Reading Research Literature -The Research Process

Reading Research Literature -The Research Process

The Research Process

The purpose of this course is not to teach you to become a researcher but to become a consumer of research. Understanding the research process improves your ability to locate relevant research reports and to utilize research findings while engaged in evidence-based practice. All of us use research to buy phones, to purchase cars, and to decide where to live.

The research process is similar to other problem-solving processes in that it follows a series of steps; each step must be successfully completed to advance to the next one and reach a goal. The steps of the research process are

1. defining and describing the problem;
2. developing a plan to gather information to address the problem;
3. implementing the study;
4. analyzing and interpreting the results; and
5. disseminating the findings.

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The International Council for Nursing (ICN) created a Research Network in 1999 to raise awareness among nurses and to advance knowledge. The ICN Research Network has published a poster, Nursing Research: A Tool for Action (ICN, 2009).

The Research Process

Nursing research involves a systematic and rigorous scientific process, with the purpose of generating new knowledge, answering questions or solving problems. The following diagram is an overview of the process and should assist you in understanding the steps in a research project.

Step 1 – Specific Aims

Identify the specific aims of the proposed research and how it relates to clinical practice, e.g., to develop a productive description of those patients who fall during their hospitalization.

Step 2- Background and Related Literature

Review related literature and background information to demonstrate the
significance of the topic and to outline previous work in the same area, e.g., the literature on falls among hospitalized patients can be organized into studies profiling fall-prone patients and studies and literature evaluating prevention programs. Reading Research Literature -The Research Process.

Step 3 – Theoretical Framework or Hypothesis

Develop a theoretical framework that describes the problem, the factors contributing to the problem and the possible solutions.

Step 4 – Research Design

Establish the methodology of a specific research design for your study, e.g., a six month prospective study of patients who fall in the hospital will be matched with a comparison group who did not fall, so as to assess what characteristics best describe the group with falls.

Step 5 – Setting and Sample Size

Describe the characteristics of the setting where the proposed research project will take place. The size and nature of the research sample and how the sample was selected should also be described, e.g., the setting will be the Medical Centre and the sample size will be all patients who fall in the hospital during a six month period. Reading Research Literature -The Research Process.

Step 6 – Measurement Tools and coding Strategy

Specify the instruments or tools to be used to measure the study variables and define a coding strategy appropriate for analysis, e.g., chart audits and patient and nurse interviews will be used as measurement tools. Subjects will be assigned a code number prior to collecting data.

Step 7- Final Steps

• Analyze data
• Interpret results
• Describe clinical significance
• Present for peer review
• Incorporate review results
• Disseminate research findings

Reference
International Council of Nurses (ICN Research Network). (2010). Nursing research: A tool for action. Author.

Communicating Research Findings: The Research Report

The last step of the research process is to disseminate findings. In previous courses, you learned how to format your scholarly papers using the style described in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (2010). The main purpose of the manual is to set standards for scientific communication. This lesson gives a brief overview of how research may be published. If you are interested in learning more about publishing research, please refer to the manual.

The research report is one way to communicate to nurses and other healthcare professionals about discoveries made during the research process. Gaining insight into how to read various sections of the research report helps you determine whether the research is relevant to your practice and provides evidence upon which to base your decisions. Reading Research Literature -The Research Process.

Research reports must accurately and succinctly express what occurred during the research process. The major sections of the research report include the following.

• Title
• Authors
• Abstract
• Introduction
• Methods and Procedures
• Results
• Discussion, Conclusion
• References

There is no universal standard for writing a research report; therefore, the labels and location of the information will vary. Commonly found parts are described below.

Title

The title can reveal a great deal about the research report in just a few words. For example, it may indicate the population, intervention, or research design. The title tells you, at a glance, if the research report may be relevant to your issue and worth reading.

Authors

The author(s) who participated in the research are listed. The first author indicates who conceived the idea for the research and contributed the most and thus receives the most credit. The names of additional authors appear in order of importance. The credentials of authors may reflect their educational preparation, licensure, credentials, and/or certification. The affiliation or employer for the author may be provided. The affiliation may have a reputation for research, which adds further credibility to the study.

