Research Process:
Research Problem & Review of Literature
Dr. Jaswinder Kaur
Assistant Professor
RIMT University
05-09-2024 Dr. Jaswinder Kaur (RIMT University) 1
Selection of the
Research Problem/
Research Topic
Process Report Writing Defining the Problem
Review the Literature &
Analysis & Interpretation Identification the
of Data Research Gap
Collection of Data Prepare Research Design
Selection/Development Selection of Sample
of Tool(s)
05-09-2024 Dr. Jaswinder Kaur (RIMT University) 2
Research Problem
1. Selection of Research Problem
• Professional experience
• Inference from the theory
• Social changes
• Survey of the literature
• Discussion
2. Defining the problem
3. Evaluation of the problem
05-09-2024 Dr. Jaswinder Kaur (RIMT University) 3
Need to Define the Research Problem
• Identify a broad topic area
• Narrow down the topic
• Identify the research gap
• Formulate the problem statement
• Justify the research problem
• Develop research questions or hypotheses
• Refine and re-assess
05-09-2024 Dr. Jaswinder Kaur (RIMT University) 4
Techniques to Define Research Problem
• Literature review and gap analysis
• Use of the 5 Ws and 1 H (Who, What, When, Where, Why, How)
• Personal experience
• Consultation with experts
• SWOT/SWOC analysis
• Examine policy documents and reports
• Critical incident technique
• Comparative analysis
05-09-2024 Dr. Jaswinder Kaur (RIMT University) 5
Review the Literature
• The knowledge and ideas that have been already established on a particular
topic
• A critical analysis and synthesis of existing research
• Discusses published information
• Summary of the sources
05-09-2024 Dr. Jaswinder Kaur (RIMT University) 6
Purpose of Review the literature
• Identify variables relevant for research
• Avoid duplication
• Synthesis of prior works
• Determining meaning and relationship among variables
• Gap identification
05-09-2024 Dr. Jaswinder Kaur (RIMT University) 7
Sources of the Review
• Journal and books
• Reviews
• Abstracts
• Index
• Websites/ Internet
• Thesis/ Dissertations
• Supervisor/ Experts
05-09-2024 Dr. Jaswinder Kaur (RIMT University) 8
Types of Literature
• Narrative/ Theoretical Review
• Systematic/ Scoping Review
• Meta-analysis
• Subject specific books
• Grey literature
• Official publication, archives and statistics
• Writing aids/ Journal articles
05-09-2024 Dr. Jaswinder Kaur (RIMT University) 9
Research Gap
• Area of research within a particular field of study have not been fully
explored
• Question that has not been answered
05-09-2024 Dr. Jaswinder Kaur (RIMT University) 10
Types of Research Gaps
• Knowledge gaps
• Methodological gaps
• Theoretical gaps
• Geographic or demographic gaps
• Temporal gaps
05-09-2024 Dr. Jaswinder Kaur (RIMT University) 11
Questions to Help Identify Gaps in
research
• What has not been explored?
• What populations/sample and tools have been selected?
• What are the contradictions in the findings?
• Which research methods are employed in the research?
• How recent is the research?
05-09-2024 Dr. Jaswinder Kaur (RIMT University) 12
05-09-2024 Dr. Jaswinder Kaur (RIMT University) 13