Introduction
Effective research serves to fulfill its intended purpose. Internalizing the purpose of your research is the key point to consider before undertaking any research. The question one needs to ask themselves is what their mission is in carrying out research. Good research is carried out by an effective person. Personal behavior affects the outcome of the research. On identifying the objective, the researcher should internalize the cause and direct his efforts to achieve it. Effective researchers produce effective research as they are proactive and have visions for what they want to pursue. Self-discipline is also an important character that such researchers have and is important in ensuring effective research.
Aspects of effective research
Self-development is another vital aspect of effective research. Researchers should be willing to bear the costs of ensuring that their competence and efficiency are improved. One can take the position of a problem-solver or a problem-creator depending on the purpose of the research. The purpose should be well outlined, specific, and easy to understand. Identifying and documenting the main concepts is a step that is vital in carrying out research.
Carrying out background research before the actual research serves the purpose of ensuring the researcher is well informed thus it forms a strong starting point. The time factor is another very crucial aspect. Establishing a research plan by identifying the research pattern you will use while specifying if the research is qualitative, quantitative, or has both aspects. One should also ensure that ethical considerations are obtained if such is required. In cases where assumptions are made, they should be indicated clearly.
One should have ample time in researching so as not to overlook certain aspects. Establishing if the topic one is researching is time-specific, what resources are needed for instance books or journals, and whether its place-specific, will help in narrowing the scope of the research translating to effective research. Selecting the tools to use is important as some sources are better and more reliable than others. One should establish a plan of how to carry out research. To appreciate writers who wrote before you and you are using their school of thought, one should begin to indicate. It is important to evaluate your results by establishing how relevant they are to your topic. Determine whether information got is sufficient, insufficient, or excessive. If need be, you can restructure your strategy and use other sources. Evaluating or assessing the research found can be done before establishing a source when using internet sources. One can establish the relevance of a book by checking the description of the books provided.
Checking the quality of information
Quality of information can be checked by; checking the owner’s credibility, how current the information is, whether there is evidence of buyers, how wide is the coverage, and whether the source geographic specific. It is vital to establish the motive of your source, whether for commercial gain entertainment, or educational purposes. To confirm the accuracy of the information one can, establish if the author provides references or if he or she is linked to a reputable organization or recognized by authorities. (Fornaciari et al.1999).
Conclusion
In researching for a topic one can use already existing literature, for instance, books magazines, reports, journals, online databases, or any other published materials. The demerit of this is that it does not give current information. Interviews or face-to-face communication is also a research method used. It gives current information about the topic of research. A focus group discussion can be used to give a group’s view about a topic. Other methods used include mail surveys, personal interviews entailing in-depth information, telephone surveys as well as E-mail, and the internet. Areas commonly researched are those that bring about controversies, inconsistencies in results obtained, or those that are given different interpretations.
References
Michael Nielson. 2004.Principles of Effective Research. 2007. Web.
StatPac Inc. 2007. Research methods. Web.
Fornaciari, James J. & Roca, Maria F.Loffredo 1999. The age of cutter: Conducting effective research using the internet.Journal of Management Education.