HoW tO Write inteRnational Quality Publication (WoRQ) Workshop Series, Indonesia

Seun Kolade
Before you publish a manuscript

WoRQ Workshop Series

 WoRQ Learning Outcomes

At the end of this session, participants are expected to:

• Understand the link between excellent research, good-
quality publication and grant funding.
• Identify research paradigms and approaches relevant to
their fields within the broad spectrum of research
philosophy.
• Understand the critical importance of good research design
and good instruments for good research.
• Identify key factors and issues associated with the
international outlook of their research.
British Council Dr. Seun Kolade
WoRQ Workshop Series
 Discussion 1: What is Research?

How will you define or describe

“research” in one sentence or
phrase?

British Council Dr. Seun Kolade

WoRQ Workshop Series
 So, what is Research?

https://en.ppt-online.org/68727
http://readingcraze.com/index.php/formulate-research-
objectives/

Leicester Castle Business School

 Research Paradigms: Ontology
• Ontology can be defined as the science or study of being.
• It deals with the nature of reality.
• It is usually constructed as a system of beliefs that reflects
individual’s interpretations of reality and fact.
• Objectivism and subjectivism are two important aspects of
ontology.
– Objectivism “is an ontological position that asserts that social
phenomena and their meanings have an existence that is independent
of social actors” (Bryman, 2012).
– Subjectivism is the “ontological position which asserts that social
phenomena and their meanings are continually being accomplished by
social actors” (Bryman, 2012).
British Council Dr. Seun Kolade
WoRQ Workshop Series
 Research Paradigms: Epistemology

Image source: http://fadak.ir/?1000655

British Council Dr. Seun Kolade

WoRQ Workshop Series
 Research Paradigms: Methodology
• Induction: here you start by drawing a conclusion from one or
more particular facts or pieces of evidence. The conclusion
explains the facts, and the facts support the conclusion. The
nature of induction is that the conclusion is only a hypothesis.
Other explanations can fit the facts
• Deduction: Deduction is a form of reasoning that starts with one
or more true premises and the conclusion flows from the
premises given. A correct and sound deduction must be both true
and valid.
– True: the premises given for the conclusion must agree with the real
world
– Valid: the conclusion must necessarily follow from the premises
British Council Dr. Seun Kolade
WoRQ Workshop Series
 Discussion 2: inductive or deductive

• A low cost airline is delayed. Another 200 low

cost airline is delayed. You conclude that low cost
airlines always have delays. Is this approach
deductive or inductive? What are the limitations?
How can you improve reliability?

British Council Dr. Seun Kolade

WoRQ Workshop Series
 Methodology: inductive or deductive contd.

Steps in inductive Steps in deductive research

research 1. Start with an existing
theory
1. Observation 2. Formulate hypothesis
2. Observe a pattern based on theory
3. Collect data to test the
3. Develop a theory hypothesis
4. Analyse results: accept or
reject hypothesis
British Council Dr. Seun Kolade
WoRQ Workshop Series
 Methods
• Qualitative research: A research question in qualitative
research may seek to i) discover (e.g. grounded theory); ii)
seek to understand (e.g. ethnography); iii)explore a process
(e.g. case study); iv) describe the experiences
(phenomenology); or v)report the stories.
• Quantitative research: This focuses mainly on the
relationships between variables that the investigator want
to examine. Thus the researcher may compare a group of
independent variables to a dependent variable. Here, the
specification of research questions and hypotheses are often
associated with testing a theory.
British Council Dr. Seun Kolade
WoRQ Workshop Series
 Research Paradigms in a nutshell

British Council Dr. Seun Kolade

WoRQ Workshop Series
 Discussion 3: How would you approach this research?
• On 22nd December 2018, residents on
the Sunda Strait were hit with a 10-
foot-tall (three meters) tsunami
without warning. The Tsunami left
more than 200 dead in its wake. You
are leading a research team from the
Harapan University of Medan to
investigate community resilience and
post disaster response in Java and
Image source:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2018_Sunda_Strait_tsunami#/media/ Sumatra. How would you approach
File:Sunda_strait_tsunami_2.jpg
this research?
British Council Dr. Seun Kolade
WoRQ Workshop Series
 The Research Process

Identify
Stakeholder Locate/develop questions/ Analyse Modify
engagement theory Collect data
model to be data theory
tested

British Council Dr. Seun Kolade

WoRQ Workshop Series
 Research: a multi-stakeholder approach

• There is a departure from the

“traditional” view of research
as an activity carried out by
the researcher for the benefit
of society, including direct
users.
• Now, research is seen more as
a collaborative activity in
which the academic expert co-
opt other stakeholders in the Image source: http://www.change-initiative.com/meetings-
co-production of knowledge. facilitation/multistakeholder-processes/

British Council Dr. Seun Kolade

WoRQ Workshop Series
 Planning for stakeholder engagement
• The stakeholder engagement plan
identifies the strategies and actions
required to promote productive
involvement of stakeholders in a research
project (Project Management Body of
Knowledge, 6th Edition, 13.2.3.1).
– It is based on the needs of the project and the
expectations of stakeholders.
• A good stakeholder engagement plan
should include:
– A list of stakeholders
Image source: http://blog.felixdodds.net/2017/05/blog- – Map of the areas of influence and power
mini-series-on-multi-stakeholder.html
– The engagement approach

British Council Dr. Seun Kolade

WoRQ Workshop Series
 Research questions in qualitative and quantitative research

