بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
Shendi University
Faculty of Medicine
community medicine department
Semester 7
Proposal Framework
Research Methods
Dr:- Ebtisam khalaf Alla
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Proposal frame 6. Research methods: components
1. Personal information [Link] design
2. Title [Link] setting(area)
3. Introduction 3. Study Population (definition
[Link]
4. Justification
[Link] of data collection
5. Objectives(general &specific )
[Link] of data collection
6. Research methods 7. Data collection technique
7. Work plan 8..Study variables
8. Budget 9..Data management :
9. References -descriptive statistics
10. annex -inferential statistics.
[Link] consideration ethical & technical
approval, participant consent
11 . Reference management
(manual ,electronic
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Data collection
(methods & tools)
• Data collection is a systematic process of gathering
observations or measurements.
• you need to consider:
– The aim of the research
– The type of data that you will collect
– The methods and procedures (how) you will use to
collect, store, and process the data
– What information the researcher is going to collect in his study
to meet the objectives?
– How much information will be collected?
(amount of data and the variety of variables)
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The data methods consider :-
– Methods of data collection
– Tools of data collection
– Data collection technique
– Study variables
– Data management
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• First, before decide how you will collect data.
Your methods depend on what type of data you
need to answer your research question
– Qualitative vs. quantitative: Will your data take the
form of words or numbers?
– Primary vs. secondary: Will you collect original data
yourself, or will you use data that has already been
collected by someone else?
– Descriptive vs. experimental: Will you take
measurements of something as it is, or will you perform
an experiment?
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• Second, decide how you will analyze the
data.
• For quantitative data, you can use statistical
analysis methods to test relationships between
variables.
• For qualitative data, you can use methods such
as thematic analysis to interpret patterns and
meanings in the data.
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Variables
• Define the study variables
• Variable is :-
Characteristic of a person, object or
phenomenon that can take different values
and which is measured
• You need to know which types of variables you
are working with in order to choose
appropriate statistical tests and interpret the
results of your study
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Qualitative variables
measured in terms of categories such as survival or death,
mild, moderate and severe disease, presence or absence of
disease
Qualitative variable (data)
a- Ordinal: Classifications based on an ordering e.g.
ratings, preferences
b- Nominal: Classifications based on names E.g. colors,
sex , blood groups
- binary variable (dichotomous) two possible values
- polychotomous or multichotomous data
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Quantitative variable
Either discrete or continuous
• Value of discrete variables are whole numbers examples
– No of cases
– No of school
– No of household
• Continuous variable (as the name) examples :-
– Age
– Weight
– Height
– Distances
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Variable can also classified as :
1 \ Dependant variable (outcome variable) :
Use to measure the problem.
2\Independent variable:
cause or influence the problem
3\ Confounding variables:
Variables associated with the problem and its possible
causes.
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4. Derived variables
– Derived variable (e.g. LBW)
– Original variable (<2500 g)
5. Outcome and exposure variables
– Commonly used alternatives for describing exposure and outcome
variables
Outcome variable Exposure variable
Response variable Explanatory variable
Dependent variable Independent Confounding
variable variables
y-variable x-variable
Case–control group Risk factor
Treatment group
Operationalization of data
• Sometimes variables can be measured directly
for example, you can collect data on the
average age of employees simply by asking for
dates of birth.
• Operationalization means turning conceptual
ideas into measurable observations.
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Operationalization of variables…..
• Determine whether the variables are measurable or
need appropriate indicators (making them
measurable)
E.g.
- Level of Knowledge,
- Nutritional status Weight/ age ,Weight/ height etc...
(Standard growth curve)
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• Example :-
In study that want to determent the level of knowledge
concerning specific issue
1-develop a series of questions to assess person knowledge
(ex risk factor, prevention ..etc) ,
the answers of this Qs form indicators
2-categorized the answers
• If 10 q were asked
0-3 correct answer is poor
4-6 correct answers is reasonable
7-10 correct answer are good
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• If too many variables are included, the study
will be quite difficult.
•A good way of identifying those variables of
relevance to the study is to create tables.
• How to write variables?