Abstract

The abstract is a concise summary of the highlights of the research and conveys the most important elements. It may be the only open access, public information available at no cost to readers. The abstract must be compelling to motivate the reader to pay for access to the full-text version. The abstract may include, or be followed by, key words. Key words are chosen by the author to represent the most important themes in the research. A report is stored in a database along with its key words. When a reader searches the database, the search terms are compared with the key words for the reports. The database returns the reports when there is a match between the search terms and the key words. Determining the PICO (T) elements of a question helps the reader identify terms that are likely to match the database key words. Reading Research Literature -The Research Process.

Introduction

The introduction to the report makes the case for the importance of the research. It may discuss the scope of a problem and its impact on a population. The introduction entices the reader to keep reading.

A theoretical framework may be described if one was chosen to guide the approach to a study of the topic. The framework reveals the underlying assumptions and beliefs held by those conducting the research, which may or may not align with those of the reader. If the reader rejects the premise of the theoretical framework, the reader may reject the research findings that were the result of this type of thinking. Not all research studies are based on a theoretical framework. Reading Research Literature -The Research Process.

The background and literature review section of the report describes previously published research that was conducted on the topic. It helps establish the need for and the significance of the research, perhaps by pointing out a knowledge gap. The literature review can guide the researcher during the planning process when choosing the research problem, design, methods, and analysis.

The purpose of the research may be labeled as the purpose, or it may be called the goals, the aims, the objectives, or the intent. These describe, in a clear and concise way, the reason for the research and may include mention of the population, the variables, and their expected relationships.

Methods

The methods section of the research report describes how the research was conducted. It contains details regarding the sample, setting, data collection, and any interventions.

The inclusion criteria explain who was eligible to participate in the research. At times, exclusion criteria are applied, and the report describes who was not eligible.

The setting is the physical location or environment where the research was conducted and the data were collected.

The Institutional Research Board (IRB) of an organization is comprised of individuals who review the research proposal to ensure that institutional standards are met to protect the rights of subjects. The IRB may judge whether the research approach is sound. Approval is granted if the board determines that the proposal reflects a study that will meet the standards. Many journals will only publish research that was approved by an IRB.

A sample of the population is chosen for study because it is rarely possible or realistic to conduct research on an entire population. Various sampling methods can be used to obtain a group that reflects the components in the population of interest. Each sampling method has its strengths and weaknesses, which the researcher may describe in the discussion and conclusions. Reading Research Literature -The Research Process.

The intervention in an experiment is introduced to determine its effect on the outcome. It is the cause in a cause -and -effect relationship. The intervention is also known as the independent variable (IV). The relationship between the intervention and the outcome can be analyzed through research statistics. Nonexperimental research may study the effect of an intervention on variables of interest. The researcher analyzes possible relationships with descriptive statistics. If relationships are discovered, the researcher does not imply that the intervention is the cause but simply that the relationships exist.

Data collection provides details regarding how the researcher gathered information about the subjects. People who collected the data are usually described not by name but by their qualifications and suitability to perform this role. If the study is an experiment, the researcher may indicate if the data collection was blind—indicating that the researcher and/or the subjects did not know who was receiving the intervention. Any instruments used may be described in this section or in a section such as measures.

The measures section reveals how the researcher studied the factors, including how numbers were assigned. Measures information may be integrated into the data collection section of the report. Reading Research Literature -The Research Process.

The analysis details the procedures used to examine the data after they were collected. The researcher describes how the data were processed, including computer programs that generate statistics. Approaches to analyzing qualitative and quantitative data differ. Data analysis may be summarized in tables, figures, and graphs, such as frequency tables, bar charts, histograms, and line graphs. The statistical analysis and graphical presentation should match the nature of the data to represent the findings accurately. The analysis may be included in the methods section.

