Conducting Academic Research – Key Considerations Part 1

Academic Research Project is mandatory for every student at the end of a degree program. Often times, some students find it challenging to put their thoughts together when choosing an conducting research topic. This writing was put together to provide guidance to students having difficulties in carrying out their academic research.

Below are some considerations required when conducting research.

Reasons For Choosing the Topic

In choosing a topic, consideration should be given to your area of interest or a problem you have been looking forward to solve. Your strength and ability in gathering sufficient data to carry out successful research within the time frame is key. Also, you should consider topic that is relevant to your career aspiration, therefore, the study should provide you with the opportunity to learn and understand different concepts relating to the chosen topic.

Reasons for Choosing the Company

Give a brief description of the Company you intend to use, highlighting when the business commenced, nature of the business, geographic location and its major achievement over the years.

Thereafter, you should state the reason for choosing the Company you intend to study. Examples of some reasons for choosing a particular Company are:

• Easy access to information gathering, so as to complete the research within the time frame of the project timetable
• Factors responsible for perceived or actual exceptional market acceptance, growth and success of the Company, which attracted you to the Company.

Aims and Objectives Research Report

It is important that you state the aims and objectives you intend to achieve conducting the research. For instance, if you are conducting research on Motivation, the aims of the research can be as stated below:

• To determine the effect of motivation on employee performance and productivity
• To identify the major motivating factors which motivate individuals in in the Company
• The extent to which Job security, good salaries, promotions and growth in the Company, relationship with colleagues and boss, and Commendation for work well done act as a motivator in the Company
• The role played by financial incentives in employee motivation
• The effect of non-financial incentives in employee motivation

 RESEARCH QUESTIONS

After stating your aims and objective of the research, it is pertinent to ask research questions which will aid you in achieving the research objectives.

Building on the example above, using Motivation as a research topic, below are typical questions that can be asked:

• What are the major factors which motivate employees to work in the chosen Company?
• What can dissatisfy employees most?
• What roles do financial incentives play in employee motivation?
• Is XYZ Company’s remuneration good enough to motivate employees?

OVERALL RESEARCH APPROACH

The overall research approach to be adopted should be clearly stated, which may be, using the primary data approach or the secondary data approach. The primary data approach focuses on data that are directly obtained from respondence through questionnaires and/or interviews. While a secondary data approach relies on making use of previously published data.

The part 2 of this writing will consider the sources of information for primary data approach.