Expressed in a neutral way
Factor Variables
- long waiting time - Waiting time
- Absence of drugs - Drug availability
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Data collection methods & tools
• The data collection methods are the
techniques employed to obtain data from the
study subjects
• Proper Data collection methods & study
instruments ( tools) State clearly
what information to be collected
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The common data collection methods:-
1. Individual interviewing methods
2. Group interviewing methods
3. Observation method
4. Review of records and reports
For each method there are
specific instruments which
are used for collecting data
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The common instruments used for data
collection:-
1. Questionnaire.
2. In-depth interview.
3. Checklist.
4. focus group discussions
5. Summary sheets and checklists of records and reports.
Only basic data to be collected. By use the list of variables
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Individual interviewing methods:
• Interviewingis defined as the technique in
which the interviewer meets the study subjects
aiming to obtain data relevant to the research
objectives
tools:-
1. Questionnaire.
2. In-depth interview
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Group interviewing methods
•The groups of study subjects meet discuss,
exchange ideas around a certain topic relevant to
the research. Group discussion is the commonest
instrument for this purpose.
•Tool :
focus group discussions
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A focus group discussion(focus group discussion
guideline )
• involves gathering people from similar .
backgrounds or experiences together to
discuss a specific topic of. interest.
• It is a form of qualitative research where
questions are asked about their perceptions
attitudes, beliefs, opinion or ideas
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Observation method
• The data collected by observation.
• Checklist is the commonest
instrument used for this purpose
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Review of records and reports
• The secondary data obtained by carrying
review of collected data (secondary) in
documents, records and reports.
• Instruments
– summary sheets
–and checklists
are commonly used.
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The questionnaire
• A list of questions by which the researcher
generates data from the study subjects (study
variables).
• Clinical & laboratory findings are included as
they are elicited: presence/absence of enlarged
spleen, blood glucose level
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Questionnaire design
• The perquisites before starting questionnaire
design include:
–Clear objectives.
– List of study variables.
– A plan for questionnaire design.
• questionnaire design;-
– Standardized
– Under standardized
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A standardized
•Questionnaire is composed of a series of
questions, which the investigator determines in
advance of the actual interviews.
•The interviewer asks all the study subjects the
–Same questions
–In the same order,
– The same manner
–The same wordings
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Under standardized questionnaire :-
• The interviewer is provided with a list of
topics or points to collect information about.
• Free to formulate and ask questions in any
order or manner.
• Interviewer can introduce views, opinions:
disadvantage
• Wide variations: difficulties in analysis.
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The administration of the questionnaire
• Administered (by the interviewer )
• self-administered( by respondent)
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Administered:
• is the one in which the questions are read out by the
interviewer and the subject makes a verbal
response, which is written by the interviewer.
–Widely used.
– High response rate.
– Full chance to administer, explain and clarify the
questions.
– The interviewer recognizes the social, cultural and
environmental conditions of the respondents.
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The self-administered questionnaire
•The respondent reads the questions himself and
writes the answers in the designated spaces in the
questionnaire.
– Lower response rate.
– Inappropriate for illiterates and pediatric
population.
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Formulation of questions
• Open-ended and Close-ended questions.
• The open-ended questions:
– no suggested answers.
– The respondent answers in his own
words.
– Lengthy responses and time consuming.
(disadvantage)
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The closed-ended questions:
• Are the questions in which the
respondent is compelled to select his
response from a list of suggested
answers.
• The close-ended questions are either
multiple choice questions (MCQs) or
dichotomous questions.
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Wordings and length of the questionnaire
• Simple words rather than difficult medical
terms.
• Local words used for specific conditions.
• The questionnaire should not be too long or too
short.
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Layout of the questionnaire
• The questionnaire should contain
– study title
–date
–serial number
–interviewer’s name
– and study institute and study place.
• Serial number and household number
should be typed at the top or the bottom of
each page.
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Pre-testing of the questionnaire
• Pre-testing of the questionnaire means
that the questionnaire before being used
for data collection has to be tested and
experimented.
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• The aim of the pre-testing is to ensure
that the questions are clear and
properly formulated.
•Interviewing about five subjects
similar to the study population
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Data collection technique
• how data will be collected and by whom
should fully explained and coding of the data
• If data collection involves training for the data
or specimen collectors the methods should be
include
• in Experimental work should explain and
describe the subjects , procedures , instruments
, follow up measures….etc
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Training of the interviewers
The interviewers are to be trained on the
following:
• Interviewing techniques.
• The contents of the questionnaire.
• The time of filling the questionnaire
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