1. RESEARCH OUTLINE How Do I Get an Idea? Why Should I Review the Literature? How Do I Formulate a Hypothesis? How Do I Decide on the Method? What’s Important About Collecting Data? How Do I Analyze the Results? How Do I Interpret the Results? Do I Need to Do the Steps in Order?

2. How Do I Get an Idea? Start with a topic you find interesting. An idea that springs from the literature is more likely to add to the literature. Don’t try to do everything with one study.

3. Why Should I Review the Literature? Relevant theories and constructs Research methods and instruments Previous findings Gaps or inconsistencies in the literature

4. How Do I Formulate a Hypothesis? Variables must have operational definitions. Decide on a population of interest. Must be scientific: falsifiable, precise, rational, parsimonious. It’s okay to be wrong.

5. How Do I Decide on the Method? Choose the method based on the hypothesis. Select a sample. Develop a research protocol. Locate resources. Obtain IRB approval.

6. What’s Important About Collecting Data? Be organized and professional. Follow the research protocol. Do a pilot study if possible.

7. How Do I Analyze the Results? Descriptive statistics - organize and summarize scores Inferential statistics - generalize from sample to population

8. How Do I Interpret the Results? Evaluate the hypothesis. Be cautious and conservative. Context of justification vs. context of discovery

9. Do I Need to Do the Steps in Order? “Begin at the beginning, and go on till you come to the end: then stop.” Don’t get ahead of yourself. Go back and forth as needed.