
• Process by which different methods will work together in mixed-methods studies.

 

Nature of the Study

Using one of the following terms as a subheading; provide a concise paragraph that discusses the approach that will be used to address the research question(s) and how this approach aligns with the problem statement. The subheadings and examples of study design are as follows:

• Quantitative—for experimental, quasiexperimental, or nonexperimental designs; treatment-control; repeated measures; causal-comparative; single-subject; predictive studies; or other quantitative approaches
• Qualitative—for ethnography, case study, grounded theory, narrative inquiry, phenomenological research, policy analysis, or other qualitative traditions
• Mixed methods, primarily quantitative—for sequential, concurrent, or transformative studies, with the main focus on quantitative methods
• Mixed methods, primarily qualitative—for sequential, concurrent, or transformative studies, with the main focus on qualitative methods
• Other—for another design, to be specified with a justification provided for its use.

 

Types and Sources of Data

Provide a list of possible types and sources of data that could be used to address the proposed research question(s), such as test scores from college students, employee surveys, observations of a phenomenon, interviews with practitioners, historical documents from state records, identified medical records, or information from hospital database. Sources of information that support and clarify the problem belong in the Background section.

 

Analytical Strategies

Offer some possible ways to organize and analyze the results obtained by the research strategies detailed previously. A few examples of possible analytical strategies include multiple regression, content analysis, and meta-analysis. Keep in mind that data analysis approaches are generally decided after the research question and data collection approach are settled, so your strategy here may evolve and change as you develop your proposal.

 

 

Other Information

Add any other relevant information, such as challenges or barriers that may need to be addressed when conducting this study.

Total of 2000words

 

 

References

On a new page, list your references formatted in the correct style (sixth edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, modeled at the end of this guide) for all citations within the study Prospectus.Up to date literature (2015 to present)

 

• Follow the institutional rules regarding
• Font Times New Roman or Arial, size 12 along with 1.5 line spacing and margins of 2.5 cm all-around each page (right-left-top-bottom) should be used.

 

 

Prospectus Rubric

 

The key indicators in the Prospectus Rubric are used to assure the overall quality of the study prospectus. Students should use this rubric to guide development of their Prospectus. Researchsupervisors should use the rubric to give feedback, and to document their final acceptance of the prospectus.

Researchsupervisors Instructions

For each item, choose “met” or “not met” if the Prospectus meets that quality indicator. For items marked “not met”, please suggest ways in which the prospectus can be improved to meet the standard and forward the rubric to the student. Instructions for final approval appear at the end of the rubric.

 

 

Indicators	Meet	Not meet	Comments: If not met, which items are missing?
1.      Complete? Does the prospectus contain all the required elements? Refer to the outline to see the required parts of the Prospectus document.
2.      Meaningful? Has a meaningful problem or gap in the research literature been identified? In other words, is addressing this problem the logical next step, given the previous exploratory and confirmatory research (or lack thereof) on this topic? It is not acceptable to simply replicate previous research.
3.      Justified? Is evidence presented that this problem is significant to the discipline and/or professional field? The prospectus should provide relevant statistics and evidence, documentable discrepancies, and other scholarly facts that point to the significance and urgency of the problem.
4.      Grounded? Is the problem framed to enable the researcher to either build upon or counter the previously published findings on the topic? For most fields, grounding involves articulating the problem within the context of a theoretical base or conceptual framework. Although many approaches can ground a study in the scientific literature, the essential requirement is that the problem is framed such that the new findings will have implications for the previous findings.
5.      Impact? Does this project have potential to affect positive social change? As described in the Significance section.
6.      Feasible? Can a systematic method of inquiry be used to address the problem? The tentative methodology demonstrates that the researcher has considered the options for inquiry and has selected an approach that has potential to address the problem.
7.      Aligned? Do the various aspects of the prospectus align overall? The nature of the study should align with the problem, research questions, and tentative approaches to inquiry.
8.      Objective? Is the topic approached in an objective manner? The framing of the problem should not reveal bias or present a foregone conclusion. Even if the researcher has a strong opinion on the expected findings, the researcher must maximize scholarly objectivity by framing the problem in the context of a systematic inquiry that permits multiple possible conclusions.
9.      Original? Does this study have potential to make an original contribution? The problem must be an authentic “puzzle” that needs solving, not merely a topic that the researcher finds interesting. Addressing the problem should result in an original contribution to the field or discipline.