RSCH410 Introduction to Health Research Writing a Research Proposal Research Methodology Mohamed M. B. Alnoor Mona M. H. Diab

Writing a Research Proposal  What is research ?  What is a research proposal?  Basic Proposal Outline: Title page Abstract Introduction Literature review Methodology Expected results Ethical issues Timeline Bibliography (or References)  Steps in conducting research Content

Writing a Research Proposal What is research ? searchResearch Re /  Research is the  systematic collection  analysis and  interpretation of data  to answer a certain question or solve a problem.

Writing a Research Proposal What is research ?  Research  demands clear statement of the problem  requires a plan  builds on existing data  should answer the original research question

Writing a Research Proposal Identifying Problems for Research Common Research Questions What is research ?  Description of Health Problem  Magnitude of a health problem/disease  Distribution of the health problem in time, place and person.  Identification of risk factors and causes

Writing a Research Proposal Identifying Problems for Research Common Research Questions What is research ?  Effect of an intervention: Drug, vaccine, risk factor cessation, health education  Evaluation of on-going interventions: Coverage of Target Groups, Quality, Cost, Effect/Impact

Writing a Research Proposal Why research ?

Writing a Research Proposal Why, proposal?  The primary functions of the proposal are to:  SELL the research idea  Commit to do the research in a systematic way  Explains the significance/importance of the research  Explains the research methods

Writing a Research Proposal Why, proposal?  The proposal also serves to:  Show interest in academic improvement and publication.  Show that sufficient preliminary reading/ research in the area of interest have been done  (Generate funds to sustain the research units operation)

What is a proposal?  A good proposals quickly and easily answer the following questions:  What is to be achieved.  What difference will the research project make to: the university the discipline the state, the nation Writing a Research Proposal

What is a proposal?  What has already been done in the area of the project?  How is it intended to be done?  How much time will it take?  How will the results be evaluated? Writing a Research Proposal

Steps in conducting Research Selection / statement of Research Problem Background / Literature review Formulation of Objectives Study Methodology Proposal submission and approval Field Work Data Analysis Report Writing and Presentation gy R e s e a r c h P r o p o s a l

Basic Proposal Outline:  Title page  Abstract  Introduction  Literature review  Methodology  Expected results  Ethical issues  Timeline  (Budget)  Bibliography (or References) Writing a Research Proposal

 Title page Personal data Title of the research report. The name(s) of the supervisor(s).  Abstract Concise summary of the WHOLE project  Introduction Topic area Research question Significance to knowledge  Literature review Previous research: others & yours International-regional- local Writing a Research Proposal Basic Proposal Outline:

 Methodology Approach Data needs Analysis  Expected results  Ethical issues  Timeline  (Budget)  Bibliography (or References) Writing a Research Proposal Basic Proposal Outline:

 Title page Personal data (name, academic title, contact information) Title of the research report: The title should be brief(ten words or 60 characters), it should be accurate, descriptive and comprehensive, clearly indicating the subject of the investigation. The name(s) of the supervisor(s), and their affiliation. Writing a Research Proposal Basic Proposal Outline:

 Abstract ( words), Should be a concise summary of the WHOLE project: Background Objectives Methods Result Conclusion Writing a Research Proposal Basic Proposal Outline:

Writing a Research Proposal  Introduction Topic area: Starts broad and then focused: Step 1: Choose a subject or area of interest. Step 2: Conduct a preliminary exploration of the subject. Step 3: Narrow and shape the subject into a specific topic. Basic Proposal Outline:

Research question Objectives(general & specific) Hypotheses Significance to knowledge Rationale & importance Impact(benefit from the research) Writing a Research Proposal Basic Proposal Outline:

Research question Objectives(general & specific)  Why should research objectives be developed? (Formulation of objectives will help to:)  Focus the study (narrowing it down to essentials);  Avoid collection of data that are not necessary for understanding and solving the problem. Writing a Research Proposal Basic Proposal Outline:

Research question Objectives(general & specific)  Why should research objectives be developed? (Properly formulated, specific objectives will:)  Facilitate the development of your research methodology.  Help to orient the collection, analysis, interpretation, and utilization of data. Writing a Research Proposal Basic Proposal Outline:

Research question Objectives(general & specific)  Formulation Of Research Objectives:  The objectives of a research project summarize what is to be achieved by the study.  The objectives should be closely related to the statement of the problem. Writing a Research Proposal to identify the reasons for this low utilization. if the problem is low utilization of child welfare clinics the objective should be gy eg. Basic Proposal Outline:

Research question Objectives(general & specific)  General objective: states what is expected to be achieved by the study in general terms.  Specific objectives: It is possible (and advisable) to break down a general objective into smaller, logically connected parts. (Specific objectives should specify what is intended to be done in the study, where, and when.) Writing a Research Proposal Basic Proposal Outline:

Research question Objectives(general & specific)  The general objective “ to identify the reasons for low utilization of child welfare clinics in District X & to find solutions, ” could be broken down into smaller more specific objectives, such as: Writing a Research Proposal Basic Proposal Outline:

Research question Objectives(general & specific) Specific Objectives, such as: 1. To determine the level of utilization of the child welfare clinics in District X, over the years 1998 and  This first objective focuses on quantifying the problem.  Often use can be made of available statistics or of the health information system. Writing a Research Proposal Basic Proposal Outline:

Research question Objectives(general & specific) Specific objectives, such as: 2. To identify variations in utilization of child welfare clinics, related to the season, type of clinic, and children served.  Objective 2 further specifies the problem, looking at its distribution. Writing a Research Proposal Basic Proposal Outline:

Research question Objectives(general & specific) Specific objectives, such as: 3. To identify factors that make the services attractive or not attractive to mothers.  This objective examines possible factors that may play a role in the problem  This objective may be divided into smaller sub-objectives focusing on factors such as distance to the clinic, quality of the services, their acceptability to mothers Writing a Research Proposal Basic Proposal Outline:

Research question Objectives(general & specific) Specific objectives, such as: 4. To identify socioeconomic and cultural factors that may influence the mothers ’ utilization of services.  Again, this objective may be broken down into several sub-objectives.  It also examines possible factors that may play a role in the problem Writing a Research Proposal Basic Proposal Outline:

Research question Objectives(general & specific) Specific objectives, such as: 5. To make recommendations to all parties concerned (managers, health staff, and mothers) regarding what changes should be made, and how, to improve the use of child welfare clinics based on the research findings.  This objective indicates how the results would be used, and should be included in applied studies. Writing a Research Proposal Basic Proposal Outline:

Research question  Characteristics of Good Objectives  Specific  Measurable  Achievable  Realistic/Relevant  Time-Bound Writing a Research Proposal SMART Basic Proposal Outline:

Research question How to state the objectives?  Cover the different aspects of the problem and its contributing factors in a coherent way and logical sequence;  Are clearly phrased in operational terms, specifying exactly what you are going to do, where, and when Writing a Research Proposal Basic Proposal Outline: Make sure that the objectives of the study:

How to state the objectives?  Use action verbs that are specific enough to be evaluated. eg.: to determine, to compare, to verify, to calculate, to describe, and to establish.  Avoid the use of vague non-action verbs, such as: to appreciate, to understand, or to study. Writing a Research Proposal Basic Proposal Outline: Make sure that the objectives of the study:

How to state the objectives? Eg. Utilization of child welfare clinics, more specific objectives may be: 1. To compare the level of utilization of the child welfare clinic services among various socioeconomic groups; 2. To describe the pattern of utilization of child welfare clinic services in various seasons of the year; Writing a Research Proposal Basic Proposal Outline:

How to state the objectives? Eg. Utilization of child welfare clinics, more specific objectives may be: 3. To verify whether distance between home and the health facility is associated with utilization of the child welfare clinic services; 4. To describe mothers ’ satisfaction regarding quality of the services provided at the child welfare clinics. Writing a Research Proposal Basic Proposal Outline:

Hypotheses It is a prediction of a relationship between one or more factors and the problem under study, which can be tested. Based on experience with the study problem, it might be possible to develop explanations (formulate hypotheses) for the problem. Writing a Research Proposal Basic Proposal Outline: Research question

Hypotheses eg. low utilization of child welfare clinics It would be possible to formulate and test the following hypotheses: 1.Utilization of child welfare clinics is lowest in the rainy season due to the high workload of mothers during that period. 2.Utilization of child welfare clinics is lowest in those clinics in which staff are poorly motivated to provide preventive services. Writing a Research Proposal Basic Proposal Outline:

Significance to knowledge Rationale & importance Impact(benefit from the research)  Why is it important to answer this question?  What are the implications of doing it?  How is it significant to the body of knowledge?  How does it stand to inform policy making?  How does it plug the holes in the knowledge? Writing a Research Proposal Basic Proposal Outline:

 Literature review Previous research: others & yours International-regional- local Cover research that is relevant and explains the relationship between variables being studied. Writing a Research Proposal Basic Proposal Outline:

 Literature review Chronological Order—by the dates of publication. Problem-Cause-Solution Order—move from the problem to the solution General-to-Specific Order: Examine broad- based research first and then focus on specific studies that relate to the topic Writing a Research Proposal Basic Proposal Outline: cont.