• Qualitative research: A research question in qualitative

research may seek to i) discover (e.g. grounded theory); ii)
seek to understand (e.g. ethnography); iii)explore a process
(e.g. case study); iv) describe the experiences
(phenomenology); or v)report the stories.
• Quantitative research: This focuses mainly on the
relationships between variables that the investigator want
to examine. Thus the researcher may compare a group of
independent variables to a dependent variable. Here, the
specification of research questions and hypotheses are often
associated with testing a theory.
British Council Dr. Seun Kolade
WoRQ Workshop Series
 Discussion 4: Any problems here?
1. Do you worry that you may have halitosis? Yes/No
2. Do you like fruits and vegetables? Yes/No
3. Do you agree with most people that capital punishment should be
restored? Yes/No
4. What is your birth order?
a) Raised in Institution
b) Youngest of Siblings
c) I was an “only child”
d) Oldest of siblings In Middle (some siblings older & younger)
5. What is your attitude about the linkage between the 2002 war on the
terrorists of al-Quaida in Afghanistan and the Democrats decrying of
sexual McCarthyism toward improving the environment in Arizona?

British Council Dr. Seun Kolade

WoRQ Workshop Series
 Designing a good instrument for primary data
• The design of a good questionnaire typically flows from:
– a) identification of the construct, e.g. attitudes towards a mobile phone
– b) identification of dimensions ( and sometimes sub-dimensions) of the
construct e.g. gender, sophistication, and ease of use
– c) development of indicator items for each dimension (Brinkman, 2009).
• The Likert Scale method, developed by American Psychologist Rensis
Likert in 1932, helps social scientist to quantify variations in attitudes.
– A Likert scale item has two parts: the stem statement, and the response scale.
• A good Likert scale question should be clear and unambiguous, avoiding:
– a) double barrelled questions
– b) quantitative statements
– c) leading questions

British Council Dr. Seun Kolade

WoRQ Workshop Series
 Types of variables

Type of variables

Categorisation
Categorisation by
by type of
level of measurement
control

Independent Dependent Control

Categorical Continuous
variable variable variable

Discrete Continuous
Nominal Interval-scale Ratio-scale
Ordinal ordinal

British Council Dr. Seun Kolade

WoRQ Workshop Series
 Data analysis: overview of analytical approaches
• Structural Equation Modelling is a multivariate statistical analysis technique that combines factor analysis and
multiple regression to analyse structural relationships between measured variables and latent constructs.
• Panel data analysis is a means of studying a particular subject within multiple sites, periodically observed over
a defined time frame. Panel data analysis enables an array of techniques methods to resolve selection bias in
estimating the treatment effect including a)propensity score matching (PSM); double difference (DD)
methods), and instrumental variables (IV) models.
• Social network analysis is a popular tool for investigating interactions and linkages which run between agents
in a relational system. Unlike variable analysis, where attribute data is organised in a case-by-variable matrix,
relational data in social network analysis is organised in a case-by-affiliation matrix. Binary measures are
typically used to indicate presence or absence of relationships.
• Content analysis enables the researcher to interpret meaning from the content of text data. It uses coding
units to transform qualitative data into forms of quantitative data, thus enhancing the reliability.
• Case Study Research is an approach that emphasises detailed contextual analysis of a limited number of
events or conditions and their relationships.
• Ethnography is a qualitative methodology that is used for the study of social interactions and behaviours of
users in a given environment. Its data collection methods include direct observation, diary studies, video
recordings, photography and artefact.
• Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA) is a relatively new method used to study the configuration of cases.
This mixed method, based on Boolean Algebra, bridges the gap between case study research and quantitative,
cross-national research.
British Council Dr. Seun Kolade
WoRQ Workshop Series
 Data analysis: overview of analytical packages

Leicester Castle Business School

 Research Impact
• Research impact is “the demonstrable contribution that excellent
research makes to society and the economy” (ESRC).
• Impact falls into two broad categories:
– Academic
– Economic and social
• Research impact can also be:
– Instrumental: “influencing the development of policy, practice or service
provision, shaping legislation, altering behaviour” (ESRC)
– Conceptual: “contributing to the understanding of policy issues, reframing
debates” (ESRC)
– Capacity building: through technical and personal skill development

British Council Dr. Seun Kolade

WoRQ Workshop Series
 Impact indicators: definitions (Reed, 2018)
Indicators Definitions

Understanding and awareness People become aware of/and understand an issue better than they did before.

A change in attitudes, typically of a group of people who share similar views, towards a new attitude that brings them or others
Attitudinal
benefit.

Monetary benefits, either in terms of money saved, costs avoided or increases in turnover, profit, funding, or benefits to groups of
Economic
people or the environment measured in monetary terms.

Benefits to genetic diversity, species or habitat conservation, and ecosystems, including benefits that humans derive from a healthy
Environmental
environment.

Better outcomes for the health of individuals, social groups or public health, including saving lives and improving people’s quality of
Health and well-being
lives. Also includes wider benefits such as emotional, psychological and economic well-being and measures of life satisfaction.

Contributions to new or amended laws, regulations or other public mechanisms that help to meet a defined need or objective that
Policy
delivers public benefit. This goes beyond simply influencing policy, to enabling those policies to deliver public benefits.

Changes in the prevailing values, attitudes, beliefs, discourse and patterns of behaviour, whether explicit or implicit in organisations,
Cultural
social groups or society. These cultural changes deliver benefits to the members of those groups or those they interact with.

New or enhanced capacity (physical, financial, natural, human resources or social capital and connectivity) that is likely to lead to
Capacity or preparedness
future benefits or make individuals or groups better prepared to cope with adverse changes and conditions.

Better outcomes for women and girls in terms of access to opportunities, access to capital, access to education and skills,
Gender
participation in decision making, and reduction of inequality.
 The Impact Process

British Council Dr. Seun Kolade

WoRQ Workshop Series