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Results

The results, or findings, interpret the data analysis. This section explains what the researcher discovered. How findings are reported depends on how the research was conducted—that is, what is the research question? W ho was studied? H ow were they studied ? W hich methods were used to analyze the data? A nd so forth. If a hypothesis was proposed, the researcher will make a decision whether to accept or reject it. The results section should reflect what was reported in the methods section. Reading Research Literature -The Research Process.

Discussion, Conclusion

The discussion and conclusions summarize the research findings. A comparison may be made between the findings of this study and the results of previous studies cited in the literature review. The researcher may discuss the clinical relevance of the findings and how these may contribute to advancing the profession. The strengths and limitations of the study are outlined. Suggestions for application of the findings are offered. Future research topics are recommended to continue closure of the knowledge gap.

References

The references section includes all of the sources that were cited in the report. The format for the references and the rest of the report is determined by the publisher and does not necessarily follow APA guidelines. The references should be reviewed to determine if they are current, which is to say published within 5 years of the date of publication of the report. However, older references may represent seminal works that do not become out of date. Look at the reference section of publications to see if the sources are peer-reviewed and well respected. References may point the reader toward places to look for more evidence related to a question or problem. Reading Research Literature -The Research Process.

Interactive Research Report

The following research report contains descriptions of the various components that comprise most reports. The purpose of this interactive report is to help you learn where to find specific information.

Interactive Research Report

Communicating Research Findings: The Research Poster

A research poster is similar to a research report, but the poster presents the information in a visual manner. Posters are usually displayed at meetings where the author may discuss the research with interested individuals.

The main sections of the research poster resemble those of the research report; however, the space on a poster is limited. Viewing a poster lets the reader quickly glance at the steps of the research process that were undertaken during the study.

The time spent on reading a research poster is as limited as its space unless the author has prepared a handout. Learning where to find information on the poster helps the viewer take away the most important points.

Introduction
The Introduction or Problem Statement will typically be here where the eye has been trained to begin to read English. The problem statement makes the case for the significance of the issue under study.

Purpose/Aims
This may be labeled as the purpose, aims, goals or objectives. It describes the reason for the research.

Hypothesis
A hypothesis may be stated. Seldom do you see the null hypothesis. Instead, the author usually indicates the expected outcomes from the research. Not all research studies contain a hypothesis. A qualitative study may list research questions that were posed. The information in each section will depend upon the type of research performed and how it was conducted. Reading Research Literature -The Research Process.

Background
The background or literature review describes the previously publishes research that has been conducted on the topic.

It helps establish the need for and the significance of the research perhaps by pointing out a knowledge gap. The literature review can guide the researcher during the planning process when choosing the research problem, design, methods and analysis.

Theoretical Framework
A conceptual or theoretical framework explains the thinking that guided the decisions made during the research process.

Operational definitions may be included to further enlighten the reader as to how abstract ideas were translated into something measureable.

Qualitative studies may not have operational definitions. Instead, the subjects may be asked to share how they perceive the world around them.

Research Design
The research design may be included in a Methods section. This is where you may discover whether the design is qualitative or quantitative, and further details, e.g., if the study was an experimental or quasi-experimental design. Reading Research Literature -The Research Process.

Research Setting
The research setting is the physical location where the data were collected. Look to see if the setting is similar to your own, and likely to have evidence that you could apply.

Population & Sampling
The population explains who was the target of the research. Sampling tells how subjects were chosen to represent the sample. Consider your own population, and if it is similar to that which was studied.

Data Collection
Data collection methods indicate how the author gathered information for analysis. Assess whether these methods seem appropriate to address the problem that has been identified.

Results
The data analysis section may include a summary of the most important findings. It may display tables with results.

Implications
The author may recommend how to utilize the findings from the research. Reading this may let you judge if you wish to learn more about the research study. If so, look for the author’s contact information. Reading Research Literature -The Research Process.

Summary

This lesson described the steps of the research process and compared it to the nursing process. The research report is a common way to disseminate the findings of nursing research. Various parts of the research report were defined and illustrated in an interactive research report. Another method of sharing research is the research poster, highlighted through the example—the anatomy of the research poster. Reading Research Literature -The Research Process.