Common Errors Made in Literature Reviews Review isn’t logically organized Review isn’t focused on most important facets of the study Review doesn’t relate literature to the study Too few references or outdated references cited Review isn’t written in author’s own words Review reads like a series of disjointed summaries Review doesn’t argue a point Writing a Research Proposal Basic Proposal Outline:

Writing a Research Proposal Basic Proposal Outline:  Methodology Approach Data needs Analysis

Writing a Research Proposal Basic Proposal Outline:  Methodology Approach qualitative  Research Design Identify and describe the proposed quantitative or the qualitative research designs. Provide a brief description for research designs that were chosen to study the topic.  Study Area and Population Identify and describe where the study will take place, including city, state and institution.

Writing a Research Proposal Basic Proposal Outline:  Methodology Approach qualitative  Sample  Identify and describe the sampling method for the portions of the proposed study (i.e., simple random sampling, convenience sampling, etc.  Indicate the anticipated sample size for each of the quantitative and quantitative study.  Describe the expected demographic characteristics of the quantitative and qualitative samples  Specify inclusion & exclusion criteria

Writing a Research Proposal Basic Proposal Outline:  Methodology Data needs  Measures and Instrumentation For the quantitative portion of the study:  Identify the independent and the dependent variables.  Describe the type of quantitative study instrument being used, such as a questionnaire, a case record review form, or if the data are supposed to come from administrative data.

Writing a Research Proposal Basic Proposal Outline: cont.  Methodology Data needs  Measures and Instrumentation For the quantitative portion of the study:  Describe the reliability of the study instrument, if known. If not known, then describe how you would address reliability issues.  Describe the validity of the study instrument, if known. If not known, then describe how you would address validity issues.

For the qualitative portion of the study: Identify and describe the main domains that are to be explored (e.g. the main topics you are going to ask about) Describe the type of qualitative study instrument being proposed, such as a semi-structured interview guide, or a focus group guide. Describe how potential issues related to the credibility and trustworthiness of the data will be addressed Writing a Research Proposal Basic Proposal Outline:

Data analysis: Describe how collected data will be analyzed Describe how data will be presented(dummy tables) What statistical tests will you use? Be sure the statistics are appropriate for the study design Analysis should be linked to the hypotheses and clear how each hypothesis will be tested Writing a Research Proposal Basic Proposal Outline:

Ethical Considerations  Describe how you will obtain informed consent, ensure participants’ confidentiality or anonymity, Fairness, Honesty, protect them from harm, and submit your proposal to an IRB for review and approval.  Data Collection Procedures (if the proposed study includes an intervention, describe the intervention ) Writing a Research Proposal Basic Proposal Outline:

Writing a Research Proposal Title selection Objectives formulation Background Lit search Methods Proposal submission and approval Timeline Basic Proposal Outline: Area & Pop Sampling Instrument Analysis plan

Writing a Research Proposal Subject/wks Title selection Objectives Background Lit review Area & Pop Sampling Instrument Analysis plan Proposal/ submission and approval

 Bibliography (or References) What is referencing?  A standardised way of acknowledging the sources of information.  It allows the sources to be identified. Why reference? Is important to: Avoid plagiarism. Enable readers to follow up what is written. Writing a Research Proposal Basic Proposal Outline:

 Bibliography (or References) Steps in referencing  Record the full bibliographic details.  Follow the guidelines of the institution.  Insert the citation at the appropriate place in the text of the document.  Include a reference list at the end of your document. Writing a Research Proposal Basic Proposal Outline:

Bibliography (or References)  Include only the literature which was actually cited  References may be done in either the Harvard or Vancouver style. Writing a Research Proposal Basic Proposal Outline:

Bibliography (or References)  References may be done in either the Harvard or Vancouver style.  Harvard style:( Parenthetical referencing) partial citations—for example, "(Smith 2010, P1)"  Vancouver style:(author-number system) A superscript number is inserted in the text e.g.(Type 2 diabetes, 1 but it has been……) Writing a Research Proposal Basic Proposal Outline: