Research Aims WOMAN AND CHILD HEALTH RESEARCH UNIT, FERNANDEZ HOSPITAL, HYDERABAD, INDIA 1

Aims and Objectives  We have worked on a hypothesis and a research question (or maybe more than one hypothesis and question)  The next step is to write down your aims and objectives of the research.  The aims and objectives are what you aim to do to answer your research question.  Focused aims and objectives derive from a focused research question 2

How many Aims?  You can choose to have as many aims and objectives as you wish  However, well thought out focused questions do not lend themselves to many aims  Too much clutter in the aims indicate a cluttered rather than a focused research question  Very few aims may indicate a narrow research question (although this is not always true) 3

Primary and Secondary Aim The most important aim that helps address the most important question of your research is the primary aim There may be other secondary aims for the study 4

Example Research question: Is iron deficiency anemia during the second and third trimesters, as measured by a hemoglobinometer, a cause for low birth weight among singleton babies born after 2005 to primi mothers? Primary Aim: To determine a contributory cause of iron deficiency anemia for low birth weight among singleton babies born after 2005 to primi mothers 5

Example- Subgroups in Primary Aim  To determine a temporal relationship between iron deficiency anemia and low birth weight  To determine a dose response relationship between iron deficiency anemia and low birth weight among singleton babies born after 2005 to primi mothers  To determine the strength of the association between iron deficiency anemia and low birth weight among singleton babies born after 2005 to primi mothers 6

Example-Secondary Aim  To determine if iron deficiency anemia is associated with increased mortality and morbidity among primi mothers 7

Aims The aims and objectives derive from your hypothesis and question Work backwards once you have written the aims and objectives to reassess your question and hypothesis Revise if necessary 8