7 Steps Research Process Outline to Conduct a Research

The research process involves a number of distinct steps in research work. The research process begins when the investigation starts. It ends with the reporting of the research findings. A researcher goes through the entire process while conducting research. In this post, I do describe conspicuously the research process outline and steps in order to provide the complete guidelines on how do you conduct your research work efficiently. It is so significant here that the success of the research study depends on the exact execution of each step seriously.

What is the Research Process?

The Research Process is a process of multiple scientific steps in conducting the research work. Each step is interlinked with other steps. The process starts with the research problem at first. Then it advances in the next steps sequentially. Generally, a researcher conducts research work within seven steps. In research work, primarily, you require a Research Proposal. It is because the proposal approves the research project whether you achieve the ability to conduct research or not. So when you write a research proposal, present the detailed plans and specific objectives of your research correctly.

7 Steps Research Process Outline

The research process outline means the total research process steps of how do you conduct research. Therefore, here is a checklist of the seven research process steps. It normally takes the following 7 steps in a sequential manner. So, look at the research process outline & steps.

Step-1: Defining the Research Problem

All research sets in a research problem definitely. Factual ignorance may be the research problem. We would simply intend to enrich our knowledge of social processes or institutions. A researcher may investigate to answer the questions, for example, “How technology affects the socialization process?” “How do women’s employment improve women’s empowerment?”

However, the research problem comes up with the ongoing phenomenon or issues. One research project may significantly lead to another research work. Because it explores issues that the researcher did not think about previously.

Step-2: Review of Literature

Once the research problem is defined, the next step is to review the existing research evidence. To clarify that to study the available research resources related to the problem. For example, it may be the previous research that has already made a clear statement of the problem. The researcher takes into account how useful the previous research that exists. Did previous researchers investigate the same problem? How do they resolve it? What aspects of the problem have remained unsolved? Go through How to Review the Literature for Your Research to learn more details. Keep in mind that how richer your literature is, the better your research will be.

Step-3: Formulating a Hypothesis

In this step, the researcher makes the problem precise. What the researcher intends to test? What is the relationship between variables? Specify your Independent & Dependent variables.

Then the researcher steps forward to how the problem would be approached? The nature of the research problem can decide to formulate a definite hypothesis. A hypothesis is tested. Effective research work formulates a hypothesis in such a way that collected factual data will provide evidence that either supports or disproves them. Formulation of Hypothesis in Research will make you more expert. In the end, the hypothesis turns into a practical theory.

Step-4: Research Design

The researcher then must find out a research design. Research design decides how the research materials will be collected. One or more research methods, for example, experiment, survey, interview, etc are chosen depending on the research objectives. In some research contexts, a survey may be suitable. In other facts, interviews or case studies or observations might be more appropriate. Find the ways How to Choose a Research Design? Research Design actually provides insights into “how” to conduct research using a particular Research Methodology. Basically, every researcher has a list of research questions that need to be assessed that can be done with research design.

Step-5: Carry out the Research Process

While the research design is decided, then the researcher collects data, records information. The researcher proceeds with the research. Practical difficulties may arise in this stage. For example, the research method may not suit properly. The interviewer might be unwilling to let carry out the research as planned. Moreover, a false interpretation could potentially bias the result of the study. So, when you collect data, you need to know the effective techniques of data collection in order to gather necessary and relevant information with regard to research.

Step-6: Preparing Research Results

Now work out the implications of the data you gathered. Your challenges are not over yet. Rather problems might just begin! It is hardly easy to clear out the implications of the gathered materials. While it is possible to clarify the research questions, some investigations are less conclusive. So, interpret your research results in order to report the findings.

No matter what kind of research you are doing, there comes a moment when your head is full of ideas that originated from your analysis. Ideally, you’ll write them down as they come to you. Now you need to convert the mass of those elements and ideas into a written text that makes sense to the reader and can do justice to your quest.

Step-7: Reporting Research Findings

The final step of the research process outline is to report the research findings. Describe the significance of the research study. Work out how do they relate to the previous research findings. Usually, the research report published as a journal article or book. This is the last stage in terms of the individual research project. Mostly, a research report discusses questions that remained unanswered & suggests further research in the future in general.

This also signifies how do you write your research paper. You must write your research findings in a proper way. So, I do suggest going through Research Report Writing Steps with Format.


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